ANNUAL REPORT 2021

The crisis in local news is global.

down

The need for independent, fearless journalism is stronger than ever.

The past few years have taught us that truthful and unbiased journalism is vital to our health, our democracies and our communities, not just in the United States, but around the world too.

Our Report for America corps members show up for their communities every day. They lift up stories that would otherwise go overlooked and hold power to account.

They’re a force for good.

In 2021, we adapted our hyper-local model to India, Nigeria and Brazil and launched Report for the World.

margin-bottom-big revealator-zoomin annual-single-img
margin-bottom-big revealator-zoomin annual-single-img
margin-bottom-big revealator-zoomin annual-single-img
single image

In 2021, we supported more than 300 local journalists in 4 countries, 49 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam, reaching more than 161 million readers.

Through this work — and because of supporters like you — we’re building more informed, just and thriving communities.

single image

On The Ground

In 4 countries, 49 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico & Guam
×
Syria (in exile)
The Syrian Investigative Reporting for Accountability Journalism is both a collective of Syrian reporters living in exile and an organization that mentors journalists. SIRAJ is dedicated to preparing Syrian reporters on undertaking investigative journalism both on issues pertaining specifically to Syria as well as globally through workshops and training. They were founded in 2016 and are currently in exile in France publishing reports and investigations about Syrian affairs and political developments.
×
Russia (in exile)
IStories is an independent Russian website that specializes in investigative journalism. It was founded in 2020 in response to the Russian government’s increased pressure on media organizations. As a non-profit organization, seeks to foster collaboration between regional and international news organizations. As of March 2022, it is in exile with most journalists operating outside of Russia.
×
Philippines
Puma Podcast is a podcast production company based in the Philippines that produces a wide range of shows, from podcasts that delve into topics from health and women’s empowerment, to interviews with prominent members of Filipino society and culture. They were the first organization in Asia to have their podcasts archived in the United States’ Library of Congress.
×
Pakistan
Tribal News Network, is an online news organization that produces online and radio content In Pakistan. Founded by broadcast journalists, TNN’s first bulletin aired in 2013, since then they have moved to digital news and increased broadcast coverage to ten partner stations across Pakistan as well Afghanistan. As well as radio and digital journalism, TNN also produces telephonic bulletins where their audience can call a local number to hear the latest news.
×
Nicaragua (in exile)
DIVERGENTES is an alternative media, different and focused on narrative journalism, with emphasis on social, political, economic, environmental, LGBTIQ+, gender, indigenous communities and migration investigations. Launched online on June 3, 2020, it bets on long-form journalism to inform and explain the phenomena that affect Nicaragua, scrutinizing public, private, religious and factual powers, to provide citizens with substantiated information that allows them to have more resources to make critical decisions, diverging from what different social actors give as facts.
×
Myanmar (in exile)
Frontier Myanmar was established in 2015 to provide their audience with comprehensive coverage on post-coup Myanmar. They publish primarily on long form investigative and analytical pieces focusing on current issues facing Myanmar: poverty, oppression of dissidents, and political developments that the country is undergoing. Following the government’s crackdown on independent journalism and the arrest of several of their reporters, Frontier Myanmar is currently in exile in Thailand.
×
Lebanon
The Public Source is an independent media organization that seeks to produce strong journalism and critical commentary. It is based in Beirut, and covers both local and international issues. They publish bimonthly, and highlight the work of academics, activists, artists, organizers, as well as journalists. It was started in 2020 originally to publish long-form articles but has since broadened due to the ongoing protest actions to include arts and culture and criticism.
×
Kenya
Africa Uncensored was founded by Kenyan investigative journalists for the purpose of publishing high quality news stories about Africa as it really is.Based in Nairobi, it focuses on investigative and in-depth pieces to “investigate, expose, and empower”.
×
El Salvador

“Alharaca” is an insult directed towards a woman that means she is being over-sensitive and over-emotional about an issue. Alharaca reclaims this, providing strong journalism with a feminist perspective that covers the intersection of journalism, art, academia, and technology. Based in El Salvador, this women-led digital news platform covers current affairs and how they affect not just women, but all Salvadorean society.

×
Chile
CIPER-Centro De Investigación Periodistica is a non-profit organization that both promotes and produces investigative journalism in Chile. The organization is founded on the belief that transparency is a cornerstone of democracy, and is funded completely by donations which are open to the public. CIPER was created in 2007 and is a member of the Global Investigative Network. Along with publishing robust investigative journalism, it also offers workshops to help train journalists.
×
Afghanistan (in exile)

For more than 10 years Etilaat Roz was the most widely circulated daily newspaper in Kabul, establishing itself as a hard-hitting investigative journalism organization, focused on systemic corruption in Afghanistan. But when the Taliban took power, the newsroom was forced into exile. Despite this, Etilaat Roz continues to put out strong journalism that seeks to advance a free press in Afghanistan.

×
Peru

Convoca is an investigative journalism organization founded in 2014 by reporters, data analysts, and programmers in Peru to merge the best of traditional reporting with the intelligent use of databases, a multidisciplinary perspective and new digital narratives to systematically investigate the networks of political and corporate power that affect the lives of citizens.

×
Mexico

Quinto Elemento Lab is an independent journalism nonprofit that produces investigative stories that aim to empower citizens, strengthen accountability and help build a more just and transparent society. Inequality, impunity and corruption are still leaving a mark in Mexico. That’s one of the reasons why Quinto Elemento focuses on investigations that shed light on the inequalities, abuses and failures of the powerful as well as the inequality in the exercise of citizen’s rights.

×
Ukraine

Ukrainska Pravda is an online news and analysis website founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000. Published from Kyiv in Ukrainian, Russian and English, it has become a reference for independent journalism in Ukraine during the Russian invasion.

×
Zimbabwe

Launched in 2017, The Citizen Bulletin is a digital-first newsroom that produces hard-hitting longform reporting for the greater region of Matabeleland, south-western Zimbabwe. We cover core news and focus on special-interest beats such as public health, education and environment. We are a fully distributed team that is dedicated to mission-driven high-quality journalism that cuts through the noise.

×
Hungary

Átlátszó is the first Hungarian investigative journalism nonprofit and a watchdog NGO to promote transparency, accountability, and freedom of information in Hungary.

×
Brazil

Founded in 2011 by women reporters, Agência Pública is the first non-profit investigative news agency in Brazil. Their focus is to investigate the public administration, including all levels of government and congressional houses; the social and environmental impact of corporations and corrupt and anti-transparent practices; the efficacy, transparency, and equity of the justice system; and the violence against vulnerable communities in urban and rural areas. Their reporting has been recognized with over 50 national and international journalism awards. Including the Ibero-American Gabriel Garcia Márquez Award and the Premio Roche Award for Health Reporting.

×
Guam
×
Nigeria

The Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) is an independent, not-for-profit organization that combats injustice, holds power to account and speaks for the voiceless. Founded in June 2020, FIJ seeks to uncover the truth by bypassing officialdom and neutralizing propaganda, and making it accessible to the public in a way that eases and influences their everyday decision making.

×
Alabama
×
Nebraska
×
Missouri
×
South Carolina
×
West Virginia
×
Virginia
×
Iowa
×
Maryland
×
Arkansas
×
Rhode Island
×
Vermont
×
New Hampshire
×
Pennsylvania
×
Delaware
×
Alaska
×
Georgia
×
Indiana
×
Minnesota
×
Arizona
×
Ohio
×
Oklahoma
×
Colorado
×
Nevada
×
Washington D.C.
×
Puerto Rico
×
Oregon
×
New Mexico
×
Tennessee
×
Wisconsin
×
Montana
×
North Dakota
×
Wyoming
×
Florida
×
Massachusetts
×
Louisiana
×
Hawaii
×
Connecticut
×
Illinois
×
Utah
×
New York
×
Washington
×
Michigan
×
Mississippi
×
North Carolina
×
Kentucky
×
Idaho
×
Texas
×
California
×
Maine
×
India

The News Minute is a digital news platform covering India, with a specific focus on the five southern states of the country. Headquartered in Bengaluru, TNM has ground reporters in all the southern states covering a wide range of issues and events.

Report
for
America
Local journalism, national service

Rampant disinformation continues to tear at the fabric of our democracy, but our corps members have been on the frontlines of our mission, delivering reliable, trustworthy local news across the country. And most importantly, their communities have come out to support them and the work they do.

Rampant disinformation continues to tear at the fabric of our democracy, but our corps members have been on the frontlines of our mission, delivering reliable, trustworthy local news across the country. And most importantly, their communities have come out to support them and the work they do.

Supporting Local Fundraising

$861,000 in 2019
$4,616,059 in 2020
$7,422,468 in 2021
$8M in 2022
$7.4 million raised
By local newsrooms, from local supporters, for local news
42%
more funding per reporter raised by newsroom partners year over year
48%
corps members identify as people of color
70%
corps members identify as women
297
corps members fielded in 211 newsrooms
400+
otherwise untold stories per corps member per year

Making an Impact

Lautaro Grinspan

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution in Georgia
Coverage focus: Latino and Asian immigrant communities in Atlanta
Lautaro Grinspan
Lautaro Grinspan

In December 2021, corps member Lautaro Grinspan reported on a federal indictment that found a human trafficking operation that “trapped migrant workers in modern-day slavery” in Georgia. Grinspan’s reporting and subsequent follow-up stories were not only the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s first Spanish-language stories, but also prompted legislators to call for more federal oversight.

Annika Hom

Mission Local in California
Coverage focus: Inequality and income disparities in Mission District
Annika Hom
Annika Hom

Corps member Annika Hom wrote a story about residents in an apartment complex in San Francisco and La Jolla that were living in unsafe conditions. One resident, Margie Miller, had been living without a kitchen for six months, with her walls down to the studs — and she was soon facing eviction. Following Hom’s story for Mission Local, Related California, the management company, dropped their eviction notice for Miller and immediately fixed her kitchen.

Annie Rosenthal

Marfa Public Radio in Texas
Coverage focus: U.S.-Mexican border communities
Annie Rosenthal
Annie Rosenthal

For years, the Cementerio del Barrio de los Lipanes in Presidio, Texas, was in disarray, even though the burial ground held the history of the Lipan Apache tribe. Corps member Annie Rosenthal continued her coverage of the tribe’s efforts to gain ownership of the land from the city and county officials, so they could tend the graves themselves. After months of reporting and efforts by the Lipan Apache tribe, the land was officially signed over to the tribe in November 2021

Donte Kirby

Technical.ly in Maryland
Service Project Spotlight
Donte Kirby
Donte Kirby

Corps member Donte Kirby, of Technical.ly, provides guidance and editorial support to a small group of Baltimore students who are part of CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth. Occasionally, he leads workshops on the craft of journalism. But mostly, he listens to their story ideas and gives guidance on how to bring them to life. Read some of their biggest stories here, here and

Report
for
the World
Local journalism, serving the world

Local public service journalism is at risk globally. The dramatic economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted news organizations that were already under great stress. We launched Report for the World to support trusted local journalism where it’s needed most.

Local public service journalism is at risk globally. The dramatic economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted news organizations that were already under great stress. We launched Report for the World to support trusted local journalism where it’s needed most.

Meeting the need

6 at launch
15 in 2021
30 in 2022
500 in 2026
Starting with 6 in 2021 to 500 in 2026
Reporting on under-covered issues around the globe
3
countries: Brazil, India and Nigeria
6
host newsrooms
53%
corps members are women

Making a Global Impact

Vivian Chime

TheCable in Nigeria
Coverage focus: climate change
Vivian Chime
Vivian Chime

Only 30-49% of Nigerians have access to proper water systems and toilets, according to Chukwumerije Okereke, a professor of global environmental and climate governance. “And so this is the reason why when you now have this flooding, it can then lead to an increase in diseases,” Okereke told corps member Vivian Chime. With 441 deaths attributed to cholera in July alone, states across Nigeria are burdened by the epidemic.

Aarefa Johari

Scroll.in in India
Coverage focus: work and gender
Aarefa Johari
Aarefa Johari

Even as the number of women in India’s workforce fell, those leaving the northern state of Jharkhand for the country’s far south saw their dreams crushed by national upheaval.

Johari won the 2021-2022 Journalism for an Equitable Asia Merit Award for this story.

Fábio Bispo

InfoAmazonia in brazil
Coverage focus: climate change and environmental policies
Fábio Bispo
Fábio Bispo

Jalser Renier is an extremely powerful political figure in northern Brazil. But documents uncovered by InfoAmazonia reveal that he is the mastermind of a militia that spied on, threatened, and even kidnapped his opponents. “He created a true militia inside the Legislative Assembly, with intelligence specialists, officers, and elite military soldiers loyal to him […] in order to serve his whims and intimidate his political opponents,” says the State Prosecutor’s office.

Rebuild Local News
Coalition
Public policies for the future of local news

In 2021, Report for America President and Co-Founder Steven Waldman formed the Rebuild Local News Coalition to advocate public policies that will strengthen communities by creating a more robust, more inclusive local news system, without endangering editorial independence.

In 2021, Report for America President and Co-Founder Steven Waldman formed the Rebuild Local News Coalition to advocate public policies that will strengthen communities by creating a more robust, more inclusive local news system, without endangering editorial independence.

single image
3 bills endorsed at the state and federal level
Engaged
with public policy stakeholders in 7 states
Provided
expert testimony in 2 states
Advocated
for content-neutral public policies in the federal government

17 Coalition Members representing 3,000+ newsrooms

Making an Impact

The impact of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act at The Afro-American

Case study
The impact of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act at The Afro-American
The impact of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act at The Afro-American

That’s why journalism doesn’t need a handout, like a stimulus. It needs a hand up, like a policy that augments and incentivizes the existing revenue-generating behaviors that support local journalism — a policy like the Local Journalism Sustainability Act. We looked at how this would impact a newsroom like The Afro-American, the longest continuously published Black newspaper run by a single family in the United States.

Community Foundation Public Awareness Initiative in favor of the LJSA

Letter
Community Foundation Public Awareness Initiative in favor of the LJSA
Community Foundation Public Awareness Initiative in favor of the LJSA

The Community Foundation Public Awareness Initiative has called on Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Sen. Ron Wyden and Ranking Member Sen. Mike Crapo to support the Local Journalism Sustainability Act and local journalism tax credit included in the Build Back Better Act.

Legislative Language for the Local News Tax Credit in Build Back Better

Annotation

The local news tax credit passed in the House version of Build Back Better has the potential to offer transformative funds to local publishers across the country. However, those transformative benefits can be obscured by the provision’s complicated legislative language. So, we’ve annotated the full provision, explaining each section, what it means and its intended function.

Our Team

In 2021, our staff of 42 spanned 20 states across the United States and Washington, D.C. bringing a range of nonprofit, operations, and journalism experience. Meet the people who make all this work possible here.

In 2021, our staff of 42 spanned 20 states across the United States and Washington, D.C. bringing a range of nonprofit, operations, and journalism experience. Meet the people who make all this work possible here.

tg-full
Letter from Charlie
At GroundTruth, 2021 was a year where our work went to the next level.
As the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged newsrooms around the world, we took our Report for America model global, launching Report for the World in Nigeria and India. In the same year, with GroundTruth co-founder Kevin Grant leading the initiative, we more than doubled the size of our program, adding more journalists and expanding to Brazil. 

Simultaneously, we refined, deepened and improved our flagship program, Report for America, with an even greater focus of building a more sustainable journalism ecosystem—at the local level. 

And, my co-founder of Report for America, Steve Waldman, launched a new policy initiative called the Rebuild Local News Coalition, a bold venture to enact more support for local news at the state and federal level. 

Our mission—to restore journalism from the ground up—matters now more than ever, and we strive to innovate and expand our work to rejuvenate news deserts, restore reporting gaps decimated by COVID-19, and lift up stories that matter most. This is a movement to not only restore journalism, but really to restore and protect democracy in the U.S. and around the world.

Will you join us?

And for those of you who already have joined, we extend heart-felt gratitude. Your support means the world to us.

Charles M. Sennott
Founder, CEO And Editor-in-Chief
The GroundTruth Project
Home of Report for America and Report for the World

2021 Donor Recognition

We want to recognize and thank our numerous supporters who gave in 2021, without whom this groundbreaking work would not be possible.
Make a Gift Today
Joanna Visser Adjoian
Senior Program Officer, Social Justice, Spring Point Partners
“As we continue to grapple with the myriad consequences of an ongoing pandemic and persistent societal inequities, the need for frontline reporting that is grounded in community is particularly urgent. We applaud Report for America for its innovative commitment to meeting that need, and to truly centering the communities served by local newsrooms.”
Brenda N.
Supporter from Clovis, CA
“I want to read well-written, balanced reporting about my local area and beyond, and I hope my support helps to accomplish that. Thanks so much to all the knowledgeable, ethical reporters out there!”
Donald W.
Supporter from Richfield, NC
“I believe in a free and fair press. Local news is the backbone of our democracy and it has been disproportionately affected by the digital age.”
2021 Annual Giving

$250,000 - $2M
Anonymous
Anonymous
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Craig Newmark Philanthropies
Google News Initiative
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Joyce Foundation
Just Trust
Knight Foundation
Lumina Foundation
Meta Journalism Project
Microsoft
Natasha and Dirk Ziff
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
SpringPoint Partners

$100,000 - $249,999
Bake Family Trust
Commonwealth Fund
Evelyn Y. Davis Foundation
Ford Foundation
Fortune Magazine
Hearthland Foundation
Heising-Simons Foundation
Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation
Jonathan Logan Family Foundation
Park Foundation
Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation
Posner Foundation
Revson Foundation
Tow Foundation
University of Missouri School of Journalism and the Walton Family Foundation

$50,000 - $99,999
Anonymous
Democracy Fund
Inasmuch Foundation
Maurice and Carol Feinberg Family Foundation
Robin D'Alessandro
Select Equity Group Foundation
Susie Trees

$5,000 - $49,999
Ann Vaughan
Anonymous
BRELL Fund of the Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund
Dan and Christine Quinn Family Foundation
David Fialkow
Eleanor Bingham Miller
Eric Berke
Further Forward Foundation
Gannett Foundation
Hull Family Foundation
Jim Bildner
Kerry Smith
Kivel-Goldstein Family Fund
Kresge Foundation
Laurie David
Linda Mason and Roger Brown
Miller-Wehrle Family Foundation
Mostyn Foundation
Pamela Thye
Rob and Jessica Zeaske
Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Sparkjoy Foundation
The Barinaga Goodman Fund of West Marin Fund
Triangle Community Foundation, Inc.
Val A. Browning Charitable Foundation

Report for the World local newsroom supporters ($5,000+)
Indira Foundation
Nilima and Vivek Ragavan

Report for America local newsroom supporters ($5,000+)
Action Now Initiative, LLC (managed by Arnold Ventures)
Ameren Corporation
Amon G. Carter Star-Telegram Employees Fund
Ashland County Community Foundation
Barry Community Foundation
Bill and Jane Kean Anderson Fund
Blue Grass Community Foundation
Blumenthal Foundation
Central Indiana Community Foundation
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Cleveland Foundation
Coachella Valley Wellness Foundation
Community Foundation of Chattahoochee Valley
Dan and Christine Quinn Family Foundation
Gadsby Fund
George 'Pretty' Wallace Jones and Thomas W. Jones Fund
Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation
Harvey H. Posner and Mary S. Posner Fund
Henry Kimelman Family Foundation
Highpoint Community Bank
Hudson-Webber Foundation
Inasmuch Foundation
Innovia Foundation
J. D. Heiskell & Co.
Jane Kitchel McLaughlin and Peter McLaughlin
Julia Ardery and Bill Bishop
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Newman's Own Foundation
Nicholas T. and Marcia I. Lappas
North Texas Community Foundation
Pamela Ann Wickham
Princeton Area Community Foundation
Robert W. Deutsch Foundation
Sarah and Ben Bailey Family Fund
Stanislaus Community Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
The Jules L. Plangere, Jr. Family Foundation, Inc.
The Lozier Foundation
Triangle Community Foundation, Inc.
William F. Harnisch Foundation, Inc.

WHAT YOU SUPPORT

Supporters like you know that journalism is a cornerstone of democracy.
Here’s what your unrestricted gift to GroundTruth can make possible:
$35,000
sponsors a single local reporter—in the U.S. or globally—for one year of reporting service to their community
$100,000
sponsors 3 local reporters - in the U.S. or globally - for one year of reporting service to their community
$250,000
launches a corps focused on a specific beat like education or environment, or based in a designated geographic region
$500,000
creates a GroundTruth endowment to sustain our reporting for years to come

Thank you

Thank you to all our supporters in 2021, who helped us grow in a year that on-the-ground, trusted journalism mattered more than ever. We are so grateful to have you as partners, restoring journalism from the ground up.
Financials

Year Over Year Growth

$4,475,885
(audited)
$4,475,885
(audited)
$8,547,984
(audited)
$8,547,984
(audited)
$11,332,997
(audited)
$11,332,997
(audited)
$4,475,885
(audited)
$4,475,885
(audited)
$8,547,984
(audited)
$8,547,984
(audited)
$11,332,997
(audited)
$11,332,997
(audited)

Revenue and expenses

1% Other
14% Individual Donors
86% Grants
$12,796,620
18% Operations
82% Programs
$11,332,997

Photo credits (in order of appearance): 1. KT Kanazawich / Flint Beat, Report for America 2. Tash Kimmell / KCAW, Report for America 3. KT Kanazawich / Flint Beat, Report for America 4. Ivan Armando Flores / Texas Observer, Report for America 5. Silas Walker / Lexington Herald Leader, Report for America 6. Silas Walker / Lexington Herald Leader, Report for America