Form 990 for tax year 2024

Totals

Total revenue

$38,097,727

Total expenses

$30,264,843

Contributions and grants received

$36,460,872

Grants paid

$18,551,564

Program service revenue

$98,500

Investment income

$1,538,355

Other revenue

$0

Total assets, end of year

$66,446,853

Total liabilities, end of year

$1,739,049

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$64,707,804

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$27,577,758

Management and general expenses

$1,663,564

Fundraising expenses

$1,023,521

Program service expenses (Part III)

$27,577,758

Program services were 91.1% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2024

• GRANTMAKING PROGRAM - THE AMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT SUPPORTS THE GROWTH OF INDEPENDENT, NON-PROFIT NEWS ORGANIZATIONS THAT HOLD THE POWERFUL ACCOUNTABLE, COMBAT DISINFORMATION, AND DEEPEN CIVIC PARTICIPATION IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. AS OF THE END OF 2021, AMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT HAS MADE GRANT COMMITMENTS TO 32 NEWS ORGANIZATIONS, SELECTED THROUGH A COMPETITIVE GRANTMAKING PROCESS WITH OVERSIGHT FROM OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

  Expenses $12,844,376 · Grants $12,475,182 · Revenue $98,500

• AS PART OF ITS WORK TO LAUNCH AND INCUBATE STARTUP LOCAL NEWS ORGANIZATIONS, AMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT SERVES AS THE EARLY-STAGE FISCAL SPONSOR TO THESE ENTITIES UNTIL THEY RECEIVE IRS TAX-EXEMPT STATUS AND CAN OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY. PRIOR TO SPINOFF, AJP PROVIDES FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE, AND STRATEGIC GUIDANCE TO HELP THESE EMERGING ORGANIZATIONS BUILD CAPACITY AND SUSTAINABILITY.

  Expenses $8,909,718 · Grants $5,303,139

• GRANTEE SUPPORT PROGRAM - AMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT SETS GRANTEES UP FOR SUCCESS THROUGH A UNIQUE VENTURE SUPPORT MODEL. GRANTEES REPRESENT A VARIETY OF MODELS AND STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT, AND AMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT PROVIDES EACH WITH TAILORED SUPPORT BASED ON THEIR NEEDS AND BIGGEST STRATEGIC CHALLENGES. STAFF WORK AS A TEAM WITH GRANTEE LEADERS, PARTNERING WITH EACH ORGANIZATION TO HELP THEM STRENGTHEN AND SCALE THROUGH OPERATIONAL AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT, CURATION OF BEST PRACTICES FROM ACROSS THE SECTOR, AND FOSTERING OF PEER LEARNING ACROSS THE PORTFOLIO. SEED CAPITAL, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, AND EQUITABLE ORGANIZATION DESIGN.

  Expenses $3,865,710 · Grants $773,243

• STARTUPS PROGRAM - AMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT WORKS WITH CIVIC LEADERS, PLACE-BASED FUNDERS, AND COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS INFORMATION GAPS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. AMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT PROVIDES LOCAL PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERS WITH SERVICES SUCH AS COMMUNITY LISTENING, INFORMATION ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH, SOLUTION DESIGN, AND BUSINESS MODELING. ADDITIONALLY, EXPERIENCE AND RESOURCES ARE LEVERAGED TO INCUBATE NEW ORGANIZATIONS FROM THE GROUND UP. INCUBATION SUPPORT CAN INCLUDE ORGANIZATION ESTABLISHMENT, TEAM RECRUITMENT, VISIONING AND STRATEGIC PLANNING, RAISING SEED CAPITAL, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, AND EQUITABLE ORGANIZATION DESIGN.

  Expenses $1,957,954

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

• FREE PRESS INDIANA

  $5,456,464

  TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY REVENUE AND TO ADVANCE TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR LOCAL NEWS.

• OHIO LOCAL INFORMATION INITIATIVE

  $1,454,936

  TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY REVENUE AND TO ADVANCE TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR LOCAL NEWS.

• CALMATTERS

  $812,000

  TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY REVENUE AND TO ADVANCE TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR LOCAL NEWS.

• FORT WORTH REPORT

  $596,384

  TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY REVENUE AND TO ADVANCE TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR LOCAL NEWS.

• TEXAS TRIBUNE INC

  $549,167

  TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY REVENUE AND TO ADVANCE TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR LOCAL NEWS.

• THE CITY REPORT INC

  $534,745

  TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY REVENUE AND TO ADVANCE TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR LOCAL NEWS.

• SPOTLIGHT PA

  $509,135

  TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY REVENUE AND TO ADVANCE TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR LOCAL NEWS.

• WISCONSIN CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

  $494,471

  TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY REVENUE AND TO ADVANCE TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR LOCAL NEWS.

• SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO

  $480,000

  TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY REVENUE AND TO ADVANCE TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR LOCAL NEWS.

• CITYSIDE JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

  $455,375

  TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY REVENUE AND TO ADVANCE TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE MODEL FOR LOCAL NEWS.

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2024

Filed

11 November 2025

IRS schema version

2024v5.2

Source object

202503169349304355

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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