Community News Center
Community News Center is a nonprofit organization headed by a former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee director that launches and distributes local newsletters. The Sixteen Thirty Fund reported contributing $100,000 to the organization in 2022. 1
Contents
Background
Community News Center is headed by executive director Aaron Strauss. Strauss is the former director of the Analyst Institute, a for-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works with left-of-center organizations and campaigns to assess and enhance their impact. Strauss’s personal website describes his background as working for several Democratic party campaigns, and his X social media profile describes his work as “using evidence-based strategies to re-elect Biden.” 2 3
Strauss is also a former director of targeting and data for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and described his work since 2019 as “crafting anti-Trump ads and measuring their real-world effects.” 4
Community News Center advocates for local journalism and claims to be addressing the problem of “local news deserts” with local newsletters to increase civic participation. 5
Activities
Community News Center’s primary efforts involve launching and distributing local newsletters, which the organization claims to have done in 13 states. 6
Community News Center claims that these newsletters discuss a broad range of topics such as local events, money saving tips, and government resources and counteract the negative effects of local news deserts where no local journalism outlets are based. 6
Community News Center also raises awareness about national resources, such as federal and consumer protection resources and prescription drug discount programs. 6
Funding
Community News Center reported over $3 million in revenue in 2022. 7 Community News Center does not disclose its donors, but the left-of-center Sixteen Thirty Fund managed by Arabella Advisors reported contributing $100,000 to the organization in 2022. 1
Community News Center is also involved in political activities, reporting $117,213 in political campaign activity expenditures in 2022. 7
Community News Center also reported receiving $1 million in publicly traded securities in 2022, which the organization liquidated at a loss. 7
The organization’s largest expenditures are for printing and mailing services, reporting payments of $1.3 million to Snap Pack Mail and $757,917 to Mission Control, Inc in 2022. Community News Center also issued large payments to research consultants based in Washington, D.C., reporting payments of $250,000 to Democratic polling firm Hart Research Associates and $133,456 to PSG Consulting in 2022. 7
The organization also reported purchasing $174,466 worth of gift cards from Tango Card in the same year. Community News Center’s only reported assets for 2022 were $160,041 in cash. The directors of Community News Center report no compensation from the organization. 7
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
Revenue Detail
Expenses Detail
Grant Activity
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $813,000
- Number of Grants: 5
- Number of Funders: 5
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
| Amount | Year | Funder | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| $275,000 | 2022 | Ground Game Fund | Non-Part GOTV Mail Program |
| $200,000 | 2024 | Hopewell Fund | CIVIL RIGHTS, SOCIAL ACTION, ADVOCACY |
| $200,000 | 2024 | TIDES FOUNDATION | HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES |
| $100,000 | 2022 | Sixteen Thirty Fund | CIVIL RIGHTS, SOCIAL ACTION, ADVOCACY |
| $38,000 | 2024 | Imagine North Carolina First | Funding Non-Partisan Programming |