Foundation for National Progress

The Foundation for National Progress is a center-left nonprofit that publishes and supports the social-democratic opinion and news magazine Mother Jones and supports the development of left-of-center journalists writing for the publication.

Background

The Foundation for National Progress publishes and supports the left-wing periodical Mother Jones, founded in 1976 by self-proclaimed activist journalist Paul Jacobs. ¹ Mother Jones explores political and social issues via two main platforms: a bimonthly national magazine release and its website. ² Mother Jones claims as many as 200,000 subscribers, and a substantial online presence. ³

As of fiscal year 2017, 93.7% or $8,964,224 of the Foundation’s expenses was directed toward investigative reporting while the remaining 6.3% or $601,935 was allocated for Mother Jones’ Ben Bagdikian Fellowship Program, which mentors maturing left-of-center journalists. ² The MacArthur Foundation also granted the Foundation for National Progress a $15,000 to provide an annual conference for The Media Consortium to “…discuss cultural and political trends affecting their industry.” ³

Key Staff

Monika Bauerlein was named Mother Jones’ chief executive officer in 2015 after serving as co-editor with Clara Jeffery for the preceding nine years. Jeffery remains the group’s editor-in-chief. Steven Katz is the publisher of Mother Jones, and David Corn is the Washington, D.C. bureau chief. ⁴ Phil Straus holds the position of chairman of the Foundation’s board of directors. ²

Media Consortium

In 2017, the Foundation for National Progress created The Media Consortium, a network of independent journalism outlets, purporting to represent “communities of color.” ³ That year, the MacArthur Foundation granted Foundation for National Progress $15,000 to create an annual conference known as the Media Consortium during which independent journalists from under-privileged areas come together to discuss current political and cultural trends affecting the journalism industry. ⁵

Funding

The MacArthur Foundation awarded the Foundation for National Progress nearly $2,000,000 between 1998 and 2017. In 1998, the Foundation was awarded $35,000 “to support an initiative on arms issues through the Internet-based version of the magazine.” ³ In 2014, the Foundation was awarded $300,000 to support general operations because of the “high quality of journalism” displayed in Mother Jones. ³ In 2016, the Foundation for National Progress was gifted $1,500,000,³and, most recently, in 2017, the Media Consortium was awarded an additional $15,000. ³

Other major contributors include the Quixote Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Marisla Foundation, and Ford Foundation. ⁶ Mother Jones has further cultivated a dedicated base of small donors, accounting for $20 million in charitable contributions from 2013 to 2015. Following the election of President Donald Trump, the magazine saw a surge in support;⁷ tech entrepreneur Rob Glaser granted $250,000 to Mother Jones to investigate alleged connections between Trump’s 2016 Presidential campaign and persons associated with the Russian government. ⁷

In fiscal year 2011, the Foundation reported a negative net income with total revenue of $9,747,036 and expenses of $10,104,860. ⁸ In fiscal year 2012, the Foundation turned a small profit with total revenue of $11,755,037 and net income of $512,096;⁹ 2013 saw a significant decrease in contributions, and, thus, revenue, with the Foundation ending the fiscal year $108,819 in the red. ⁸ In fiscal year 2014 revenue increased dramatically, totaling $13,536,283, $6,259,779 of which was from contributions. ⁸ In fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017 contributions steadily increased to $8,713,127; $8,830,782; and $11,565,250 respectively. ⁸ In 2017, the Foundation made a net income of $2,850,145. ⁸¹⁰