The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) is an educational and philanthropic organization that aims to increase the impact of not-for-profit, left-of-center media. The institute provides training and resources to news organizations, which teach them to raise money and grow their reach. It also pressures them to advance left-progressive perspectives on race, prioritize race-based equality of outcome in the workplace, and fill management positions based on racial and other characteristics. INN is based out of Los Angeles, California. ¹

Originally founded in 2009 as a collective of nonprofit news organizations called the Investigative News Network, the INN rebranded itself as the Institute for Nonprofit News in 2015. ²

Initiatives

The Institute for Nonprofit News offers instruction and mentorship to local and regional nonprofit media organizations. Subjects include raising revenue through sponsorships, philanthropy, and other fundraising methods, as well as growing readership. The institute also gives out awards for nonprofit journalism. ³

Racial Politics

The Institute for Nonprofit News has advanced left-progressive race politics to be a key component of its mission. The institute publishes a detailed breakdown of the racial and gender makeup of its board. According to this report, all six founding staff members of the INN were white, but the institute has worked to change its demographics as it grew. The INN specifically uses the current and anticipated racial demographics of the United States as a benchmark, and reports that it adjusted its self-described “diversity” goals from 35 percent non-white to 40 percent to reflect the projected 2020 census results. The institute also cites the Black Lives Matter anti-law enforcement protests and riots of summer 2020 as a factor in accelerating its racial quota program. ⁴

Impact

In 2020, the Institute for Nonprofit News was a fiscal sponsor for 26 local media platforms across the United States, serving as their 501(c)3 legal entity and handling their financial and administrative needs. Media sponsored by the institute brought in a total of more than $3 million in revenue. The INN claims that it successfully helped five of these publications achieve fiscal independence. Since its founding, the institute has been a fiscal sponsor for nearly 50 city- and state-level news organizations. ⁵

Leadership

Sue Cross is the executive director of the Institute for Nonprofit News. She joined the institute in 2015. Cross previously worked as the senior vice president of the Associated Press global news agency, where one of her initiatives involved expanding the agency’s operations in Latin America and Spanish-speaking areas. ⁶

Sharene Azimi is the communications director of the INN. She joined the institute in 2020, and is responsible for promoting its work to funders and partners, as well as editing the INN newsletter. Azimi is also the founder of the public relations firm Mission Communications. ⁷

Laura Frank is the board chair of the INN. She is the executive director of COLab, a media organization operating in Colorado, and has spent most of her career working in Colorado news and media. ⁸

Marcia Parker is the board secretary of the INN. She is the publisher of Calmatters, a nonprofit media organization operating in California. She previously worked on news projects for corporations such as Penton and AOL. ⁹

Financials

During the 2020 fiscal year, the Institute for Nonprofit News generated more than $4.5 million in revenue. Nearly $1.2 million came from grants, just under $120,000 came from membership dues from partner organizations, and less than $50,000 came from donations. ¹⁰

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, a leading left-of-center grantmaking organization, has given the INN $1.6 million between 2011 and 2019. ¹¹ Arnold Ventures, another left-of-center philanthropy, gave the institute a $200,000 grant in 2021. ¹²

1. Our Work. Institute for Nonprofit News. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://inn.org/about/our-work/
2. “INN changes name to Institute for Nonprofit News.” Current. March 10, 2015. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://current.org/2015/03/inn-changes-name-to-institute-for-nonprofit-news/
3. Our Work. Institute for Nonprofit News. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://inn.org/about/our-work/
4. Diversity Report. Institute for Nonprofit News. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://inn.org/about/diversity-report/
5. 2020 Financial Summary. Institute for Nonprofit News. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://1l9nh32zekco14afdq2plfsw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/INN_FinancialReport_2020_v3.pdf
6. Staff. Institute for Nonprofit News. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://inn.org/about/staff/
7. Staff. Institute for Nonprofit News. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://inn.org/about/staff/
8. Board of Directors. Institute for Nonprofit News. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://inn.org/about/board-of-directors/
9. Board of Directors. Institute for Nonprofit News. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://inn.org/about/board-of-directors/
10. 2020 Financial Summary. Institute for Nonprofit News. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://1l9nh32zekco14afdq2plfsw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/INN_FinancialReport_2020_v3.pdf
11. Institute for Nonprofit News. MacArthur Foundation. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://www.macfound.org/grantee/institute-for-nonprofit-news-43772/
12. Institute for Nonprofit News. Arnold Ventures. Accessed September 12, 2021. https://www.arnoldventures.org/grants/institute-for-nonprofit-news-1