Inter Press Service North America (IPSNA) is a left-of-center nonprofit news agency based in New York that was established as the North American national chapter of the Inter Press Service, a nonprofit news agency founded in 1964 that focuses on disseminating news from developing countries to nongovernmental organizations, the North American media, and the United Nations. ^{1 2}

Background

Inter Press Service North America is a left-of-center nonprofit news agency based in New York. The organization was established as the North American national chapter of the Inter Press Service, a nonprofit news agency founded in 1964 that focuses on disseminating news from developing countries to NGOs, the North American media, and the United Nations. IPSNA works in the same way, providing news on developing countries, although it notes that it is “specially edited for the region’s readership.” ^{1 2}

People

The executive director of the Inter Press Service North America is Farhana Haque Rahman. According to her LinkedIn page, Rahman worked at the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development from January 2005 until June 2014, at one point becoming its chief of external communications and media relations. Rahman also worked as a senior advisor of communications for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations from May 2014 until December 2015. ³

After leaving the United Nations, Rahman became the director general for the Inter Press Service from September 2015 until September 2019 when he became the senior vice president for the organization, as well as the executive director of IPSNA. She holds both positions as of November 2024. ³

Rahman attended a high-level program in Strategic Leadership Management at the Said Business School of Oxford University and has held lectures on media and communications at universities in Italy and Bangladesh. ⁴

Financials

Inter Press Service North America receives most of its revenue from program services. In previous years, its principal source of revenue has been contributions and grants. In 2015, the organization reported total revenue of $402,449 in 2015, all of which came from contributions and grants. ⁵

The organization’s revenue dropped to $99,681in 2016 and fell even further in 2017 when IPSNA’s total revenue amounted to $66,274. The organization received $72,681 in contributions in 2016 and $43,691 in 2017. ⁵

IPSNA began receiving more revenue via program services than contributions in 2018 when its total revenue amounted to $157,978, $47,605 of which came in the form of contributions, while $93,205 was earned through program services. ⁵

According to the organization’s 2022 tax return, IPSNA had a total revenue amount of $216,302, of which only $10,685 came from contributions, while $193,050 came from program services. ISPNA’s total expenses amounted to $187,229, of which $67,400 was spent on executive compensation. ⁵

Funding

Although Inter Press Service North America earns most of its revenue from program services, the organization has received grants from private grantmaking organizations. IPSNA received two grants, both in 2023, from the Open Society Foundations (OSF), a network of private grantmaking foundations created and funded by billionaire financier George Soros. ⁶

IPSNA received $260,000 in one 2023 grant to “support reporting on climate change and climate justice in the Global South,” with the intent to highlight the “disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on developing countries and focusing on the urgent need for innovative and equitable solutions.” ⁶

The organization also received a second grant in 2023 worth $300,000 to “support the capacity building of journalists from developing countries in Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean to deepen their understanding of the issues of climate change and climate justice.” ⁶

IPSNA also received a substantial grant from the left-of-center grantmaking organization Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. The foundation gave IPSNA $200,000 in 2006 to “increase coverage of international financial institutions and their impacts on the environment and people.” ⁷

1. “About Us.” Inter Press Service. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.ipsnews.net/about-us/.
2. “Inter Press Service (IPS) News Agency.” Idealist. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit/3a166a6012564b358c0e0482bba60c42-inter-press-service-ips-news-agency-washington-dc.
3. “Farhana Haque Rahman.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhana-haque-rahman-1a1189135/?originalSubdomain=ca.
4. “Farhana Haque Rahman.” Festival Internazionale del Giornalismo. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.journalismfestival.com/speaker/farhana-haque-rahman.
5. “Ipsinter Press Service North America Inc – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133982258.
6. “Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships.” Open Society Foundations. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?filter_keyword=Inter+Press+Service+North+America%2C+Inc.
7. “Charles Stewart Mott Foundation – Tax Return – 2006.” Foundation Center. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://990s.foundationcenter.org/990pf_pdf_archive/381/381211227/381211227_200612_990PF.pdf.