Non-profit

Investigative Project on Race and Equity

Website:

www.raceandequityproject.org/

Location:

Chicago, IL

Tax ID:

88-1422150

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Type:

Journalist Training Organization

Formation:

2023

Governing Board:

Kevin Blackistone

Rui Kaneya

Laura Washington

Budget (2022):

Revenue: $42,700
Expenses: $19,558
Assets: $29,761 1

References

  1. Investigative Project on Race and Equity. Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990). 2022.

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The Investigative Project on Race and Equity is a Chicago-based organization that trains ethnic-minority journalists to conduct data-focused investigative reporting focused on race. Founded in 2023, 1 the organization supports specific left-of-center journalistic projects and hosts an apprenticeship program for aspiring journalists. 2

History and Activities

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity initially formed in September 2020 by alumni of the Chicago Reporter, 3 a publication based in Chicago, Illinois, that focuses on issues of race and poverty. 4 The project at that time was called the Friends of the Chicago Reporter. 5 In December 2022, 100 Friends of the Chicago Reporter announced plans to create the Investigative Project on Race and Equity. 6 On September 27, 2023, the Investigative Project on Race and Equity was officially launched. 7

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity trains journalists to report stories through the lens of systemic racism. The purpose of the organization is to create a pipeline of diverse journalists in Chicago while promoting reporting on data that it believes expose systemic injustices and patterns of abuse against minorities. 8

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity offers apprenticeships in investigative reporting. Apprentices have access to a network of more veteran editors, reports, and journalists who focus on race issues. 9 The apprenticeship program also offers training sessions on subjects like how to obtain public records, how to interpret data, interviewing sources, and fact-checking. Using these tools, apprentices are then tasked with conducting their own investigative reports. 10

In the fall of 2023, journalists with the Investigative Project on Race and Equity launched their first initiative: a three-part series with WBEZ Chicago detailing Chicago traffic stops data by race. 11 The data purported to show an increase in the percentage of African Americans stopped by the police from 17.5% in 2004 to 30.6% in 2022. 12 The organization claimed based on the data that stops of African-American drivers reached a 20-year high in 2023 and that the racial gap in stops is widening. 13

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity also hosts online information sessions on journalism. For example, in April 2022, the organization hosted a 90-minute workshop with four career journalists in conjunction with the National Association of Black Journalists. 14

People

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity is led by a three-person governing board. The board includes Kevin B. Blackistone, a sports columnist at the Washington Post; Rui Kaneya, a senior editor at ProPublica; and Laura S. Washington, a contributing columnist at the Chicago Tribune  and political analyst for ABC 7 Chicago. 15

Partners

Partner organizations to the Investigative Project on Race and Equity include the Chicago Community Trust, a community foundation and provider of donor-advised funds that provides grants to social programs and nonprofits, including left-of-center advocacy groups, primarily in the Chicago area; the Field Foundation of Illinois, a grantmaking organization focused on left-of-center principles of equity; WBEZ Chicago, the National Public Radio (NPR) station in Chicago; and the Joyce Foundation, a nonprofit based in Chicago that finances advocacy for gun control, environmental causes, and liberal education policy as well as opposition to right-of-center election reforms. 16

References

  1. “News Release: Investigative Project on Race and Equity Debuts with 3-Part Series with WBEZ Chicago.” Investigative Project on Race and Equity. September 27, 2023. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jw-j1CXc-YK4CPw6j7relyBJxFxcWZfK/view.
  2. “Our Work.” Investigative Project on Race and Equity. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.raceandequityproject.org/our-work.
  3. “Digging Into Investigative Journalism with the Experts.” Friends of the Chicago Reporter. March 25, 2022. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=d6b7e0f74d09d9a7a910db79f&id=d3852edac6.
  4. “The Chicago Reporter.” The Chicago Reporter. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.chicagoreporter.com/.
  5. “Digging Into Investigative Journalism with the Experts.” Friends of the Chicago Reporter. March 25, 2022. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=d6b7e0f74d09d9a7a910db79f&id=d3852edac6.
  6. “Help us launch our new project.” The Friends of the Chicago Reporter. Accessed January 15, 2024. December 2022. https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=d6b7e0f74d09d9a7a910db79f&id=25715632dd
  7. “News Release: Investigative Project on Race and Equity Debuts with 3-Part Series with WBEZ Chicago.” Investigative Project on Race and Equity. September 27, 2023. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jw-j1CXc-YK4CPw6j7relyBJxFxcWZfK/view.
  8. “Our Mission.” Investigative Project on Race and Equity. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.raceandequityproject.org/our-mission.
  9. “Our Work.” Investigative Project on Race and Equity. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.raceandequityproject.org/our-work.
  10. “Apprenticeship Training Program.” Investigative Project on Race and Equity. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.raceandequityproject.org/apprenticeship-program.
  11. “News Release: Investigative Project on Race and Equity Debuts with 3-Part Series with WBEZ Chicago.” Investigative Project on Race and Equity. September 27, 2023. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jw-j1CXc-YK4CPw6j7relyBJxFxcWZfK/view.
  12. Tweet by @raceandequity1. Twitter. December 22, 2023, 3:25pm. Accessed January 15, 2023. https://twitter.com/raceandequity1/status/1738309761605804287.
  13. “Illinois traffic stops of Black drivers reach a 20-year high.” Investigative Project on Race and Equity. September 27, 2023. Accessed January 15, 2023. https://www.raceandequityproject.org/blog/illinois-traffic-stops-of-black-drivers-reach-a-20-year-high-1.
  14. “Digging Into Investigative Journalism with the Experts.” Friends of the Chicago Reporter. March 25, 2022. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=d6b7e0f74d09d9a7a910db79f&id=d3852edac6.
  15. “Did you see us in the Sun Times?” Investigative Project on Race and Equity. October 1, 2023. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?u=d6b7e0f74d09d9a7a910db79f&id=a8efb5a9a9.
  16. “The Investigative Project on Race and Equity.” Investigative Project on Race and Equity. Accessed January 15, 2024. https://www.raceandequityproject.org/.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: October 1, 2022

  • Available Filings

    No filings available.

    Investigative Project on Race and Equity

    3750 N LAKE SHORE DRIVE STE 8C
    Chicago, IL 60613-0000