Type Investigations, formerly known as the Investigative Fund, is a media organization that funds and publicizes left-of-center investigative journalism. It is a subsidiary project of the TYPE Media Center, (formerly known as The Nation Institute), an organization that supports and trains left-of-center journalists and authors. ¹ Despite the name changes, both are still associated the left-of-center and controversial The Nation magazine.

It lists a large amount of left-of-center media outlets as its partners, including Harper’s, the Intercept, and the New York Times. ²

History

Type Investigations began as the Investigative Fund in 2004, designed to fund investigative journalism for The Nation magazine. ³ Shortly after its founding, the Investigative Fund expanded its mission to include funding writing to be placed in partnered left-of-center media organizations.

Its early partnering outlets were regional and other openly left-wing outlets, such as the Columbia Journalism Review, Washington Monthly, In These Times, and the Texas Observer. ⁴

It remained small until 2005, when it received a massive increase in funding, largely due to endowments from the Lannan Foundation and the Puffin Foundation. ⁵ Because of its regular support, Type Investigations named one of its “Special Initiatives” after the latter: The Puffin Foundation Investigative Fund. ⁶

In February of 2010, the Investigative Fund launched its website to showcase all its work, whereas before, its supported journalists published their solely articles on partnered websites. ⁷

Present Activities

Type Investigations accepts unsolicited story proposals from independent journalists. If a proposal is approved, a reporter could expect to be paid anywhere from $3,500 to $10,000 to cover any reporting fees and expenses. ⁸ Completed stories are then matched with partner media organizations, with both Type Investigations and the partner assisting in the final drafting process.

Aside from the direct funding of stories, Type Investigations has four “Special Initiatives.” Two of them—The Puffin Foundation Investigative Fund and the H.D. Lloyd Fund for Investigative Journalism—exist because of partnerships with major left-of-center funders. The other two, however—the Ida B. Wells Fellowship and the Wayne Barrett Project—provide financial support to minority reporters and those who report on corruption, particularly in New York City, respectively. ⁹

Leadership

The Editor-in-Chief of Type Investigations is Esther Kaplan. She began her journalistic career as an Associate Editor of The Village Voice, a far-left alternative newsweekly that is based out of New York City’s Greenwich Village. ¹⁰

Funding

Type Investigations is funded entirely through foundation and individual donations, as well as grants from its parent organization, the Type Media Center. Its most recent publicly available filings show total revenues of $1,524,610, including $690,945 in grants. ¹¹

Some of the organization’s major donors include the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Foundation for a Just Society, the Puffin Foundation, Open Society Foundations, First Look Media, and the Lannan Foundation. ¹²

1. “Introducing Type Media Center.” Type Media Center. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://typemediacenter.org/introducing/.
2. “Partners.” Type Investigations. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://www.typeinvestigations.org/partners/.
3. “About Us: The Investigative Fund Archive.” Mission | About Us | The Investigative Fund. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20100215183638/http://www.theinvestigativefund.org/about/.
4. “About Us: The Investigative Fund Archive.” Mission | About Us | The Investigative Fund. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20100215183638/http://www.theinvestigativefund.org/about/.
5. “About Us: The Investigative Fund Archive.” Mission | About Us | The Investigative Fund. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20100215183638/http://www.theinvestigativefund.org/about/
6. “Introducing Type Media Center.” Type Media Center. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://typemediacenter.org/introducing/.
7. Cohen, David. “The Nation Institute Launches Website to Fund The Investigative Fund.” Adweek. February 11, 2010. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://www.adweek.com/digital/the-nation-institute-launches-website-to-fund-the-investigative-fund/.
8. “Frequently Asked Questions.” Type Investigations. Accessed August 02, 2019. https://www.typeinvestigations.org/about/faq/.
9. “Special Initiatives.” Type Investigations. Accessed August 02, 2019. https://www.typeinvestigations.org/about/special-funds/.
10. “Masthead.” Type Investigations. Accessed August 02, 2019. https://www.typeinvestigations.org/about/masthead/.
11. ” The Nation Institute 2017 990s” Type Investigations. Accessed August 02, 2019. https://www.typeinvestigations.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2017_990_Full_Final.pdf.
12. “Acknowledgements.” Type Investigations. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://www.typeinvestigations.org/about/acknowledgments/.