What ProPublica does

ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit investigative newsroom organized as a 501(c)(3) public charity (legal name Pro Publica, Inc.; EIN 14-2007220), founded in 2008 and headquartered at 155 Avenue of the Americas, New York. It produces investigative reporting across roughly 20 topic areas including health care, criminal justice, democracy, immigration, and technology, and reports in all 50 states. The organization pairs its editorial work with a portfolio of proprietary public-facing data products: Nonprofit Explorer (a searchable database of 18 million IRS Form 990 filings going back to 2001, accessible via web and a documented API), Nursing Home Inspect (inspection and ownership data for 14,000+ facilities), Rx Inspector (linking 39,250+ generic drug products to FDA-tracked manufacturing facilities), Habeas Tracker, Trump Team Financial Disclosures, and the Federal Health Worker Cuts Dashboard. Distribution runs through propublica.org, email newsletters, the Paper Trail podcast, a broad social media footprint (X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Threads, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon), Creative Commons republishing by partner outlets, and a mobile app.

The newsroom is led by Co-CEOs Stephen Engelberg (Editor-in-Chief) and Robin Sparkman (President/Treasurer), supported by Managing Editors Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, a Chief Product & Brand Officer, and a board chaired by Paul Sagan. Roughly 150 newsroom workers are unionized under the ProPublica Guild (NewsGuild-USA), which in 2025 authorized a strike with 92% support — the first U.S. journalism labor action primarily framed around AI governance. The organization has won nine Pulitzer Prizes and 2025 George Polk Awards.

ProPublica's business model is donor-driven: in FY2024 it reported $64.3M in total revenue, of which $61.2M (95.2%) came from contributions from 90,000+ individual members, with the remainder from investment income ($2.07M), royalties ($366K), program services including data-store products ($192K), and programmatic advertising accepted since 2011. The organization has no parent company, no funding rounds, and no public listing; large institutional grants (e.g., MacArthur Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies) supplement but do not dominate the small-donor base.

Name

ProPublica

Legal name

Pro Publica, Inc.

Website

https://propublica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ProPublica is a New York-based nonprofit (501(c)(3)) investigative newsroom founded in 2008 that produces accountability journalism across all 50 U.S. states, distributes content free of charge, and operates proprietary public databases (Nonprofit Explorer, Rx Inspector, Nursing Home Inspect) on a 90,000-member donor-supported model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investigative Journalism

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Nonprofit newsroom
• Accountability reporting
• Data journalism
• Public interest news

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: ProPublica's primary revenue stream comes from donations from individuals. In 2024, contributions totaled $61,189,839, representing 95.2% of total revenue. The organization has over 90,000 members who support the newsroom. Donations are accepted via the website with various methods including one-time and recurring donations.
2. Program Services: Minor revenue from program services, including data store products and potentially licensing of content. In 2024, program services generated $191,906 (0.3% of revenue).
3. Investment Income: Returns on the organization's investment portfolio. In 2024, investment income was $2,074,199 (3.2% of revenue).
4. Royalties: Revenue from licensing and royalties. In 2024, royalties totaled $365,819 (0.6% of revenue).
5. Advertising and Sponsorship: Since 2011, ProPublica has accepted advertising on its website, as well as sponsorship of newsletters, podcast, and events. The majority is programmatic advertising with no direct relationship with advertisers. The organization maintains clear separation between news and advertising content.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ProPublica is a nonprofit, independent investigative newsroom that produces accountability journalism in the public interest and operates a portfolio of proprietary public-facing data tools and databases. Its core output is original investigative reporting distributed free of charge, complemented by searchable databases (Nonprofit Explorer, Rx Inspector, Nursing Home Inspect, Habeas Tracker, Trump Team Financial Disclosures, Federal Health Worker Cuts) that let users research tax filings, drug manufacturing oversight, nursing home quality, and government actions.

Product overview

ProPublica is a nonprofit investigative newsroom that operates primarily as a journalism organization, with a portfolio of public-facing data products. The core data products include Nonprofit Explorer (searchable database of 18 million nonprofit tax filings with API access), Nursing Home Inspect (nursing home inspection data for 14,000+ facilities with ownership search), Rx Inspector (drug manufacturing traceability tool), Habeas Tracker (detention case monitoring), and Trump Team Financial Disclosures (financial disclosure documents). These tools are complemented by editorial content including podcasts, newsletters, and investigative reporting across topics spanning health care, democracy, criminal justice, and technology. ProPublica also maintains the Local Reporting Network, a partnership program with local newsrooms for collaborative coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nonprofit Explorer A searchable database of 18 million IRS Form 990 tax filings going back to 2001, with full-text search, executive compensation, revenue, expenses, assets, and PDF/XML downloads, plus a programmatic API for developers. Built for journalists, researchers, donors, and the general public researching U.S. tax-exempt organizations.
• Nursing Home Inspect Database of inspection data for over 14,000 U.S. nursing homes, enhanced with ownership search that lets users identify connections among owners, managers, and officers to expose influence on quality of care. Designed for journalists, families, regulators, and policy researchers.
• Habeas Tracker Database tracking habeas corpus cases and detention-related legal challenges, enabling public monitoring of constitutional rights cases. Designed for journalists, legal professionals, civil liberties advocates, and the public.
• Trump Team Financial Disclosures Searchable interactive database of financial disclosure documents from President Trump and roughly 1,600 administration appointees, enabling analysis of conflicts of interest and financial relationships. Built for journalists, watchdog groups, and the general public.
• Federal Health Worker Cuts Dashboard Data visualization tracking the Trump administration's cuts to federal health agencies, including workforce reductions and organizational changes. Aimed at journalists, policy researchers, and the public.
• NIH Cuts Research Lost Tracker Project documenting research projects and programs lost due to NIH funding cuts under the Trump administration, tracking the impact on U.S. scientific research. Designed for journalists, the research community, and policy researchers.
• Local Reporting Network Partnership program with local and regional newsrooms across all 50 U.S. states enabling collaborative investigative projects that combine ProPublica's resources and national reach with local outlets' community access. Delivered to local newsrooms seeking investigative capacity.
• ProPublica Podcast (Paper Trail and series) Audio series including Paper Trail and other investigative podcasts featuring in-depth reporting and documentary-style storytelling, distributed through major podcast platforms. Targeted at general audiences interested in investigative audio journalism.
• ProPublica Newsletters Email newsletter products delivering ProPublica's latest investigative stories, podcast episodes, and topic-specific reporting directly to subscribers. Available to the general public free of charge.

Quantifiable outcome

• New laws passed and vulnerable communities getting expanded protections as a result of ProPublica investigations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Local Newsrooms (Local Reporting Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProPublica's Local Reporting Network is a flagship partnership program connecting the newsroom with local and regional news organizations across the United States. Partners collaborate on investigative projects, combining ProPublica's resources and national perspective with local outlets' community expertise and access. The program enables investigative coverage that would not otherwise be possible for either party alone, extending ProPublica's reach into all 50 states.
• KQEDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKQED, a public media station in California, collaborated with ProPublica on investigating teacher misconduct complaints. A KQED and ProPublica investigative reporter documented how public records requests can access hundreds of teacher misconduct complaints in California.
• Sahan JournalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSahan Journal partnered with ProPublica on a joint investigation into predatory home financing schemes targeting East African Muslims in Minneapolis. In a civil case stemming from this investigation, a jury found the scheme violated state law.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Marshall Project: Nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on criminal justice, funded primarily by donations and foundations. Highly comparable operating model: donor-supported, Pulitzer-recognized, single-issue-deep investigative reporting.
• The Center for Public Integrity: One of the largest nonprofit investigative news organizations in the US, covering money and influence in politics. Directly comparable mission, nonprofit funding model, and Pulitzer-recognized investigative output.
• Mother Jones: Reader-funded nonprofit investigative magazine covering politics, corruption, and social justice. Closely mirrors ProPublica's donor-driven revenue model, investigative focus, and progressive-leaning coverage area.
• Reveal (Center for Investigative Reporting): Nonprofit investigative newsroom producing long-form accountability journalism via The Reveal podcast and platform. Directly comparable as a fellow nonprofit investigative outlet with similar Pulitzer-credentialed reporting and donor funding.
• The Intercept: Reader-funded nonprofit investigative outlet focused on national security, civil liberties, and accountability journalism. Closely comparable donor-supported model and adversarial investigative scope.
• The Texas Tribune: Nonprofit statewide investigative newsroom with major foundation and donor support. Comparable as a nonprofit, mission-driven, donor-funded investigative news operation with strong data-journalism capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• The New York Times: Large legacy news organization with a substantial investigative team producing Pulitzer-recognized accountability journalism. Comparable on investigative output and award credentials but operates on a subscription/advertising model at vastly larger scale.
• The Washington Post: Major national newspaper with deep investigative reporting capacity. Comparable in editorial scope and accountability journalism but operates a for-profit subscription model and serves a much broader news audience.
• The Guardian US: Reader-funded (not paywalled) national and global news operation with strong investigative reporting. Closely comparable donor-supported model, but operates at significantly larger global scale.

Others

• Pulitzer Center: Nonprofit that funds and curates investigative and accountability reporting, often in partnership with newsrooms. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — supports the broader investigative journalism ecosystem that ProPublica also serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ProPublica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/propublica
• Facebookfacebook.com/propublica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1209609
• Instagraminstagram.com/propublica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ProPublica