The Texas Tribune

What The Texas Tribune does

The Texas Tribune is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news organization founded in 2009 and headquartered at 919 Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas. It operates as the state's primary member-supported newsroom covering politics, government, and public policy, serving a general-public Texas readership alongside secondary audiences including philanthropic funders, corporate sponsors, and partner news organizations. The organization publishes without a paywall, distributing free content via texastribune.org, multiple email newsletters (The Brief, The Y'all, The Blast), the TribCast podcast, and active social media channels, while a Creative Commons-style republishing program extends syndication to thousands of partner outlets.

The Tribune's technology platform is built on Newspack, a WordPress-based CMS for news organizations, supplemented by proprietary interactive data tools including the Texas Public Schools Explorer, Government Salaries Explorer, Elected Officials Directory, and the Screwworm Tracker. A collaborative investigative unit with ProPublica produces in-depth reporting on policy and political accountability. Revenue is generated across six streams: individual membership and donations (suggested $18-25 monthly or $200 annually, with a Circle tier at $1,000+ over three years), corporate sponsorships and Business Memberships, foundation and philanthropic grants, events revenue anchored by the annual Texas Tribune Festival plus Studio 919 venue rentals, paid newsletter subscriptions, and content licensing and syndication. The organization employs 51-100 staff and is led by CEO Evan Smith.

Name

The Texas Tribune

Legal name

Texas Tribune, Inc.

Website

https://texastribune.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Texas Tribune is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news organization headquartered in Austin that provides free, member-supported journalism on Texas state government and public policy to a general-public Texas readership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital News Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Political & Public Affairs Channels (MPABAIAC), Public Service News Channels (MPABAIAE), Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning) (MPABADAH)

Keywords

• Nonprofit journalism
• State politics coverage
• Investigative reporting
• Digital news platform
• Data journalism tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership and Donations: Recurring and one-time donations from individual supporters. Membership is activated by any donation within 365 days. Includes sustaining monthly/yearly memberships, Circle Membership for major donors, and standard membership at various price points ($18-25/month suggested).
2. Corporate Sponsorships and Business Membership: Annual contributions from businesses through Business Membership program and corporate sponsorships covering digital revenue, events, and in-kind support. Corporate sponsors play no role in guiding journalism.
3. Events Revenue: Revenue from Texas Tribune Festival (annual flagship event), other statewide events, and Studio 919 events space rentals.
4. Newsletter Subscriptions: Subscriptions to The Blast politics newsletter generate revenue separate from membership.
5. Content Licensing and Syndication: Revenue from content syndication and republishing agreements, including RSS feed licensing for republishers.
6. Foundation and Philanthropic Grants: Funding from foundations and philanthropic organizations including George W. Bush Institute and other civic partners to support local news sustainability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital news organization that produces and distributes nonpartisan journalism focused exclusively on Texas politics, government, and public policy. Its offerings include a free ad-free news website, multiple email newsletters, a weekly politics podcast, interactive public-data explorers, and a flagship annual policy festival, all funded through individual donations, memberships, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and content licensing.

Product overview

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news organization that operates as a single unified platform delivering independent Texas journalism. The core product is the texastribune.org website providing free access to news coverage across topics including Congress, Courts, Criminal Justice, Demographics, Economy, Energy, Environment, Health Care, Higher Education, Immigration, Politics, Public Education, State Government, and Transportation. The product portfolio includes data exploration tools (Schools Explorer, Government Salaries Explorer, Elected Officials Directory), newsletters (The Brief daily briefing, The Y'All weekly dispatch), the TribCast podcast, the Texas Tribune Festival annual event, and a collaborative investigative unit with ProPublica. Content is distributed via RSS feeds and social media platforms. All content is provided free without a paywall, supported by memberships and donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Texas Tribune Website The organization's primary digital news platform delivering nonpartisan reporting on Texas politics, policy, and current events, accessible to readers without a paywall and covering topics including Congress, Courts, Criminal Justice, Demographics, Economy, Energy, Environment, Health Care, Higher Education, Immigration, Politics, Public Education, State Government, and Transportation.
• The Brief A free daily morning newsletter delivering essential Texas political and policy stories to subscribers, keeping readers informed about the stories and decisions shaping the state.
• The Y'All A weekly dispatch covering Texas people, places, and policies, produced by Tribune journalists embedded in communities across the state.
• The Blast
• TribCast
• Texas Public Schools Explorer
• Government Salaries Explorer
• Elected Officials Directory
• Texas Tribune Festival
• Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit

Quantifiable outcome

• Free syndication available to thousands of news outlets through republishing program
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• George W. Bush InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025The George W. Bush Institute hosted a meeting resulting in $4.3 million in new commitments to support Texas's influential nonprofit newsrooms including the Fort Worth Report and the Texas Tribune, with the goal of expanding local news coverage and strengthening community engagement.
• Fort Worth ReportminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025Partner nonprofit newsroom included in the $4.3 million funding commitment from the George W. Bush Institute initiative for sustainable local news in Texas.
• Austin MonitorminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2025The Texas Tribune acquired the Austin Monitor to expand its local coverage in Austin. The acquisition aims to strengthen community journalism and meet the city's growing informational needs.
• ProPublicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Texas Tribune and ProPublica operate a joint investigative unit producing in-depth investigations into Texas policy and political decisions. The collaboration combines resources for investigative reporting on issues including border wall costs, immigration, voting rights, and state government accountability.
• PayPal Giving FundminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayPal Giving Fund is accepted as a giving mechanism for Texas Tribune donations, enabling donors to contribute through PayPal.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• VTDigger: VTDigger is a Vermont-focused nonprofit investigative news organization with a member-supported model and deep coverage of state government. Comparable to the Texas Tribune as a state-specific digital nonprofit newsroom funded by donations and grants.
• Spotlight PA: Spotlight PA is a Pennsylvania statewide nonprofit news collaborative producing investigative and accountability journalism, funded by foundations and individual donors. It is a direct peer in mission and nonprofit investigative model, though distributed across partner newsrooms rather than a single newsroom.
• The Connecticut Mirror: The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news organization covering Connecticut state government and policy. Mirrors the Texas Tribune's member-supported, digital-only, state-policy-focused approach on a smaller scale.
• MinnPost: MinnPost is a Minnesota-focused nonprofit digital news outlet that relies on individual memberships, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships to deliver statehouse and policy coverage. It is highly comparable as a peer-state nonprofit newsroom of similar maturity and operating model.
• Mississippi Today: Mississippi Today is a statewide, member-supported nonprofit digital news outlet covering Mississippi government, politics, and policy. It is a direct peer in funding model, mission, and format, though operating at a smaller scale in a less populous state.
• CalMatters: CalMatters is a California-focused nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news organization covering state government and policy with a member-supported model, data tools, and events platform — the closest direct peer to the Texas Tribune by mission, structure, and revenue model. <parameter name="peer_description">CalMatters is a California-focused nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news organization covering state government and policy with a member-supported model. It mirrors the Texas Tribune in mission, structure, revenue mix, and target audience (engaged state-policy readers) almost exactly, making it the closest direct peer.
• ProPublica: ProPublica is a national nonprofit investigative newsroom and the Texas Tribune's co-publisher of the Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit. Highly comparable in nonprofit investigative mission and donor-supported model, though national rather than state-focused.
• The Colorado Sun: The Colorado Sun is a Colorado-focused, member-supported digital nonprofit news outlet covering state policy and government. It is comparable to the Texas Tribune as a high-quality state-focused nonprofit digital news product competing with a legacy daily.
• Wisconsin Watch: Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit investigative news organization covering state government accountability in Wisconsin. Comparable to the Texas Tribune as a state-focused investigative nonprofit news operation funded by philanthropy and donations.
• The Maine Monitor: The Maine Monitor is a statewide nonprofit news outlet focused on investigative and accountability journalism covering Maine state government. Comparable to the Texas Tribune in nonprofit state-focused investigative model, though at a meaningfully smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/texastribune
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/thetexastribune
• Facebookfacebook.com/texastribune
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/texas-tribune
• Instagraminstagram.com/texas_tribune
• TikToktiktok.com/@texastribune

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 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 The Texas Tribune