The Texas Tribune
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
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.
The Texas Tribune firmographics
Firmographics- 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
The Texas Tribune industry classification
Industry- 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
Where The Texas Tribune is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Texas Tribune business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- 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).
- 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.
- Events Revenue: Revenue from Texas Tribune Festival (annual flagship event), other statewide events, and Studio 919 events space rentals.
- Newsletter Subscriptions: Subscriptions to The Blast politics newsletter generate revenue separate from membership.
- Content Licensing and Syndication: Revenue from content syndication and republishing agreements, including RSS feed licensing for republishers.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Monthly Membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Monthly Membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Monthly Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Membership |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Circle Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Business Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
The Texas Tribune product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use The Texas Tribune
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Texas Tribune technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Texas Tribune partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- George W. Bush InstitutecoreThe 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 ReportminorPartner nonprofit newsroom included in the $4.3 million funding commitment from the George W. Bush Institute initiative for sustainable local news in Texas.
- Austin MonitorminorThe 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.
- ProPublicacoreThe 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 FundminorPayPal 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
The Texas Tribune competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
The Texas Tribune social profiles
Digital presenceThe Texas Tribune financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Texas Tribune leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Texas Tribune funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Texas Tribune M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Texas Tribune
What does The Texas Tribune do?
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.
Is The Texas Tribune a public or private company?
The Texas Tribune is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Texas Tribune founded?
The Texas Tribune was founded in 2009. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Texas Tribune based?
The Texas Tribune is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Texas Tribune make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Individual Membership and Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships and Business Membership, events Revenue, newsletter Subscriptions, content Licensing and Syndication and foundation and Philanthropic Grants.
Who are The Texas Tribune's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are VTDigger, Spotlight PA, The Connecticut Mirror, MinnPost, Mississippi Today, CalMatters, ProPublica, The Colorado Sun, Wisconsin Watch and The Maine Monitor.
Does The Texas Tribune have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Texas Tribune.
What industry is The Texas Tribune in?
The Texas Tribune's product category is Digital News Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAF, Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations, with a secondary code of MPABAIAC, Political & Public Affairs Channels. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.