The Colorado Sun
The Colorado Sun is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital news outlet serving Colorado readers with nonpartisan coverage of politics, environment, housing, water, and business, funded by 15,500 members through tiered monthly donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Colorado Sun does
The Colorado Sun is a nonprofit digital news organization headquartered in Denver, Colorado, founded on September 10, 2018 by a group of journalists to deliver nonpartisan statewide coverage of Colorado-specific issues including politics, environment, water, housing, health, education, business, culture, and the outdoors. It transitioned from a public benefit corporation to a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit (EIN 36-5082144) on November 15, 2023, while retaining its no-paywall mission. The organization operates with approximately 25-30 staff members across editorial, audience/product, fundraising, sales, and operations functions.
The Sun's content is distributed through the coloradosun.com website, built on Newspack (an open-source WordPress-based publishing platform designed for newsrooms), native iOS and Android mobile applications, podcast distribution via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and RSS, and a portfolio of email newsletters including The Sunriser, The Temperature, The Unaffiliated, and Colorado Sunday. Additional products include The Daily Sun-Up podcast, live events (Colorado SunFest, candidate forums), the SunLit literary series in partnership with Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book, the Colorado 150 editorial series, and the Colorado's Best reader voting initiative. Membership and donation transactions are processed through Stripe under PCI-compliant infrastructure.
Revenue is generated primarily through a reader-supported donation model with four recurring membership tiers at $5, $10, $20, and $100 per month, currently backed by approximately 15,500 members. Complementary revenue streams include individual donor contributions, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships and underwriting, and live event revenue. The organization is geographically concentrated exclusively on the state of Colorado and does not serve markets outside of it.
The Colorado Sun firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Colorado Sun
- Legal name
- The Colorado Sun
- Website
- https://coloradosun.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Colorado Sun is a Denver-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital news outlet serving Colorado readers with nonpartisan coverage of politics, environment, housing, water, and business, funded by 15,500 members through tiered monthly donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Colorado Sun industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital News Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Syndication & RSS/Feed Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAF), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)
Keywords
Where The Colorado Sun is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Colorado Sun business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Member Donations and Memberships: Primary revenue stream from reader donations and monthly membership subscriptions at four tiers ($5, $10, $20, $100/month). Joined by 15,500 members who support nonprofit journalism.
- Individual Grants: Funding from individual donors and grant-making organizations supporting nonprofit journalism.
- Sponsorships and Underwriting: Corporate sponsorships and underwriting opportunities for businesses aligning with The Sun's brand and values.
- Events Revenue: Revenue from hosted events including candidate forums, Colorado SunFest, and other community gatherings. Event inquiries directed to [email protected].
- Foundation Grants: Support from foundations committed to local journalism and civic information.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Basic membership at $5/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Basic+ membership at $10/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium membership at $20/month |
| Subscription | Monthly | Champion membership at $100/month |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Colorado Sun product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Colorado Sun is a journalist-founded, reader-supported nonprofit digital news outlet that produces and distributes original journalism covering Colorado politics, environment, housing, water, health, education, business, culture, and outdoors. It offers free (no paywall) access to articles, daily podcasts, multiple email newsletters, a mobile app for iOS and Android, live community events, and specialty editorial series, supported primarily by monthly reader memberships at four tiers ($5, $10, $20, $100/month).
Product overview
The Colorado Sun is a nonprofit digital news outlet offering a portfolio of content products including original news coverage across 15+ topic areas (Politics, Outdoors, Environment, Housing, Water, Health, Education, Business, Arts & Culture, etc.), podcasts (The Daily Sun-Up), email newsletters (The Sunriser, The Temperature, The Unaffiliated, Colorado Sunday), live events, a mobile app for iOS and Android, and specialty series like SunLit (literary content) and Colorado 150. The organization operates as a reader-supported nonprofit with membership tiers providing exclusive benefits.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Daily Sun-Up Podcast
Quantifiable outcome
- Second consecutive year winning Public Service journalism award in Top of the Rockies contest
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Colorado Sun
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Colorado Sun technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
The Colorado Sun partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Colorado Humanities & Center for the BookcoreSunLit feature presents current excerpts from Colorado fiction and nonfiction writers in partnership with Colorado Humanities & Center for the Book, reinforcing shared sense of community and introducing readers to new writers. This literary section is done at no cost to readers as part of The Sun's mission.
- NewspackcorePowered by Newspack, an open-source WordPress-based publishing platform specifically designed for news organizations, providing technology infrastructure for the news site.
- StripecoreIndustry-standard payment processor trusted by major companies, used for membership and donation processing. Stripe's PCI-compliant servers handle all sensitive financial information through SSL technology.
- Colorado Capitol News AllianceminorCollaborates with Colorado Public Radio and Denver7 on joint coverage including candidate forums and election coverage, as evidenced by the gubernatorial debate co-hosted with CPR News and Denver Post.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Colorado Sun competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mississippi Today: Mississippi-focused nonprofit news organization covering state government and accountability issues. Direct peer with similar reader-supported, single-state nonprofit structure and policy-reporting emphasis.
- Chalkbeat: Nonprofit news organization covering education policy with local newsrooms across multiple states. Direct peer in nonprofit news model and topical beat reporting, with broader geographic scope than The Colorado Sun.
- CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit digital newsroom covering state policy, politics, and accountability journalism. Direct peer — comparable member-supported model, single-state focus, and similar policy/politics beat emphasis.
- The Minnesota Reformer: Nonprofit digital news outlet covering Minnesota state government and politics. Direct peer in both model (reader-funded nonprofit) and topical focus on state-level political coverage.
- VTDigger: Vermont-focused nonprofit digital news outlet funded primarily by reader donations and foundation grants. Direct peer due to single-state coverage, donor-supported model, and similar newsroom scale (roughly 25-30 staff).
- The Connecticut Mirror: Nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news outlet covering Connecticut state policy and politics. Direct peer — same reader-funded nonprofit model and concentrated single-state editorial focus.
- Block Club Chicago: Reader-supported nonprofit digital news outlet covering Chicago neighborhoods. Direct peer with similar small newsroom scale, donor-funding model, and beat-driven local reporting approach.
- The Texas Tribune: Nonprofit, member-supported digital news organization focused exclusively on Texas state government and politics. Closest direct peer — same reader-supported nonprofit model, single-state focus, similar event and newsletter ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- The Denver Post: Legacy Colorado newspaper and dominant regional incumbent covering state and Denver news. Broad incumbent — overlapping coverage but operates as a larger legacy outlet with paywall, ad-driven model, and broader resource base.
- Colorado Public Radio: Public radio network covering Colorado state and Denver-area news, partner with The Colorado Sun on candidate forums. Broad incumbent — overlapping editorial mission on Colorado politics and accountability but operates through broadcast/digital hybrid with broader scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Colorado Sun social profiles
Digital presenceThe Colorado Sun compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Colorado Sun financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Colorado Sun leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
The Colorado Sun funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Colorado Sun M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Colorado Sun
What does The Colorado Sun do?
The Colorado Sun is a journalist-founded, reader-supported nonprofit digital news outlet that produces and distributes original journalism covering Colorado politics, environment, housing, water, health, education, business, culture, and outdoors. It offers free (no paywall) access to articles, daily podcasts, multiple email newsletters, a mobile app for iOS and Android, live community events, and specialty editorial series, supported primarily by monthly reader memberships at four tiers ($5, $10, $20, $100/month).
Is The Colorado Sun a public or private company?
The Colorado Sun is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Colorado Sun founded?
The Colorado Sun was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Colorado Sun based?
The Colorado Sun is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Colorado Sun make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Member Donations and Memberships are the primary driver. The others are individual Grants, sponsorships and Underwriting, events Revenue and foundation Grants.
Who are The Colorado Sun's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mississippi Today, Chalkbeat, CalMatters, The Minnesota Reformer, VTDigger, The Connecticut Mirror, Block Club Chicago and The Texas Tribune. Broad incumbents are The Denver Post and Colorado Public Radio.
Does The Colorado Sun have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Colorado Sun.
What industry is The Colorado Sun in?
The Colorado Sun's product category is Digital News Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAH, Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press, with a secondary code of MPACAIAF, Syndication & RSS/Feed Publishing Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5131.