The Colorado Sun

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.

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

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

• Digital news publishing
• Nonprofit journalism
• Local news coverage
• News newsletters
• Editorial content

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Individual Grants: Funding from individual donors and grant-making organizations supporting nonprofit journalism.
3. Sponsorships and Underwriting: Corporate sponsorships and underwriting opportunities for businesses aligning with The Sun's brand and values.
4. Events Revenue: Revenue from hosted events including candidate forums, Colorado SunFest, and other community gatherings. Event inquiries directed to [email protected].
5. Foundation Grants: Support from foundations committed to local journalism and civic information.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core 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

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Colorado Humanities & Center for the BookcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSunLit 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.
• NewspackcoreTechnology or IntegrationPowered by Newspack, an open-source WordPress-based publishing platform specifically designed for news organizations, providing technology infrastructure for the news site.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationIndustry-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 AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/ColoradoSun
• YouTubeyoutube.com/thecoloradosun
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheColoradoSun
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/33254126
• Instagraminstagram.com/thecoloradosun

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Colorado Sun