Rebuild Local News

What Rebuild Local News does

Rebuild Local News is a nonpartisan, nonprofit policy advocacy coalition founded in 2023 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. The organization's stated mission is to develop and promote public policies that counter the collapse of local journalism in the United States, a market that has lost an estimated 75-81% of its local journalists since 2002, with 2.5 newspapers shutting down each week since 2005. The coalition represents 55 member organizations spanning national newspaper associations, labor unions, nonprofit news, local independent online publishers, civic groups, and ethnic media, collectively covering over 3,000 newsrooms and 15,000 journalists.

The organization's product portfolio is policy- and research-oriented rather than software-oriented. Core assets include the Local Journalist Index (developed in partnership with Muck Rack as the first national measure of reporting capacity in every U.S. county), a suite of model laws (government advertising set-asides, journalist employment tax credits, newsroom fellowships, small business advertising incentives), the State Activity Tracker, the Policy Menu, the Local News Research Hub, and the proposed Community News Investment Fund. The technology stack is minimal: a public-facing website (rebuildlocalnews.org), a monthly newsletter (The Press Advocate), and Bluesky social presence. The data analytics for the Index rely on Muck Rack's proprietary media database.

The business model is that of a typical U.S. policy advocacy nonprofit. Revenue is generated through foundation grants and individual donations. A $5.25 million grant from Press Forward, Knight Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation in June 2025 anchors current operating capacity. Individual donations are processed through fundjournalism.org. The coalition does not sell products or services; its "distribution" is policy influence, coalition mobilization, and free public resources. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, leveraging Local News Day, policy webinars (e.g., with the Online News Association), legislative testimonies, and direct legislator engagement across 15+ states. Customer segments are local news organizations, state and federal legislators, and philanthropic funders.

Name

Rebuild Local News

Legal name

Rebuild Local News

Website

https://rebuildlocalnews.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rebuild Local News is a nonpartisan, nonprofit coalition founded in 2023 that develops and promotes public policies to counter the collapse of local journalism, serving 55 member organizations representing 3,000+ newsrooms and 15,000 journalists across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Local news policy advocacy
• Journalism coalition building
• Media sustainability research
• Community journalism support
• Newsroom funding policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Rebuild Local News receives funding from major philanthropic foundations to support operations and policy advocacy for local journalism. Received $5.25 million from Press Forward, Knight Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation.
2. Individual Donations: The organization accepts donations through its website, processed via fundjournalism.org partner.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rebuild Local News is a nonpartisan, nonprofit coalition that develops and promotes public policies to counter the collapse of local journalism. It convenes 55 member organizations representing 3,000+ newsrooms and 15,000 journalists, and provides model legislation, research resources, advocacy toolkits, and a national research index (the Local Journalist Index) at no cost to its members and the public.

Product overview

Rebuild Local News is a nonpartisan coalition (not a traditional product company) that advances public policies to strengthen community news and information. The organization does not offer a unified software platform but instead provides a portfolio of policy solutions, research tools, and advocacy resources including: the Local Journalist Index (developed with Muck Rack), Government Advertising Set-Aside Model Laws, Local Journalist Employment Credits, Local Newsroom Fellowships, Community News Investment Fund proposals, a State Activity Tracker, Small Business Advertising Incentives, and a Policy Menu. Together these 55 member organizations represent over 3,000 newsrooms and 15,000 journalists working to revive local news.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Local Journalist Index An annual national research study developed with Muck Rack that quantifies local journalist shortages across all U.S. counties by computing Local Journalist Equivalents (LJEs) per 100,000 residents using Muck Rack's proprietary media database. Intended for policymakers, journalists, researchers, and philanthropic funders tracking the local news crisis.
• Government Advertising Set-Aside Model Laws Model legislation requiring state agencies to direct a portion (e.g., 50% in Maryland's 2026 law) of their advertising budgets to eligible local news outlets, with transparency requirements and independent oversight to protect editorial independence. Designed for state legislators and advocates.
• Local Journalist Employment Credit Refundable tax credit model legislation helping local news outlets hire and retain journalists, available to for-profit, nonprofit, and sole-proprietorship news organizations. Used by Illinois, the first state to enact such a credit.
• Local Newsroom Fellowships State-funded, university-administered fellowship program placing early-career journalists in local newsrooms for one to two years to expand reporting capacity. Designed for state adoption and university partners.
• Community News Investment Fund A proposed catalytic capital fund providing patient, flexible, and risk-tolerant capital primarily in the form of public-interest-oriented loans to strengthen the sustainability and local ownership of local news organizations.
• State Activity Tracker An online tool that tracks legislative initiatives and policy developments related to local news support across different U.S. states. Used by journalists, advocates, and legislators to monitor policy momentum.
• Small Business Advertising Incentive Model legislation providing tax relief to small businesses that advertise with local outlets, designed to strengthen the symbiotic relationship between local news and local commerce.
• Policy Menu A comprehensive collection of policy approaches and model legislation for supporting local news, including antitrust reform, subscription tax credits, and banking regulation changes, available as a free public resource.
• Local News Research Hub A national hub that unifies research on the local news crisis and paths to recovery, providing data and analysis for stakeholders including journalists, researchers, and policymakers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 81% decline in local journalists since 2002 (from ~40 to 7.8 per 100,000 residents)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Muck RackcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in developing the Local Journalist Index - the first national measure of local journalism capacity across all U.S. counties using Muck Rack's proprietary media database.
• National Newspaper AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member organization representing local newspapers.
• The NewsGuild-CWAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member organization representing journalists and media workers.
• Institute for Nonprofit NewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member representing nonprofit news organizations.
• LION PublisherscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member representing Local Independent Online News Publishers.
• American Journalism ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member focused on philanthropy for local news sustainability.
• Online News AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member co-hosting policy webinars and advocacy training for newsrooms.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Free Press: Nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes for media justice, local journalism, and public-interest media policy. Highly comparable mission and advocacy operating model; differs in being more broad-spectrum (also covers broadband, net neutrality) rather than local-news specific.
• Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press: Nonprofit that provides pro bono legal defense to journalists and advocates for press-freedom and open-records law. Comparable in being a nonpartisan journalism-policy nonprofit, but more litigation/legal-aid focused rather than legislative/coalition policy advocacy.
• News/Media Alliance: Trade association representing digital and print news publishers on policy and intellectual-property issues. Comparable in advocating for the news industry at federal/state level; differs as a membership-fee trade body rather than a 501(c)(3) policy coalition.
• LION Publishers: Membership organization for Local Independent Online News publishers in the U.S. and Canada. Direct peer on local-news sustainability; Rebuild Local News lists LION as a coalition member, but LION runs its own independent support and advocacy programs for member publishers.
• American Press Institute: Nonprofit that supports local journalism through research, training, and programs for newsrooms. Comparable mission of strengthening local news; differs by focusing on newsroom-level capability building rather than public-policy advocacy.
• Institute for Nonprofit News: Membership network and service organization for nonprofit news organizations. Comparable in being a coalition for nonprofit local news; Rebuild Local News lists INN as a coalition member, and INN runs its own capacity-building and standards programs.

Broad incumbents

• Press Forward: National philanthropic funder collaborative pooled by major foundations (Knight, MacArthur, etc.) to invest in local news. Operates one tier above Rebuild Local News in the funding stack — Press Forward is a donor, but it also conducts its own research, convening, and field-building, making it a closely related peer in the local-news policy ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Report for America / The GroundTruth Project: Nonprofit that places emerging journalists in local newsrooms across the U.S. Overlaps with Rebuild Local News' Local Newsroom Fellowships product; addresses the same local-journalist pipeline problem from a deployment rather than policy lens.
• PEN America: Nonprofit that advocates for free expression and press freedom, including legislative advocacy against press-censorship bills. Adjacent in press-policy advocacy but focused on free-expression legal defense and threats, not local-news economic sustainability.
• Public Knowledge: Nonpartisan public-interest advocacy organization working on media, technology, and copyright policy. Comparable operating model as a 501(c)(3) policy advocate, but focused on communications/tech regulatory issues (broadband, net neutrality, copyright) rather than local-news economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Rebuild Local News