What Scripps Howard Foundation does

The Scripps Howard Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization established in 1962 by Charles E. Scripps, Jack R. Howard, and Edward W. Scripps II, serving as the philanthropic arm of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP). Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Foundation and its affiliated Scripps Howard Fund focus on three pillars: journalism education, childhood literacy, and vital local community initiatives. The Foundation operates flagship programs including the 'If You Give a Child a Book' childhood literacy campaign (which has distributed more than 1.8 million books since 2016 in partnership with Scholastic Books), the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University and the University of Maryland, and the nationally recognized Scripps Howard Journalism Awards.

The Foundation's programs are funded through contributions from The E.W. Scripps Company and its broadcast network portfolio (60+ local stations in 42 markets, the ION network reaching 100 million U.S. homes, and national entertainment networks including Bounce, Grit, Laff, and ION Mystery), plus donations from the Scripps and Howard families, employees, and retirees. In 2025, the Foundation awarded $11 million in charitable gifts across its program portfolio, representing a 12% year-over-year increase. The Foundation leverages parent-company broadcast reach and properties such as the Scripps National Spelling Bee (which reaches an estimated 11 million students globally) to amplify programmatic impact and awareness, with current initiatives extending into disaster relief, civic commemorative programming (e.g., America 250 grants), and investigative journalism infrastructure at leading U.S. universities.

Name

Scripps Howard Foundation

Legal name

The E.W. Scripps Company

Website

https://scripps.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1878

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Scripps Howard Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The E.W. Scripps Company, awarding grants to support journalism education, childhood literacy, and local community initiatives through programs like the 'If You Give a Child a Book' campaign and Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Journalism education grants
• Childhood literacy programs
• Nonprofit charitable giving
• Investigative journalism funding
• Community foundation grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advertising Revenue: Local television stations and national networks generate advertising revenue from brands seeking to reach audiences adjacent to objective, reliable information and local news content. Programming allows advertisers to associate with venerable local news brands and build customer bases.
2. Sports Media Rights: Scripps Sports generates revenue through broadcasting rights deals with professional and college sports leagues and teams, including WNBA, NWSL, NHL franchises, PWHL, and Major League Volleyball.
3. Retransmission Fees: Local television stations generate retransmission consent fees from cable, satellite and other multichannel video programming distributors for the right to carry broadcast signals.
4. Charitable Giving Programs: The Scripps Howard Fund and Scripps Howard Foundation support philanthropic causes including journalism education, childhood literacy and vital local initiatives through grantmaking funded by The E.W. Scripps Company, Scripps and Howard families, employees and retirees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Scripps Howard Foundation is a charitable foundation that enriches lives through journalism education and childhood literacy programs. It operates the affiliated Scripps Howard Fund, which channels donations from The E.W. Scripps Company, the Scripps and Howard families, employees, and retirees into community grantmaking, university partnerships, and programs such as the "If You Give a Child a Book" childhood literacy campaign and the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism. Established in 1962, the foundation has served more than 1.5 million people and awarded $11 million in charitable gifts in 2025.

Product overview

Scripps Howard Foundation and its affiliated Scripps Howard Fund operate as a charitable giving and journalism education organization within The E.W. Scripps Company. The foundation's portfolio consists of the Scripps Howard Fund as its primary charitable vehicle, alongside specialized programs including the 'If You Give a Child a Book …' childhood literacy campaign, the Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism university partnerships, and the Scripps Howard Journalism Awards program. These initiatives are designed to champion journalism education, promote childhood literacy, and support vital local community initiatives through targeted grantmaking and storytelling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scripps News: National streaming news channel providing live breaking news and independent reporting
• ION
• Bounce
• Grit
• Laff
• ION Mystery
• ION Plus

Products and services

• Scripps Howard Foundation (Endowment) Affiliated charitable organization operating an endowment that supports key programs and makes major donations in journalism education and childhood literacy.
• Scripps Howard Fund Public charity that supports philanthropic causes tied to The E.W. Scripps Company, dedicated to engaging communities by championing journalism education, childhood literacy, and vital local initiatives through charitable giving funded by the company, the Scripps and Howard families, employees, and retirees.
• If You Give a Child a Book Campaign Childhood literacy initiative providing books to children in low-income schools via free book fairs at Title 1 schools in partnership with Scholastic Books.
• Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism Journalism education initiative funding investigative reporting centers at universities to support investigative journalism training.
• Scripps Howard Journalism Awards Nationally recognized journalism awards program honoring excellence in journalism across Scripps' local and national media operations.
• America 250 Community Grants Community grant program distributing $15,000 grants to five nonprofit organizations to support community missions commemorating America's 250th anniversary.

Quantifiable outcome

• Florida Panthers TV viewership up 51% in Year 2 of partnership with Scripps Sports
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and flagship.

• Nomadic PicturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Scripps Networks partners with Nomadic Pictures on new original movie 'The Horseman'.
• Detroit PistonsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2026Scripps Sports secured local television media rights agreement for NBA team. The partnership brings Detroit Pistons games to Scripps local stations, expanding Scripps Sports' professional sports portfolio.
• Premier Women's RodeocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Scripps Sports secured multi-year partnership with Premier Women's Rodeo, expanding women's sports portfolio.
• Nashville PredatorsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Scripps Sports partnered with Nashville Predators on multi-year agreement to air NHL team's games on local Scripps stations and ION network.
• PWHL (Professional Women's Hockey League)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2026Scripps Sports and PWHL team up to bring Walter Cup Finals to national U.S. broadcast for first time. Partnership delivers first-ever nationally televised PWHL game in U.S.
• Major League Volleyball (MLV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025Scripps Sports secured broadcast rights to the 2026 MLV championship on ION. League is in its third season evolving from Pro Volleyball Federation, featuring 8 teams in 2026 and expanding to 10 in 2027.
• Tampa Bay LightningmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Scripps Sports secured local broadcast rights for NHL team, giving Scripps both Florida NHL teams (Panthers and Lightning).
• Las Vegas Golden KnightsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal broadcast rights for NHL team. Partnership includes in-game sports betting component with Circa Sports and Play Anywhere.
• Florida PanthersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal broadcast rights for NHL team. TV viewership up 51% in Year 2 of partnership with Scripps Sports.
• Utah MammothcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal broadcast rights for NHL team based in Utah.
• Las Vegas AcesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal broadcast rights for WNBA team.
• Denver Summit FCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNWSL broadcast partnership for women's soccer team.
• Big Sky ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScripps Sports broadcasts Big Sky Conference college football games and recap show across local stations. Draws huge ratings in small markets.
• WNBAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year media rights deal for Friday night games on ION network. WNBA and Scripps reveal ION-specific data citing 'higher heights' in viewership. Games draw over one million viewers.
• NWSL (National Women's Soccer League)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner2026 NWSL on ION coverage plans including league's first weekly studio shows. Scripps Sports announces coverage across multiple sports franchises.
• Ally FinancialcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerScripps Sports and Ally partner with PWHL to deliver first-ever nationally televised game in U.S.
• Circa SportscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVGK, Scripps Sports, Circa Sports and Play Anywhere add in-game sports betting component to broadcasts.
• Scholastic BookscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScripps Howard Fund partners with Scholastic Books to organize free book fairs at Title 1 schools. Record $1.8 million investment in 2025-2026 academic year to distribute over 300,000 books.
• University of MarylandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHoward Centers for Investigative Journalism established at University of Maryland through Scripps Howard Fund support for journalism education.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHoward Centers for Investigative Journalism established at Arizona State University through Scripps Howard Fund support for journalism education.
• Ohio UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE.W. Scripps Hall at Ohio University (1984) and OU's School of Communication named through $15 million donation by Scripps Howard Foundation.
• Hampton UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications at Hampton University established through foundation support (2002).
• News Literacy ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonpartisan education nonprofit building national movement for news-literate America. Leading provider of news literacy education with tools for K-12 teachers.
• Google News InitiativecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGoogle initiative working with publishers and journalists to fight misinformation, share resources and build diverse news ecosystem.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• John S. and James L. Knight Foundation: A major journalism-focused foundation with multi-hundred-million-dollar annual giving. Knight's First Amendment, local news, and media literacy initiatives directly overlap with the Scripps Howard Foundation's mission, making it the most analogous peer in the U.S. foundation landscape.
• Pulitzer Center: A journalism education and investigative reporting nonprofit that funds university reporting hubs and K-12 curriculum. Its Campus Consortium model closely parallels the foundation's Howard Centers for Investigative Journalism at universities.
• Robert R. McCormick Foundation: A Chicago-area foundation with a strong journalism education and literacy portfolio, including support for local news and civics education. Comparable to Scripps Howard Foundation as a journalism-focused regional foundation with significant programmatic giving.
• Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation: A journalism-focused foundation providing grants to support investigative reporting, First Amendment issues, and media ethics. It is a direct peer in mission scope, though smaller in scale than Scripps Howard.
• Donald W. Reynolds Foundation: A national foundation that has historically funded journalism programs and childhood literacy initiatives. Comparable to Scripps Howard Foundation in funding media excellence and literacy education, with a similarly concentrated programmatic focus.

Emerging players

• Poynter Institute: A journalism education and media literacy nonprofit operating the International Fact-Checking Network and MediaWise program. It overlaps with the foundation's journalism training and news literacy mission through training rather than grantmaking.
• News Literacy Project: A nonpartisan education nonprofit building news literacy curricula for K-12 teachers. The foundation is a partner, but NLP's direct education mission makes it a comparable mission-aligned nonprofit focused on news literacy.
• Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: A journalism-supporting nonprofit providing pro bono legal help and First Amendment advocacy. Its mission complements the foundation's journalism excellence goals through advocacy rather than grantmaking.
• American Press Institute: A nonprofit focused on journalism training and local news sustainability. Its training programs for working journalists overlap with the foundation's Howard Centers investigative journalism education model.

Broad incumbents

• Henry Luce Foundation: A major private foundation with significant journalism, arts, and higher education programs including the Luce Initiative on Religion in International Affairs. Comparable as a large media-focused grantmaker with broader scope than Scripps Howard Foundation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ScrippsHowardFd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-e-w-scripps-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments2 records

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Frequently asked questions about Scripps Howard Foundation