What Mother Jones does

Mother Jones is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization founded in 1976 and operated by the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), a 501(c)(3) headquartered in San Francisco with an additional office in Washington, DC. Its reporting covers politics, environment, criminal justice, race, gender, and food, with a stated focus on accountability reporting that mainstream media is reluctant to undertake. Content is distributed across a bimonthly print magazine (six issues per year), the MotherJones.com website (free online access), the Reveal radio show and podcast (launched 2013), the more recently launched More To The Story podcast (2025), the CIR Studios documentary unit, and email newsletters.

The organization operates a multi-revenue reader-supported model built on individual donations (one-time and monthly sustainers at ~$14/month average) and print/digital magazine subscriptions priced at $19.95 per year for print or $24.95 for print+combo, supplemented by advertising sold through an in-house sales team, foundation grants (e.g., Helen and Will Webster Foundation funding the Ben Bagdikian Fellowship), corporate matching gift programs, and planned giving/legacy gifts including a Hellraisers membership tier for gifts of $1,000+ annually. Distribution is omnichannel: print, website, two podcast platforms, social channels (Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, LinkedIn), direct mail subscriptions, and retail newsstand distribution domestically and in Canada.

The organization is governed as a nonprofit without stockholders; editorial independence is anchored in the reader-supported structure and 501(c)(3) restrictions. It employs 51-100 staff across editorial, development, and operations. Recent strategic emphasis has been on expanding audio output, building younger-audience short-form video channels, and leveraging a 2025 cluster of awards (Pulitzer finalist, ASME General Excellence, News and Documentary Emmy, multiple Webbys) alongside the 50th-anniversary platform in 2026.

Name

Mother Jones

Legal name

The Center for Investigative Reporting

Website

https://motherjones.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mother Jones is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit investigative news organization founded in 1976, publishing investigative journalism across print magazine, website, the Reveal podcast, the More To The Story podcast, and CIR Studios documentaries, funded primarily by individual donors and subscribers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investigative Journalism

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Nonprofit news media
• Digital publishing
• Multimedia journalism
• Editorial content

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscriptions: Print and digital magazine subscriptions sold directly to consumers through website, phone, and mail. Revenue from 6 bimonthly issues per year and digital access.
2. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly tax-deductible donations from individual supporters. Individual support makes up the majority of the organizational budget. Monthly sustainer program provides reliable recurring revenue.
3. Advertising: The organization accepts advertising and has an advertising sales team. Ads reach millions of influential changemakers across their platforms including websites, email, newsletters, radio, podcasts, print, social media, and video.
4. Grants and Foundation Support: Grants from foundations and institutional donors support the organization and its fellowship programs. The Ben Bagdikian Fellowship is supported by grants from the Helen and Will Webster Foundation.
5. Corporate Matching Gifts: Many employers match charitable contributions made by employees, enabling donors to double or triple their gifts through workplace giving programs.
6. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Bequests, beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance, and other estate planning vehicles. Legacy Society members include gifts in wills and trusts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Mother Jones is a reader-supported nonprofit investigative journalism organization that publishes a bimonthly print and digital magazine, a continuously updated news website (MotherJones.com), podcasts (Reveal and More To The Story), documentary films (CIR Studios), and email newsletters covering politics, environment, criminal justice, and social justice issues. The organization operates under the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and reaches millions of readers and viewers monthly across web, print, radio, podcasts, social media, and video.

Product overview

Mother Jones is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization operated by the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), offering journalism through multiple platforms: the bimonthly Mother Jones Magazine (print and digital), the MotherJones.com website with free online content, the Reveal Podcast (radio show launched 2013), the More To The Story Podcast (launched 2025), CIR Studios documentary film unit, and daily email newsletters including the Mother Jones Daily. The organization reaches millions of readers and viewers monthly across websites, newsletters, radio, podcasts, print, social media, video, and documentary films.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Reveal: Award-winning radio show and podcast produced by the Center for Investigative Reporting, focusing on investigative journalism and social justice issues.
• More To The Story
• CIR Studios

Products and services

• Mother Jones Magazine Bimonthly print and digital investigative journalism magazine published six issues per year, featuring hard-hitting investigative reporting, photojournalism, and long-form journalism for civically engaged readers.
• MotherJones.com

Quantifiable outcome

• Pulitzer Prize finalist 2025 for '40 Acres and a Lie'
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wright's MediaminorOthersOfficial licensing partner for Center for Investigative Reporting brand materials. Handles available usages and license fees for commercial reuse of content. Contact: [email protected]

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The 19th News: Nonprofit newsroom covering gender, politics, and policy. Comparable as a donor-supported investigative outlet with a defined progressive audience and growing multimedia footprint.
• The Marshall Project: Nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on criminal justice, funded by donations and grants. Highly comparable model — donor-supported, award-winning investigative journalism with multimedia distribution including podcasts.
• The Intercept: Online investigative magazine covering politics, civil liberties, and social justice. Directly comparable progressive investigative outlet operating primarily as a digital publication with reader-supported funding.
• ProPublica: Leading nonprofit investigative journalism outlet funded largely by individual donations and foundations. Directly comparable as a donor-supported investigative newsroom competing for the same reader and grant dollars.
• The Texas Tribune: Nonprofit investigative news organization with multi-platform distribution and a strong donor/sustainer model. Comparable as a reader-funded newsroom competing for nonprofit journalism funding and audience.
• The American Prospect: Progressive magazine covering policy and politics with an investigative bent. Comparable as a left-leaning publication using subscriptions, donations, and a mix of long-form journalism across web and print.
• The Nation: Long-running progressive magazine combining investigative reporting, opinion, and analysis. Comparable as a print-and-digital magazine serving a politically aligned audience with subscription and donor revenue.
• The New Republic: Progressive magazine combining politics, ideas, and investigative reporting. Comparable as a long-running print-and-digital magazine serving an ideologically aligned audience via subscriptions and digital access.
• In These Times: Progressive magazine focused on labor, politics, and social justice. Comparable as a print and digital magazine with similar political alignment, subscription model, and investigative scope.

Emerging players

• Type Investigations: Nonprofit investigative reporting organization producing long-form journalism. Comparable as a smaller-scale nonprofit investigative newsroom competing in the same donor and foundation ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MotherJones
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MotherJonesVideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/motherjones
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mother-jones
• Instagraminstagram.com/motherjonesmag
• TikToktiktok.com/@motherjonesmag

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Mother Jones