The Federalist

What The Federalist does

The Federalist is a privately held nonprofit American digital media publication founded in 2013 and operated as a wholly independent division of the FDRLST Media Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization headquartered at 1747 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 1000, in Washington, D.C. It publishes conservative commentary and reporting on politics, law (including dedicated Supreme Court coverage), foreign policy, religion, culture, and entertainment, distributing that content through its primary website thefederalist.com, a daily email newsletter (The Federalist Daily Briefing), three podcasts (Federalist Radio Hour, You're Wrong, and The Kylee Cast), a video library on YouTube, and an active social presence spanning Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, and Truth Social. The organization is led by CEO Sean Davis and Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway, supported by an editorial team that includes Executive Editor Joy Pullmann, Managing Editor Kylee Griswold, Senior Editor John Daniel Davidson, and several staff writers and correspondents such as Shawn Fleetwood, Chris Bray, and Eddie Scarry.

The Federalist operates an extremely lean operation (1-10 employees disclosed) and monetizes through a layered, reader-funded revenue stack: a freemium subscription product (Federalist Community at $4/month or $40/year) that unlocks ad-free browsing and commenting; a premium membership tier (Federalist Insider) at $35/month offering editorial briefings and merchandise; three structured major-donor recognition programs (The Printer's Circle at $500-$2,499, The Broadside Guild at $2,500-$9,999, and The Founder's Cabinet at $10,000+); a Legacy Society planned-giving program; advertising served to non-subscribers; and an e-commerce merchandise storefront (FDRLSTSWAG) on Shopify. Charitable contributions flow through the dedicated FDRLST Real Journalism Fund, and the company received notable third-party validation in 2025 (Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism, first place, for its Russia collusion hoax reporting series) and a landmark 2026 settlement with the U.S. State Department (effective through 2036) over censorship allegations during the Biden administration, joined with the New Civil Liberties Alliance.

The underlying technology stack is standard web publishing — content management for the website, email delivery for the newsletter, third-party podcast hosting via Apple Podcasts/Spotify/Spreaker, YouTube for video, and a Shopify storefront for merchandise — with no proprietary platform, mobile app, public API, or disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Geographic operations are United States-focused with global digital distribution; revenue, subscriber counts, and donor counts are not publicly disclosed.

Name

The Federalist

Legal name

The Federalist (A wholly independent division of FDRLST Media)

Website

https://thefederalist.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Federalist is a US-based nonprofit digital media publication, founded in 2013, providing conservative commentary and reporting on politics, law, culture, religion, and entertainment to American readers through its website, daily newsletter, three podcasts, video content, and donation-supported subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital News and Commentary

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Politics, Current Affairs & Social Commentary Publishing (MPAJAAAM)

Keywords

• Conservative digital media
• Political commentary
• Online news publication
• Investigative journalism
• Digital content publisher

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: The Federalist generates revenue through monthly and annual subscription tiers offering premium content, ad-free browsing, and commenting access. Monthly subscription is $4/month with 1-week free trial; annual subscription is $40/year with 1-week free trial. Federalist Insider membership is available at $35/month with exclusive editorial briefings and early access.
2. Advertising: The website displays advertisements to non-subscribers as part of its revenue model. Premium subscribers receive ad-free browsing experience.
3. Donations and Fundraising: The Federalist accepts tax-deductible donations through the FDRLST Real Journalism Fund, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donor recognition levels include The Printer's Circle ($500-$2,499 annually), The Broadside Guild ($2,500-$9,999 annually), and The Founder's Cabinet ($10,000+ annually). The Legacy Society accepts planned gifts through wills and estate planning.
4. Merchandise Sales: The Federalist operates a merchandise shop (FDRLSTSWAG) selling branded apparel and products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Federalist is a digital news and commentary publication that produces original conservative reporting, analysis, and opinion content on politics, culture, religion, law, the Supreme Court, elections, and foreign policy. It distributes this content via its website, daily email newsletter, three podcasts, video channel, and social media, monetizing through subscriptions, advertising, donations via a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and branded merchandise.

Product overview

The Federalist is a digital conservative news and commentary platform providing original reporting and analysis across politics, culture, religion, law, foreign policy, and entertainment. The product portfolio consists of a core website publishing daily articles, three podcast programs (Federalist Radio Hour, You're Wrong, The Kylee Cast), an email newsletter (Daily Briefing), premium subscription service (Federalist Community with ad-free access and commenting), multiple donor recognition tiers (Printer's Circle, Broadside Guild, Founder's Cabinet), monthly membership (Federalist Insider), a planned giving program (Legacy Society), and an e-commerce merchandise store. The offerings are unified under FDRLST Media and supported by the FDRLST Real Journalism Fund (501c3 nonprofit).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Federalist Radio Hour: A weekly podcast featuring in-depth conversations with reporters, scholars, authors, politicians, and thinkers.
• You're Wrong
• The Kylee Cast
• Federalist Insider
• Federalist Community

Products and services

• The Federalist Website

Quantifiable outcome

• Won first place in 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism for reporting series on Russia collusion hoax
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2026The Federalist was part of a historic settlement reached by the New Civil Liberties Alliance against the U.S. State Department's censorship activities. The settlement, effective until 2036, mandates the Department to cease using certain disinformation tools and to remove funded materials that criticized specific news outlets, along with training staff on First Amendment limits.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Daily Wire: The Daily Wire is a leading conservative digital media company producing articles, podcasts, and video content for a similar conservative audience. Co-plaintiff with The Federalist in the State Department censorship lawsuit, indicating directly overlapping audience and editorial positioning.
• Breitbart News: Breitbart is a prominent conservative news and commentary outlet covering politics, culture, and current events with a similar right-leaning editorial stance. Directly comparable in target audience, content format (web magazine), and ideological positioning.
• The Epoch Times: The Epoch Times is a multi-format conservative news organization distributed via website, newsletters, and print. Comparable in digital-first conservative media positioning, donor-supported model, and breadth of political/cultural coverage.
• Newsmax: Newsmax is a conservative news outlet distributing content via website, cable TV, and digital platforms to a politically aligned audience. Directly comparable in editorial positioning, target demographic, and multi-channel digital distribution approach.
• Townhall: Townhall is a conservative political commentary and news site covering politics, culture, and current events with a similar ideological stance. Directly comparable as a digital-first conservative publication targeting politically engaged readers.
• National Review: National Review is a long-established conservative magazine and digital publication offering political commentary and cultural coverage. Comparable in conservative editorial positioning, multi-format publishing (web plus podcast/video), and premium subscription model.
• The Washington Examiner: The Washington Examiner is a conservative political news and commentary outlet based in Washington D.C. producing digital articles, podcasts, and newsletters. David Harsanyi of the 'You're Wrong' podcast is associated with Washington Examiner, signaling direct editorial overlap.
• RedState: RedState is a conservative political news and opinion website covering federal politics, elections, and cultural issues. Comparable in digital-first conservative commentary positioning and grassroots-oriented readership.
• The American Conservative: The American Conservative is a conservative magazine and digital publication offering political analysis and cultural commentary. Comparable as a multi-format conservative publication with subscription and donation-driven revenue.

Broad incumbents

• Fox News Digital: Fox News Digital is the online arm of the larger Fox News media empire and reaches a similar conservative-leaning audience at significantly greater scale. Operates in the same conservative news category but as part of a much broader media portfolio with broadcast assets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FDRLST
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEBsWEmSBXAU3JqZZGMBGpQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/fdrlst
• Instagraminstagram.com/fdrlst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thefederalist

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 The Federalist