El Tímpano
El Tímpano is a nonprofit civic media lab that produces multilingual English, Spanish, and Mam journalism and civic engagement programming for Bay Area Latino and Mayan immigrant communities, distributing content free via SMS, web, social, and in-person community outreach.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What El Tímpano does
El Tímpano is a nonprofit civic media lab founded in 2018 and headquartered in Oakland, California, that produces multilingual local journalism and civic engagement programming for Latino and Mayan immigrant communities in the Bay Area, with a geographic focus on Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Its editorial output is delivered in English, Spanish, and Mam (a Mayan language spoken by Mam-speaking immigrants in the region), covering housing, health equity, immigrant rights, labor and economics, culture and community, and public safety. Core products include The Weekly Dispatch SMS newsletter (6,500+ subscribers), the Guía de Recursos resource guide, the Mi Historia first-person storytelling platform, and a Civic Media Lab initiative, all distributed free of charge through the organization's website, social channels, SMS, and in-person outreach at community venues such as La Pulga (Coliseum Swap Meet), libraries, and festivals. Underlying technology consists of Newspack, an open-source WordPress-based publishing platform, and a community-powered Spanish-language SMS messaging service used for news distribution, surveys, and anecdote collection.
The organization is a fiscally sponsored project of Mission Edge, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which provides administrative and tax-deductible donation infrastructure. Revenue is generated entirely from individual donations (processed via givebutter.com), monthly giving, and institutional grants from sources including Report for America, the Pulitzer Center StoryReach U.S. Fellowship, CatchLight Local, and other unnamed funders. There are no commercial products, pricing tiers, or subscription fees. The organization operates with a 1-10 employee team and has built a partnership ecosystem spanning journalism (Report for America, CatchLight Local), public health (Alameda County Healthy Homes Department), academia (UC Berkeley East Bay Academy of Young Scientists), the arts (EastSide Arts Alliance, Los Pobres Artistas), and oral history (Voice of Witness). No revenue figures, funding-round amounts, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in available source material.
El Tímpano firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- El Tímpano
- Legal name
- El Tímpano
- Website
- https://eltimpano.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- El Tímpano is a nonprofit civic media lab that produces multilingual English, Spanish, and Mam journalism and civic engagement programming for Bay Area Latino and Mayan immigrant communities, distributing content free via SMS, web, social, and in-person community outreach.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
El Tímpano industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civic Media
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Multicultural/Language Broadcasters (Spanish/Asian/Other Local Markets) (MPABACAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Local & Neighborhood Community Platforms (MPACAJAI), Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK)
Keywords
Where El Tímpano is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
El Tímpano business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual donations and monthly giving: El Tímpano accepts donations from individuals, with the option to become a monthly donor. Donations are processed through givebutter.com and are tax-deductible via the organization's fiscal sponsor Mission Edge, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
- Grants and institutional funding: El Tímpano receives grant funding from institutional sources. The organization has been supported by funders including Report for America (corps member placement), Pulitzer Center (StoryReach U.S. Fellowship), and other institutional funders mentioned in reporting credits.
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
El Tímpano product offering
Product offeringCore offering
El Tímpano is a nonprofit civic media lab that produces multilingual local journalism (in English, Spanish, and Mam) and runs community engagement programs for Latino and Mayan immigrant communities in the Bay Area. It delivers news, civic information, investigative reporting, and resource guides through a website, a Spanish-language SMS text messaging newsletter (The Weekly Dispatch) reaching 6,500+ subscribers, social media, and in-person outreach at community events such as swap meets, festivals, and libraries.
Product overview
El Tímpano is a nonprofit civic media lab that operates as a single unified journalism platform rather than a modular product suite. The organization produces community-powered news and engagement services primarily for Bay Area Latino and Mayan immigrant communities through multiple channels: The Weekly Dispatch newsletter delivered via SMS text messaging, investigative reporting across topics (housing, health, immigration, labor, culture), the Guía de Recursos resource guide, Mi Historia first-person storytelling, the Civic Media Lab for engagement initiatives, and bilingual content in Spanish and Mam languages. The organization amplifies community voices through participatory journalism methods including text message surveys, community ballot boxes, and in-person outreach at local events.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Weekly Dispatch Newsletter Free Spanish-language weekly news newsletter delivered via SMS text messaging, providing immigration, housing, and community news directly to subscribers' phones. Designed for Bay Area Latino and Mayan immigrant community members.
- Investigative Reporting Coverage Investigative and community-powered journalism covering housing, health equity, immigrant rights, labor and economics, culture and community, and public safety topics. Produced for Bay Area Latino and Mayan immigrant community members.
- Guía de Recursos Free Spanish-language resource guide providing practical information on housing, health, immigration policies, childcare, summer programs, tax assistance, Medi-Cal applications, and scam protection. Aimed at Bay Area immigrant families and community members.
- Mi Historia First-person storytelling platform where community members publish personal narratives about immigration, housing, health, and family experiences. Built to amplify community voices among Bay Area Latino and Mayan immigrant audiences.
Quantifiable outcome
- 6,500+ SMS subscribers receive Spanish-language news and civic information directly
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use El Tímpano
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
El Tímpano technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
El Tímpano partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered significant, core and secondary.
- UC Berkeley East Bay Academy of Young ScientistssignificantEl Tímpano partnered with UC Berkeley's East Bay Academy of Young Scientists to host a community workshop that educated Oakland residents about lead exposure and offered free soil testing as part of El Tímpano's investigation into lead contamination in the city.
- Pulitzer Center (StoryReach U.S. Fellowship)significantEl Tímpano's lead contamination investigation and health reporting were produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center's StoryReach U.S. Fellowship. This fellowship supports journalists in covering underreported topics in public health and environmental justice.
- CatchLight LocalsignificantThe 'Memories of the Market' project was produced by El Tímpano in collaboration with CatchLight Local Visual Desk, a collaborative model for visual journalism. CatchLight provided editorial support, communications assistance, and hands-on project support including staff from its CA Visual Desk, Executive Editor, and Communications Director.
- Mission EdgecoreMission Edge is El Tímpano's fiscal sponsor, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations to El Tímpano are made out to Mission Edge with 'El Tímpano' in the memo line, making contributions tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Mission Edge provides administrative and financial infrastructure for the organization.
- Report for AmericasignificantEl Tímpano participates in the Report for America program, which places corps members at local news organizations. Report for America corps members (including photographers and reporters) contribute to El Tímpano's coverage, with their work credited in stories.
- EastSide Arts AlliancesecondaryEl Tímpano partnered with EastSide Arts Alliance to organize 'Rayos de Resiliencia,' a community event bringing together artists, storytellers, healers, and health and mental health providers for the COVID-19 fifth anniversary coverage.
- Los Pobres ArtistassecondaryLos Pobres Artistas, an artist collective, collaborated with El Tímpano on the COVID-19 anniversary coverage by encouraging dialogue through a phone booth installation at the Rayos de Resiliencia event.
- Voice of WitnesssecondaryVoice of Witness, an oral history organization, recorded and archived first-person pandemic stories from Bay Area Latino and Mayan immigrants as part of El Tímpano's COVID-19 anniversary coverage.
- Alameda County Healthy Homes DepartmentsecondaryEl Tímpano worked with the Alameda County Healthy Homes Department as part of its lead contamination investigation, partnering to share information about lead hazards with community members through library information booths, text messaging, and door-to-door outreach.
- Newark Promotoras Community NetworksecondaryThe Newark Promotoras Community Network, which provides resources to community members and develops local leaders, co-founded the 'Mentes en Acción' Spanish-language book club that El Tímpano has covered and documented.
- Arnoldo Garcia (Oakland-based poet)secondaryArnoldo Garcia, an Oakland-based poet, led poetry workshops for Bay Area Latina immigrants as part of El Tímpano's COVID-19 anniversary project, Rayos de Resiliencia, helping participants reflect on their pandemic experiences through poetry.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
El Tímpano competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Documented: New York-based nonprofit digital news outlet covering immigrants and immigrant policy. Closely comparable to El Tímpano as a nonprofit civic media organization producing multilingual reporting for immigrant communities through newsletters and digital channels.
- The Oaklandside: Nonprofit local newsroom covering Oakland, founded by Cityside. Highly comparable as a hyperlocal, community-funded nonprofit news outlet serving the same East Bay geography as El Tímpano.
- Mission Local: San Francisco-based nonprofit digital newsroom covering local news with a civic engagement focus. Comparable as a Bay Area nonprofit civic newsroom model with community-supported journalism and reader engagement.
- Radio Bilingüe: National Latino public radio network producing Spanish-language programming. Comparable to El Tímpano for its mission-driven, Spanish-language community media approach serving immigrant and Latino audiences.
- palabra. (NAHJ): National Association of Hispanic Journalists' digital media outlet covering Latino communities. Comparable as a nonprofit-style journalism platform focused on Latino storytelling and cultural coverage.
- La Opinión: Long-running Spanish-language daily newspaper in Los Angeles. Comparable to El Tímpano for its Spanish-language reporting serving Latino communities, though at much larger scale and for-profit ownership.
Broad incumbents
- KQED: San Francisco Bay Area public broadcaster. Broader incumbent serving the same geography as El Tímpano with general-interest programming, including some Spanish-language content.
Emerging players
- Voice of Witness: Nonprofit oral history organization amplifying marginalized voices through first-person narratives. Directly comparable to El Tímpano's Mi Historia storytelling model and an existing partner organization.
- CatchLight Local: Nonprofit visual journalism collaborative. Comparable to El Tímpano as a partner-driven local journalism model and an existing El Tímpano collaborator on the 'Memories of the Market' project.
- The 19th News: Nonprofit newsroom covering gender, politics, and policy with a focus on underserved communities. Comparable to El Tímpano as a nonprofit civic-media model addressing gaps in mainstream coverage.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
El Tímpano social profiles
Digital presenceEl Tímpano financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
El Tímpano leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
El Tímpano funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
El Tímpano M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about El Tímpano
What does El Tímpano do?
El Tímpano is a nonprofit civic media lab that produces multilingual local journalism (in English, Spanish, and Mam) and runs community engagement programs for Latino and Mayan immigrant communities in the Bay Area. It delivers news, civic information, investigative reporting, and resource guides through a website, a Spanish-language SMS text messaging newsletter (The Weekly Dispatch) reaching 6,500+ subscribers, social media, and in-person outreach at community events such as swap meets, festivals, and libraries.
Is El Tímpano a public or private company?
El Tímpano is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was El Tímpano founded?
El Tímpano was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is El Tímpano based?
El Tímpano is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does El Tímpano make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Individual donations and monthly giving is the primary driver. The others are grants and institutional funding.
Who are El Tímpano's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Documented, The Oaklandside, Mission Local, Radio Bilingüe, palabra. (NAHJ) and La Opinión. KQED is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Voice of Witness, CatchLight Local and The 19th News.
Does El Tímpano have an API?
No public API is recorded for El Tímpano.
What industry is El Tímpano in?
El Tímpano's product category is Civic Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPABACAI, Local Multicultural/Language Broadcasters (Spanish/Asian/Other Local Markets), with a secondary code of MPACAJAI, Local & Neighborhood Community Platforms. Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 2721.