What Next City does

Next City is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization founded in 2003 as The Next American City, producing solutions-based journalism on urban equity, housing, transportation, economic justice, environment, and related beats. It operates a digital publishing platform — including the nextcity.org website, native iOS and Android mobile applications, an email newsletter system with topical segmentation, and a weekly podcast distributed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Goodpods — and publishes over 600 original stories per year. The organization also produces curated ebooks, live and archived webinars, an annual print Solutions of the Year magazine, and the Vanguard Conference, a four-day leadership convening with 500+ alumni globally.

The core audience is composed of urban planning and policy professionals, grassroots organizers, elected officials, nonprofit and small business leaders, and higher-education institutions. Annual reach is approximately 1 million website visitors, 176,000 social-media followers, and 50,000 newsletter subscribers, with 75% of surveyed readers reporting they rely on Next City for their jobs. Revenue is generated across five streams: individual sustaining memberships (pay-what-you-wish monthly or annual tiers), institutional memberships ($1,200/yr for sub-50-employee organizations; custom for larger), foundation and corporate grants (Surdna Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Citi cited as long-standing major funders), clearly-labeled advertising and sponsored content, and a job board. The organization maintains editorial independence from funders, adheres to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, and operates with a 17-person staff.

Name

Next City

Legal name

Next City, Inc.

Website

https://nextcity.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Next City is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization producing solutions-based journalism on urban equity for city-builders — planners, advocates, elected officials, and nonprofits — via website, mobile apps, podcast, newsletters, ebooks, webinars, and the Vanguard Conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Urban Affairs Journalism

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (513120), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO), Newsletter Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAA), Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

Keywords

• Solutions journalism
• Urban policy reporting
• Nonprofit news
• Community development media
• Urban planning journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership/Subscription Revenue: Sustaining members pay monthly ($5, $10, $25/month) or annual ($60, $120, $300/year) contributions. Free membership available with basic access. Over 1,151 sustainers contribute monthly. All donations are tax-deductible as Next City is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
2. Institutional Memberships: Organizations with fewer than 50 employees pay $1,200/year for unlimited job postings, webinar/ebook access for all employees, recognition in directory, and 10% advertising discount. Organizations with 50+ employees negotiate custom arrangements.
3. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations. Major funders include Surdna Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and Citi. Accepts gifts and grants for general support and specific topic coverage while maintaining editorial control.
4. Advertising and Sponsorships: Sells advertising and sponsored content. All underwritten or sponsored content is clearly labeled. Does not accept sponsorships from organizations that could undermine mission or integrity.
5. Job Board Revenue: Free and paid job postings for organizations seeking to recruit talent aligned with Next City's urbanist readership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Next City publishes hundreds of solutions-based urban journalism stories annually through its website nextcity.org, covering economic justice, housing, transportation, arts and culture, health, environment, and technology. It complements this editorial platform with curated topical ebooks, live practitioner webinars, a weekly hosted podcast, an annual print Solutions of the Year magazine, a mobile application, and the annual four-day Vanguard Conference for rising urban leaders, all sustained through memberships, donations, grants, advertising, and sponsorships.

Product overview

Next City is a nonprofit solutions journalism organization offering a content platform focused on equitable urban development. Its core product is the Next City website/news platform publishing hundreds of stories annually. The organization operates multiple complementary sub-products including ebooks (curated topic compilations), webinars (live practitioner conversations), The Next City Podcast (weekly interviews), the annual Solutions of the Year Magazine (print publication), the Vanguard Conference (leadership convening), a mobile app (iPhone/Android), newsletters (general and The Pushback anti-displacement edition), and a Higher Education Directory for urban planning professionals. Together, these products form an integrated ecosystem serving urbanists, planners, advocates, and policymakers with solutions-focused journalism, learning resources, events, and professional networking opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Next City Website/News Platform Primary digital publishing platform delivering 600+ solutions-based urban journalism stories per year across beats including Economic Justice, Housing, Transportation, Arts & Culture, Health & Safety, Environment & Energy, and Technology; targeted at urban planners, architects, advocates, and city-builders.
• Curated Topical Ebooks Curated long-form compilations of Next City's best reporting, packaged by topic (CDFIs, social impact design, housing, small business, banking, etc.) for extended reading on urbanism issues, available to sustaining and institutional members.
• Practitioner Webinars Live online events featuring practitioners presenting urban projects, challenges, and lessons learned across housing, transportation, arts, health, environment, and technology beats, with audience Q&A and archived for on-demand access.
• The Next City Podcast Weekly podcast hosted by Executive Director Lucas Grindley featuring conversations with trailblazers discussing overlooked urban issues, distributed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Goodpods.
• Solutions of the Year Magazine Annual print publication featuring Next City editors' selections of the year's most impactful solutions journalism stories, distributed as a sustaining-membership benefit and to supporters.
• Vanguard Conference Four-day immersive urban leadership program convening 40 selected rising leaders across planning, community development, government, sustainability, arts, and media, with host-city programming and a permanent alumni network.
• Next City Mobile App Native mobile applications for iPhone and Android enabling readers to receive push notifications for new reporting, track reading history, and access event and ebook announcements.
• Next City Newsletter Email newsletter distributing the latest urban solutions journalism to subscribers, with topic-specific subscription options aligned to editorial beats.
• The Pushback Newsletter Topic-focused newsletter covering anti-displacement solutions including community land trusts, land banks, neighborhood stabilization, and cultural landmark preservation.
• Higher Education Directory Directory listing universities offering graduate-level urban planning, architecture, transportation, and related programs in the United States and Canada, serving prospective urbanist students and institutional members.
• Urbanist Job Board Recruitment platform hosting free and paid job postings from organizations seeking talent aligned with Next City's urbanist readership; institutional members receive unlimited free postings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of readers rely on Next City for their jobs (annual survey)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered program partner and core partners.

• Resolve Phillyprogram partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Equitable Cities Reporting Fellow program. Pryce Jamison is Next City's Philadelphia-based fellow in partnership with Resolve Philly and its Germantown Info Hub hyperlocal news project.
• Institutional Members Networkcore partnersChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of institutional members including universities, foundations, and organizations that pay for access to Next City content for their constituents. Includes MIT, Boston University, Pratt Institute, Trust for Public Land, and others. Members get directory visibility and advertising discounts.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Shelterforce: Nonprofit magazine covering community development, affordable housing, and equitable urban policy. Most directly comparable as a fellow nonprofit news outlet serving overlapping urban-planner and advocate audiences.
• Streetsblog: Network of urbanist blogs focused on street design, transit, and walkable cities. Comparable mission to make cities more equitable through transportation and planning journalism, serving a similar practitioner audience.
• Planetizen: Urban planning news, education, and job-board platform. Directly comparable as a multi-product resource (news, training, jobs) for urban planning professionals and the same institutional customer base (universities, municipalities).
• Strong Towns: Nonprofit media and movement organization advancing bottom-up urbanism. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit producing original journalism, podcasts, and events targeting the same city-builder audience.
• The Architect's Newspaper: Trade publication covering architecture, design, and urbanism with strong event and editorial programs. Comparable audience overlap with Next City's architecture and urban planning readership, though delivered via a for-profit trade model.

Broad incumbents

• CityLab: Bloomberg's urban-policy publication covering cities, design, transportation, and housing. Comparable topic coverage but backed by Bloomberg's far larger editorial budget and broader mainstream audience reach.
• Curbed: Vox Media property covering urban life, real estate, and design. Overlapping urban-policy and housing coverage but oriented to a consumer/mainstream audience rather than practitioner readers.
• Governing Magazine: Long-running publication on state and local government, public policy, and management. Comparable audience of elected officials and government decision-makers that Next City reaches via its Vanguard and institutional network.
• ImpactAlpha: News service covering impact investing and community development finance. Overlaps with Next City's economic justice beat and Senior Economic Justice Correspondent Oscar Perry Abello's prior affiliations (Shelterforce, ImpactAlpha).

Regional players

• Route Fifty: Government Executive Media property covering state and local government technology and innovation. Adjacent audience overlap with Next City's government and technology beats but primarily US-focused and tech-oriented.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nextcityorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/nextcityorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-next-american-city
• Instagraminstagram.com/nextcityorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Next City