La Raza

What La Raza does

La Raza is an independent Spanish-language newspaper founded in 1970 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, serving the city's Hispanic and Latino community. The publication covers immigration, local Chicago news, politics, community issues, housing, culture, and civic affairs through a digital-first news platform at laraza.com, supplemented by a printed edition distributed via the impremedia.pressreader.com digital platform. Its product portfolio extends beyond the core newspaper into multiple content modules: a daily Horóscopo section featuring predictions from syndicated astrologers, a Clasificados online classifieds marketplace, three email newsletter subscription tracks (Chicago news, daily horoscope, and job listings), the Voces Abiertas video podcast series hosted by Jesús Del Toro, and vertical journalism projects including La Llave de Tu Casa (housing), Barrio y Paz (community safety), 40 Claves de la Democracia (civic education), and the Clamor Chicago book documenting Latino community experiences during COVID-19.

The business model is hybrid and philanthropic-leaning. Primary revenue streams are digital advertising across the website and classifieds platform, alongside grants from foundation partners Press Forward and the Chicago Community Trust that underwrite editorial coverage. Content is provided free to access, with voluntary reader donations accepted through la-raza-chicago.fundjournalism.org. Distribution is multi-channel: web and mobile, email, print through PressReader, and video podcast. The publication collaborates with civic organizations, notably the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), on voter mobilization programs such as Proyecto Democracia 2024.

The underlying technology stack is a standard digital publishing operation — a Spanish-language content management system with web, mobile, email, and podcast delivery — with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no public APIs, no mobile app, and no proprietary software products beyond its editorial content. The organization operates as a private, independent media company with 11–50 employees, no parent company, no disclosed institutional investors, and no public funding rounds on record.

Name

La Raza

Legal name

La Raza

Website

https://laraza.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Raza is an independent Spanish-language newspaper founded in 1970 in Chicago that serves the city's Hispanic/Latino community with local news, immigration coverage, cultural content, video podcasts, classifieds, and civic education programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Spanish-language Community Newspaper

akta.pro primary industry

Local/Regional News Channels (MPABAIAD)

Keywords

• Spanish-language journalism
• Community news media
• Latino news coverage
• Independent newspaper publishing
• Digital news platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Digital advertising on website and classifieds (clasificados) platform
2. Donations and Grants: Supported by Press Forward initiative and Chicago Community Trust for editorial coverage; accepts reader donations

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

La Raza is an independent Spanish-language newspaper serving the Latino community in Chicago. The publication delivers daily journalism covering immigration, local Chicago news, politics, community issues, and culture, distributed through a digital website (laraza.com), email newsletters, a printed edition via PressReader, a classifieds marketplace, and a video podcast series.

Product overview

La Raza is a Spanish-language independent newspaper based in Chicago serving the Latino community. The publication operates as a single core product (the newspaper itself) with multiple content modules and vertical sections. Key offerings include the main newspaper with breaking news and community coverage, the Horóscopo section featuring daily astrology predictions, an Email Newsletter with three subscription options (Chicago news, horoscopes, and jobs), Clasificados for classifieds, an Edicion Impresa digital version via PressReader, the Voces Abiertas video podcast series, the 40 Claves de la Democracia educational series, the Barrio y Paz community safety project/book, the Clamor COVID-19 chronicle book, and La Llave de Tu Casa housing journalism vertical.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• La Raza Newspaper (Periódico) Core Spanish-language independent newspaper delivering daily journalism on immigration, local Chicago news, politics, community issues, housing, education, and culture for Hispanic residents.
• Horóscopo Daily horoscope content featuring predictions from renowned astrologers including El Niño Prodigio, Mhoni Vidente, and Nana Calistar, plus Chinese zodiac readings, available to Spanish-speaking readers.
• Email Newsletter
• Clasificados
• Edición Impresa (Print Edition)
• Voces Abiertas Podcast
• 40 Claves de la Democracia

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ICIRR (Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborates on voter mobilization initiatives and immigrant rights coverage; coordinates Proyecto Democracia 2024 and other civic engagement programs

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• La Opinión: Long-running Spanish-language daily newspaper serving the Latino community in Los Angeles. Closely comparable to La Raza in format (print + digital), Spanish-language editorial focus, and community-newspaper mission.
• El Diario NY: Spanish-language daily newspaper serving the Latino community in New York City. Directly comparable as an urban Spanish-language local news outlet with print, digital, and community-engagement operations.
• El Nuevo Herald: Spanish-language newspaper in Miami serving the Latino community, with print and digital editions. Directly comparable in business model (Spanish-language local/regional newspaper with digital and print products).
• Hoy (Chicago Tribune): Chicago Tribune's Spanish-language daily serving the same Chicago Latino market as La Raza. The most direct local-market competitor in Spanish-language print and digital news.

Broad incumbents

• Univision Chicago (Univision Noticias): Spanish-language broadcast and digital news operation serving the Chicago Latino audience. Competes for the same advertiser and audience base as La Raza but with much larger national scale and resources.
• Telemundo Chicago: NBCUniversal's Spanish-language broadcast and digital news property in Chicago. A larger incumbent operating in the same local Spanish-language media market as La Raza.

Emerging players

• Remezcla: Digital-first Latino media outlet covering culture, news, and entertainment. Comparable in serving English- and Spanish-speaking U.S. Latinos through digital content, but with a stronger cultural/lifestyle orientation.
• mitú: Digital Latino media company producing news, culture, and lifestyle content for U.S. Hispanic audiences. Overlaps with La Raza's audience and digital-distribution model, though mitú skews younger and more entertainment-focused.

Others

• WBEZ Chicago: Chicago's primary public-radio news organization. Comparable as a local Chicago news outlet pursuing grant-supported, mission-driven journalism, though English-language and not directly competitive for Spanish-speaking audiences.
• Block Club Chicago: Nonprofit, member-supported local news outlet covering Chicago neighborhoods. Comparable to La Raza in operating model (foundation- and donor-supported community journalism) but serves English-speaking Chicago audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/larazachicago
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@laraza
• Facebookfacebook.com/larazachicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-raza-newspaper

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 La Raza