Religion News Service

What Religion News Service does

Religion News Service (RNS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization founded in 1934 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Religion News Foundation (RNF, EIN 31-1650883). It produces objective, multiformat journalism on religion, spirituality, ethics, and culture, distributed globally through a B2B wire subscription service to newspapers, news magazines, online media outlets, broadcasting firms, and religious publications, and directly to consumers via religionnews.com, five podcasts (Saved By The City, Martini Judaism, Money Meet Meaning, The State of Belief, Complexified), two newsletters (Morning Report, Weekly Digest), and platforms including Apple News, YouTube, TikTok, and Mastodon.

The underlying technology stack is a standard web-based content management and distribution platform with Mailchimp for newsletter automation, Apple News integration, and an interactive games module at rns.newsgames.ai. The organization maintains an extensive nine-decade archive of religion news across all major world faiths and employs professional journalists with global correspondents. Special editorial projects include Love Thy Neighbor (faith and immigration, launched November 2025) and Atlas of American Belonging, both backed by foundation grants.

RNS operates a diversified nonprofit revenue model combining wire subscription fees (annual billing, quote-based), individual donations and foundation grants (including a flagship multi-year grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. supporting AP and The Conversation collaborations), advertising and sponsorships, sponsored content, content licensing (article and image republication), and press release distribution. The GTM is sales-led B2B for the wire service targeting newsrooms, paired with B2C reader engagement and donation appeals. RNS holds Candid Platinum Transparency and Charity Navigator 4-star ratings and is CCPA/GDPR compliant.

Name

Religion News Service

Legal name

Religion News Foundation

Website

https://religionnews.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Religion News Service is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news wire service founded in 1934 that produces religion and spirituality journalism distributed to news organizations via subscription and to general readers via website, podcasts, newsletters, and mobile platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wire Subscription Services: RNS provides subscription-based wire services distributing religion news content to newspapers, news magazines, online media outlets, broadcasting firms, and religious publications.
2. Donations and Grants: As a nonprofit organization under Religion News Foundation, RNS receives donations from individuals and grants from foundations. Accepts gifts, grants, and sponsorships for general support while maintaining editorial independence.
3. Article and Image Republication: RNS licenses content republication rights and image search/republication services to other media organizations for fees.
4. Advertising and Sponsorships: RNS accepts sponsorships and advertising that do not compromise editorial integrity. All sponsor or advertiser messages are clearly distinguished from editorial content.
5. Sponsored Content: RNS offers sponsored content opportunities with editorial control maintained over coverage.
6. Press Release Distribution: RNS distributes press releases as a service, providing additional revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Religion News Service (RNS) is a nonprofit wire service that produces and distributes original religion, spirituality, culture, and ethics journalism to secular and faith-based news organizations, while also delivering free news content directly to general readers via its website, podcasts, and newsletters. RNS operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Religion News Foundation (RNF) and generates revenue from B2B wire subscriptions, donations, grants, content licensing/republication, advertising, and press release distribution services.

Product overview

Religion News Service (RNS) operates a multi-platform news and content distribution network offering original religion journalism, podcasts, newsletters, interactive games, and content licensing services. The core product is the religionnews.com website providing objective reporting on religion globally. Supporting products include five distinct podcasts (Saved By The City, Martini Judaism, Money Meet Meaning, The State of Belief, Complexified), two email newsletters (Morning Report and Weekly Digest), RNS Games interactive content, the Love Thy Neighbor reporting series, and the Atlas of American Belonging editorial project. RNS also offers B2B services including Wire Subscription for content distribution to partner outlets, Article Republication, and Image Search licensing. Content distribution extends through Apple News and social media platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Saved By The City A weekly podcast hosted by Roxanne Stone and Katelyn Beaty exploring faith in a complex world with smart and sass, for general listeners interested in religion and culture.
• Martini Judaism Podcast hosted by Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin expanding his award-winning column into audio format, covering rock music, ethical dilemmas, politics, Israel, and sacred texts for general audiences interested in Jewish thought and culture.
• Money Meet Meaning Podcast exploring the intersection of personal finance and religion/spirituality, hosted by Amber Hacker and Tom Levinson with humor and thoughtful analysis, for listeners interested in faith and financial life.
• The State of Belief Weekly podcast hosted by Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush featuring conversations with religious and civic leaders, artists, and activists, for general listeners interested in religion's role in public life.
• Complexified Podcast hosted by Rev. Amanda Henderson exploring where religion and politics collide with real life to drive meaningful change, for listeners interested in faith and public policy.
• RNS Games Interactive news games including word games, news mix, crossword puzzles, and news quizzes, designed for reader engagement on the RNS platform.
• Morning Report Newsletter Weekday morning newsletter highlighting news and opinion pieces published the previous day, delivered to subscribers via Mailchimp.
• Weekly Digest Newsletter Weekly summary of religion news and opinion headlines delivered on Wednesdays at noon via Mailchimp to subscribers.
• Wire Subscription Service B2B subscription-based wire service distributing RNS religion news content to secular and faith-based news organizations including newspapers, news magazines, online media outlets, broadcasting firms, and religious publications.
• Article Republication Service allowing republication of RNS articles by other media outlets through paid licensing agreements.
• Image Search and Licensing Service for searching and licensing RNS images for use by other media organizations.
• Press Release Distribution Service for distributing press releases to RNS audience and media contacts as an additional revenue stream.
• Love Thy Neighbor Reporting Series A special RNS reporting series covering faith-based community service, social impact initiatives, and immigration—examining how congregations and religious organizations step in when government programs fall short, supported by foundation sponsors.
• Atlas of American Belonging An RNS editorial project reporting on faith, immigration, and belonging in America, with filtering capabilities by pillar, religion, country of origin, and state.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Religion News FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011RNS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Religion News Foundation (RNF), a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 1999. RNF acquired RNS in June 2011 when it was owned by Newhouse News Service. RNF's mission is to strengthen understanding of religion, improve public discourse, advance religious literacy, and support religion journalism. RNF CEO and RNS Publisher is Deborah Caldwell.
• Institute for Nonprofit News (INN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2011RNS is a proud member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, an organization that supports and connects nonprofit newsrooms globally. INN membership indicates commitment to nonprofit journalism standards and provides networking and resources for mission-driven news organizations.
• Associated Press (AP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRNS and AP participate in a multi-year global religion reporting initiative with The Conversation, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. Journalists from both RNS and AP contribute to the desk, producing multiformat religion journalism to improve general understanding of developments in the world of faith.
• The ConversationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Conversation, an independent nonprofit publisher of commentary and analysis sourced from academic experts, provides editorial support for the Lilly-funded multi-year global religion reporting initiative. Editors from The Conversation work with journalists from RNS and AP on multiformat religion journalism.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RNS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/ReligionNewsService
• Facebookfacebook.com/ReligionNewsSvc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/religionnewssvc
• Instagraminstagram.com/religionnewssvc
• TikToktiktok.com/@religionnews

Compliance4 records

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 Religion News Service