The Current
The Current is a Savannah-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom founded in 2020 that delivers free, in-depth watchdog journalism — covering environment, health, education, and local government — to Coastal Georgia audiences through five weekly newsletters, SMS, and community events, funded by donations, memberships, and sponsorships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSavannah, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Current does
The Current GA, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization founded in September 2020 and headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, that produces in-depth watchdog journalism for Coastal Georgia communities. Its editorial coverage spans environment, health, education, public safety, politics, and civic governance across Savannah and surrounding counties (Chatham, Glynn, Camden, Effingham, McIntosh, Bryan, Liberty). The newsroom is led by Editor-in-Chief Margaret Coker and Managing Editor Susan Catron, with editorial independence codified in a formal pledge of independence that prevents funders from reviewing stories pre-publication.
Core products include five weekly newsletters (Coastal Navigator on Mondays, Soundings on Tuesdays, Coast Watch on Wednesdays, Cast Net on Thursdays, and Sunday Solutions on weekends), a monthly visual-journalism newsletter (Coastal Lens), and a Friday SMS news line delivered through the Rural News Network. The underlying technology stack is built on the Newspack publishing platform, with Mailchimp handling newsletter distribution, Shopify powering the merchandise store (shopwhatscurrent.com), Google Sign-In for authentication, and reCAPTCHA for bot mitigation. Content is published under a Creative Commons BY-ND 4.0 license that allows republication with attribution.
The business model is donation- and member-supported rather than subscription-supported: all editorial content is free to readers with no paywall. Revenue streams include one-time donations, the FactFinder tiered membership program ($10–$100/month perks: stickers, totes, t-shirts, tumblers, editor notes, event access), corporate sponsorships, branded merchandise, ticketed community events (The Current Conversations, Bridging Perspectives), stock transfers via LPL Financial, IRA charitable distributions, and estate-planning gifts. Distribution spans email, six social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, X, LinkedIn), SMS, and in-person events. Strategic partnerships include Report for America, the Institute for Nonprofit News, the Rural News Network, KFF Health News, The Trust Project, Georgia Recorder, and WABE. In 2025 the organization earned the Candid/GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency and began hiring its first Executive Director.
The Current firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Current
- Legal name
- The Current GA, Inc.
- Website
- https://thecurrentga.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Current is a Savannah-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom founded in 2020 that delivers free, in-depth watchdog journalism — covering environment, health, education, and local government — to Coastal Georgia audiences through five weekly newsletters, SMS, and community events, funded by donations, memberships, and sponsorships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Current industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Journalism
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- 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 industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
Keywords
Where The Current is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Savannah
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Current business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters ranging from $50 to $250, used to obtain public records, photograph environment, and mentor student journalists
- Membership Program (FactFinders): Monthly membership program with tiered benefits including stickers, tote bags, t-shirts, tumblers, quarterly editor notes, and VIP event access. Tiers: $10-$25, $26-$50, $51-$100 monthly
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships supporting the publication
- Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including shirts, hats, hoodies, tote bags sold through shopwhatscurrent.com
- Events: Revenue from community events including The Current Conversations and Bridging Perspectives series
- Stock Donations: Accepts stock transfers to LPL Financial account with tax benefits for donors
- IRA Charitable Distributions: Accepts charitable distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts
- Estate Planning Gifts: Legacies and planned gifts through estate plans
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | One-time donation options |
| Subscription | Monthly | FactFinder Basic Membership ($10-$25/month) |
| Subscription | Monthly | FactFinder Plus Membership ($26-$50/month) |
| Subscription | Monthly | FactFinder VIP Membership ($51-$100/month) |
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
The Current product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Current is a nonprofit digital news organization that publishes in-depth, accountability-focused journalism covering Savannah and Coastal Georgia. It produces a free newsletter and editorial content, supported by reader donations, memberships, and event sponsorships, with no paywall on its reporting.
Product overview
The Current operates a multi-channel news platform serving Coastal Georgia through five distinct newsletter products (Coastal Navigator, Soundings, Coast Watch, Cast Net, Sunday Solutions, plus monthly Coastal Lens), a text-based news alert service, a membership program (FactFinders), an e-commerce merchandise store, and community engagement events (The Current Conversations and Bridging Perspectives series). The organization is structured as a nonprofit newsroom providing in-depth watchdog journalism across health, education, environment, public safety, and politics topics. The core offering is the aggregation and distribution of local journalism content, supported by membership revenue, donations, and merchandise sales.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Current Newsletter A free, ad-free email newsletter delivering in-depth watchdog and community journalism to readers across Savannah and Coastal Georgia.
- Membership Program A reader-funded membership program providing sustaining financial support to The Current in exchange for community engagement and recognition.
- Branded Merchandise Online store offering The Current-branded apparel and accessories, with proceeds supporting the organization's journalism.
- Community Events In-person and community-driven events hosted by The Current to engage Savannah-area readers and supporters, often sponsored by local businesses.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 10,000 newsletter subscribers receive free journalism five times weekly
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Current
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Current technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature2 records
The Current partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Report for AmericacoreReport for America supports The Current GA's Bridging Perspectives series, bringing people together for thoughtful conversations around important local issues. The program places journalists in local newsrooms to strengthen local journalism.
- Rural News NetworkcoreService of the Institute for Nonprofit News providing stories from peer nonprofit newsrooms. The Current shares and receives local news content through this network, expanding coverage reach.
- Institute for Nonprofit News (INN)coreThe Current is a member of INN, a network of nonprofit news organizations. INN supports investigative journalism and provides resources, training, and collaborative opportunities for member newsrooms.
- KFF Health NewsminorContent partnership where The Current shares health news from KFF Health News, a nonprofit national newsroom producing in-depth journalism about health issues.
- Georgia RecorderminorGeorgia-based nonprofit news outlet with content sharing partnership providing state-level political coverage to The Current readers.
- WABEminorAtlanta-based public radio station and nonprofit news organization with content sharing arrangement for Georgia education and health coverage.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Current competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- VTDigger: A nationally recognized nonprofit investigative newsroom covering Vermont with a similar revenue stack (donations, memberships, sponsorships) and multi-newsletter cadence. Closely analogous small-state nonprofit news model.
- Savannah Morning News: The legacy daily newspaper serving Savannah and Coastal Georgia, covering many of the same local government, education, and public-safety beats that The Current targets. It is the dominant incumbent in the exact geographic market The Current occupies, making it the most direct comparable.
- The Connecticut Mirror: Nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news outlet covering state policy and local accountability in Connecticut. Comparable operating model: free content, donor-supported, vertical-specific beats, partnerships with national outlets like KFF Health News.
- The Bitter Southerner: Independent nonprofit magazine covering the American South with member-supported revenue and a vertical-driven editorial model. Closely analogous in regional nonprofit identity, donor-supported structure, and editorial ambition relative to team size.
- WABE: Atlanta-based NPR member station and nonprofit newsroom with active content-sharing arrangements with The Current. Shares the nonprofit, member-supported, multi-channel (broadcast + digital + newsletter) model covering Georgia civic affairs.
- Georgia Recorder: A nonprofit digital news outlet covering state-level Georgia politics and policy, listed as a content-sharing partner of The Current. Same nonprofit news model, same regional focus, and overlapping editorial verticals (politics, governing, health).
Broad incumbents
- ProPublica: The leading U.S. nonprofit investigative newsroom, also an INN affiliate and an established model for watchdog nonprofit journalism. Comparable in mission and ethics standards, though vastly larger in scope, staff, and budget.
- GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting): Georgia's statewide public broadcasting network covering news, education, and civic affairs statewide. Overlaps with The Current's Georgia civic and education coverage and competes for the same regional donor and member audience.
- The Texas Tribune: Larger-scale nonprofit state policy newsroom with a mature membership/event model. Provides a comparable structural template for what a scaled-up, donor-supported nonprofit newsroom looks like, though operating at substantially greater scale than The Current.
Others
- Report for America: National service program that places journalists in local newsrooms and already sponsors The Current's Bridging Perspectives series. Functions as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor, but its host newsrooms (and the host organizations it supports) are comparable nonprofit local outlets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Current social profiles
Digital presenceThe Current financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Current leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Current funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Current 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 The Current
What does The Current do?
The Current is a nonprofit digital news organization that publishes in-depth, accountability-focused journalism covering Savannah and Coastal Georgia. It produces a free newsletter and editorial content, supported by reader donations, memberships, and event sponsorships, with no paywall on its reporting.
Is The Current a public or private company?
The Current is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Current founded?
The Current was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Current based?
The Current is headquartered in Savannah, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Current make money?
Eight revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are membership Program (FactFinders), corporate Sponsorships, merchandise Sales, events, stock Donations, IRA Charitable Distributions and estate Planning Gifts.
Who are The Current's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are VTDigger, Savannah Morning News, The Connecticut Mirror, The Bitter Southerner, WABE and Georgia Recorder. Broad incumbents are ProPublica, GPB (Georgia Public Broadcasting) and The Texas Tribune. Report for America is listed as an others.
Does The Current have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Current.
What industry is The Current in?
The Current's product category is Local Journalism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAF, Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations, with a secondary code of MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital). Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.