The Ithaca Voice

What The Ithaca Voice does

The Ithaca Voice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital news organization (EIN 46-5495365) founded in 2014 and headquartered at 121 E Seneca Street, 2nd Floor, Ithaca, New York. It publishes independent, nonpartisan local journalism for the Ithaca and Tompkins County community across beats including government (city, county, and New York State), economy and development, public safety, K-12 and higher education, health, environment, transportation, arts, culture, sports, obituaries, and opinion. The outlet also produces a long-form audio program called the Backstory podcast, hosts a community events calendar, and operates a daily 5 a.m. weekday email newsletter.

The core technology stack is the Newspack publishing platform, with no proprietary technology assets disclosed; there are no mobile applications, no public APIs or SDKs, and no documented AI/ML capabilities. Distribution is multi-surface: the public-facing website (ithacavoice.org), Facebook, X, and Instagram accounts, the Backstory podcast feed on RSS.com, and the daily newsletter. The site is free to read with no paywall, subscription product, or disclosed pricing.

The revenue model is donations, contributions, and sponsorships only — there is no subscription, paywall, or product revenue. Fundraising tactics include targeted donor acquisition campaigns (most recently a mid-2026 push for 250 new donors by July 31, with suggested one-time gifts of $25 and recurring monthly gifts starting at $3) and institutional sponsorship from local funders such as the Community Foundation of Tompkins County and the Park Foundation. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and operates for public benefit rather than as a commercial entity.

Name

The Ithaca Voice

Legal name

The Ithaca Voice

Website

https://ithacavoice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ithaca Voice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital news organization founded in 2014, providing free, independent local journalism on government, education, health, public safety, and culture for the Ithaca and Tompkins County community in New York, funded by donations and sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Digital News

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Production & Podcasting (BPAFAIAE)

Keywords

• Local news coverage
• Nonprofit journalism
• Digital news publishing
• Community reporting
• Investigative journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization generates revenue through individual donations, including a recent campaign seeking 250 new donors by July 31 with suggested one-time gifts of $25 and recurring monthly contributions starting at $3.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Ithaca Voice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital news organization that produces and distributes independent, nonpartisan local journalism for the Ithaca and Tompkins County area of New York State. Its primary products are a continuously updated news website (ithacavoice.org), a daily weekday morning email newsletter, an in-depth storytelling podcast called Backstory, and a community events calendar. Coverage areas include local government, economy, public safety, education, health, environment, culture, sports, obituaries, and opinion.

Product overview

The Ithaca Voice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization providing independent nonprofit nonpartisan local news coverage for the Ithaca and Tompkins County area in New York. The organization operates a news website featuring local government, economy, public safety, education, health, environment, and culture coverage, along with a podcast called 'Backstory' and community event listings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Ithaca Voice news website Continuously updated digital news website (ithacavoice.org) providing independent, nonpartisan local coverage of government, economy, public safety, education, health, environment, culture, sports, obituaries, and opinion for the Ithaca and Tompkins County community. Free to all readers.
• Backstory Podcast In-depth storytelling podcast companion to The Ithaca Voice's news coverage, featuring long-form local journalism on topics such as community issues, environment, and culture.
• The Ithaca Voice Daily Email Newsletter Daily email newsletter distributed at 5 a.m. on weekdays, summarizing The Ithaca Voice's top local news stories for subscribers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Mendocino Voice: Independent nonprofit digital news outlet covering Mendocino County, California. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and audience scale: small-market local journalism, donation-funded, with similar geographic concentration and beat structure.
• VTDigger: Nonprofit statewide digital news organization covering Vermont. Comparable in mission and 501(c)(3) structure, with a more mature donor base and broader geographic scope. Often cited as a model for nonprofit local news sustainability.
• The Connecticut Mirror: Nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news outlet covering Connecticut state government and policy. Closely comparable in editorial positioning (nonpartisan, nonprofit), depth of government/policy coverage, and donation-funded model.
• CalMatters: Nonprofit statewide news organization covering California policy and government. Directly comparable in mission, nonprofit funding model, and editorial scope, though operating at substantially larger scale.
• Block Club Chicago: Nonprofit neighborhood-focused news outlet covering Chicago. Comparable in hyperlocal nonprofit news mission, donation-driven revenue model, and emphasis on community-rooted reporting and newsletters.
• Tapinto: Network of hyperlocal digital news sites covering towns and neighborhoods across multiple states. Comparable in local-news focus and digital-first delivery, though structured as a for-profit franchise rather than nonprofit.
• The Mendocino Voice: Nonprofit local news outlet serving a small California county, closely analogous to The Ithaca Voice in scale, beat coverage, and donation-based funding model.
• Minnesota Reformer: Nonprofit, nonpartisan digital newsroom covering Minnesota state government and politics. Comparable in nonprofit editorial positioning, donor-funded revenue model, and government/policy focus.

Regional players

• City & State New York: Digital news publication covering New York State government and politics. Comparable in policy/government coverage of New York and nonprofit-adjacent public affairs mission, though operating at larger scale and broader geographic scope within New York.
• Spotlight News: Local digital news outlet covering the Capital Region and upstate New York communities. Comparable in upstate New York local-news focus, though operating with a different funding and ownership structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ithacavoice
• Facebookfacebook.com/theithacavoice
• Instagraminstagram.com/ithacavoice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-ithaca-voice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Ithaca Voice