Fostering Media Connections

What Fostering Media Connections does

Fostering Media Connections (FMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California, that produces journalism, training programs, and data products focused on foster care, youth justice, and youth homelessness. Founded in 2013 with the launch of The Imprint as a daily independent news outlet, the organization has since assembled a five-product portfolio: The Imprint (daily news), Fostering Families Today (bimonthly magazine distributed to approximately 20,000 families across all 50 states), Youth Voices Rising (journalism training program for youth with lived experience, started 2016), SafeCamp Audio (podcast network, launched 2020), and Who Cares: A National Count of Foster Homes and Families (annual 50-state data project launched 2018). Content is produced on a digital publishing stack with email newsletters (MailerLite) and standard podcast distribution, and reporting is regularly co-published by major outlets including AP, Texas Tribune, LA Times, and The Guardian. The organization employs 11–50 staff distributed across nine US states and publishes more than 500 original stories annually.

FMC operates as a platform-plus-programs nonprofit with a horizontal segmentation approach across three primary audiences: child welfare professionals, foster/adoptive/kinship caregivers, and youth with lived experience, plus a general public secondary audience. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: webinars (often with CEU credits for caregivers), virtual events, content marketing through The Imprint and regional newsletters, and social media engagement build audience reach, which is then converted to donations, grants, and sponsorships. The revenue model is overwhelmingly donation-based, sourced from individual givers (one-time, weekly, or monthly donations at preset tiers of $10–$40 or custom amounts), recurring magazine subscriptions for Fostering Families Today, and grants from major foundations including Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casey Family Programs, The California Wellness Foundation, The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and the Google News Equity Fund. Leadership is provided by Co-Executive Directors John Kelly and Christie Renick, with editorial direction from Executive Editor Karen de Sá.

For FY 2024 (year ending June 30, 2024), FMC reported audited revenue of $2,442,516 against total expenses of $2,106,037, indicating a small operating surplus. The organization has no equity ownership, no parent company, and no subsidiaries; it is governed by a board of directors and funded entirely through philanthropic channels rather than traditional investment. Its competitive position rests on brand recognition as the "paper of record" for child welfare, a multi-platform content distribution architecture, and a multi-year track record of journalism awards from the Institute for Nonprofit News, the Price Child Health and Welfare Journalism Awards, the Indigenous Journalist Association, and others.

Name

Fostering Media Connections

Legal name

Fostering Media Connections

Website

https://fosteringmediaconnections.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fostering Media Connections is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization that produces journalism, training programs, and data products covering foster care, youth justice, and youth homelessness, serving child welfare professionals, foster and kinship caregivers, and youth with lived experience across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Media and Journalism

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Media Digital Platforms & Streaming (Apps, On-demand, Podcasts) (MPABADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational/Instructional Public Media Services (Schools, Distance Learning) (MPABADAH), Public Media Partnerships & Content Co-productions (NGO/Cultural) (MPABADAN)

Keywords

• Child welfare journalism
• Foster care media
• Youth media training
• Nonprofit news outlet
• Caregiver education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies primarily on donations from individuals and foundations. Website accepts one-time, weekly, and monthly donations at various levels.
2. Magazine Subscriptions: Fostering Families Today magazine is distributed bimonthly as a print and online publication. The publication serves foster, adoptive and kinship families.
3. Foundation and Grant Funding: Multiple foundations provide funding including Annie E. Casey Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, Casey Family Programs, The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and others listed as supporters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Fostering Media Connections is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization that produces journalism and media programs focused on children, youth, and families affected by the child welfare and youth justice systems. Its core offerings include The Imprint (a daily news outlet), Fostering Families Today (a bimonthly magazine for caregivers), Youth Voices Rising (a media training program for youth with lived experience), SafeCamp Audio (a podcast network), and the annual Who Cares foster care capacity report.

Product overview

Fostering Media Connections (FMC) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit media organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California that operates as a platform-plus-programs architecture. Its portfolio comprises five core products: The Imprint (independent daily news outlet covering child welfare, youth justice, and youth homelessness), Youth Voices Rising (journalism training program for youth with lived experience), Fostering Families Today (bimonthly magazine distributed to ~20,000 foster/adoptive/kinship families), SafeCamp Audio (podcast network), and the Foster Care Capacity Report (annual data project). FMC also publishes supplementary guides including College Ready, Career Prepared and Dollars & Sense. The organization produces more than 500 original stories annually across these integrated platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Imprint: An independent daily news outlet focused on the nation's child welfare and youth justice systems, producing rigorous in-depth reporting since 2013.
• Fostering Families Today
• Youth Voices Rising
• SafeCamp Audio
• Who Cares: A National Report on Foster Care Capacity
• Dollars & Sense
• College Ready, Career Prepared

Products and services

• The Imprint An independent daily news outlet focused on the nation's child welfare and youth justice systems, producing in-depth reporting, daily news coverage, the Youth Services Insider column, and a weekly podcast for child welfare professionals and the general public.
• Fostering Families Today An award-winning bimonthly print and online magazine distributed to approximately 20,000 foster, adoptive, and kinship families across all 50 states, providing trauma-informed care education and continuing education credits for caregivers.
• Youth Voices Rising A media training program for young people with lived experience in the foster care, juvenile justice systems, and/or homelessness, teaching journalism skills through workshops, paid writing opportunities, and events.
• SafeCamp Audio A podcast network platform that elevates child welfare and youth justice podcasts, producing and promoting quality audio content on child welfare, youth justice, and youth homelessness.
• Who Cares: A National Count of Foster Homes and Families An annual data project that collects foster care data from all 50 states, capturing the number of licensed and unlicensed caregivers as well as youth in care, published ahead of federal data releases.
• College Ready, Career Prepared A guide to postsecondary education for youth in foster care, helping them navigate the transition to college and career.
• Dollars & Sense A guide to helping youth navigate taxes, fraud, and finances.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 500 original stories produced each year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.

• Voices of Monterey BaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publishing partner for investigative series including 'ELDERS', 'AFTER LIFE', and 'Fighting for Kin' projects. Collaborative journalism efforts that have won multiple INN awards.
• Coalition for Juvenile JusticemoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 'Empowered Youth Voices' webinar to amplify voices of youth with lived experience in justice and child welfare systems.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• YR Media (formerly Youth Radio): National nonprofit that trains young people from underserved communities in journalism and media production and distributes their content across digital platforms; the closest direct parallel to Youth Voices Rising's youth-journalism training model.
• The Marshall Project: National nonprofit news outlet covering the U.S. criminal and juvenile justice systems, funded by donations and foundations; runs multiple platforms (news site, podcasts), co-publishes with major outlets, and serves a comparable niche justice-policy audience — the closest analog to The Imprint in structure and mission.
• Voice of San Diego: Regional nonprofit news organization serving an underserved policy beat via donations, grants, and membership; similar size, governance structure, and donor-revenue model to Fostering Media Connections.
• Chalkbeat: Nonprofit news organization covering K-12 education and education-policy issues in underserved communities; similarly funded by foundations and donations, distributed across regional editions, and recognized as a paper of record in its beat — closely comparable to FMC's child-welfare journalism model.
• CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit news outlet covering state policy; uses a comparable donations-and-grants model with multiple regional newsletters, co-publishing partnerships, and events, and covers child welfare among other policy verticals.
• Adoptive Families magazine: Long-running print and online magazine serving adoptive and foster families with caregiver education content; the most direct comparison to Fostering Families Today in product format and target audience.
• The 74: Nonprofit digital news outlet covering American education, including the foster-care-to-college pipeline; founded and operates in a comparable underserved-topic, grant-funded nonprofit newsroom format with co-publishing arrangements.
• The 19th News: National nonprofit newsroom covering underserved policy areas (gender, caregiving, democracy); similarly structured around foundation funding, donations, newsletters, and a mission-driven underserved-topic focus analogous to FMC's child-welfare reporting.

Broad incumbents

• ProPublica: Large, established national nonprofit investigative newsroom; same donation-and-grant revenue model and a known co-publishing partner of The Imprint — a much larger incumbent in the nonprofit investigative-journalism space.

Emerging players

• FosterClub: National nonprofit led by individuals with foster-care experience that provides peer support, transition resources, and advocacy for current and former foster youth; complementary mission and overlapping audience with FMC's Youth Voices Rising program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/youthvoicefmc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheFosteringMC
• Facebookfacebook.com/FosteringMediaConnections
• LinkedInec.linkedin.com/company/fostering-media-connections
• Instagraminstagram.com/fosteringfamiliestoday

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Fostering Media Connections