South Asian Journalists Association

Professional Association Servicessaja.org

South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) is a New York-based nonprofit membership organization founded in 1994 that supports 1,000+ South Asian journalists and journalism students across the U.S. and Canada through membership tiers, scholarships, fellowships, awards, and career resources.

Company typePrivate
Founded1994
HeadquartersNew York, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What South Asian Journalists Association does

South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) is a New York-headquartered nonprofit professional membership organization founded in March 1994 by Sree Sreenivasan, Om Malik, Dilip Massand, and MK Srinivasan. It serves journalists of South Asian origin and journalism students in the U.S. and Canada, growing from 18 founding members to a network of 1,000+ professionals. The organization's mission centers on improving coverage of South Asia and its diaspora through peer support, training, mentorship, and recognition programs.

SAJA's core offerings include tiered membership (Full, Student, Associate, and Life), annual scholarships totaling $20,000 per year (over $400,000 cumulative since 1994), internship awards, reporting fellowships, journalism awards, a job board, and signature events including the annual Fall Conference & Gala. The organization operates through a fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund (PPF) under Section 501(c)(3), enabling tax-deductible donations. The technical platform consists of a website powered by Wild Apricot membership software, with distribution through social media channels and an email newsletter; no proprietary technology product is offered.

Revenue is generated through membership fees (subscription recurring at $25-$40 annually or $300 Life), donations through the PPF fiscal sponsorship, and event sponsorships supporting the conference and gala programming. The organization maintains a lean 1-10 employee operating structure governed by an Executive Committee and Board of Directors led by President Indira S. Somani.

South Asian Journalists Association firmographics

Firmographics

Name: South Asian Journalists Association
Legal name: SAJA Group Inc.
Website: https://saja.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1994
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) is a New York-based nonprofit membership organization founded in 1994 that supports 1,000+ South Asian journalists and journalism students across the U.S. and Canada through membership tiers, scholarships, fellowships, awards, and career resources.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

South Asian Journalists Association industry classification

Industry

Product category: Professional Association Services
NAICS: Business Associations (813910), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Professional Organizations (813920), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
SIC: Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
akta.pro primary industry: Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

Professional journalism association
Membership organization
Journalism scholarships
Journalism awards
Career development

Where South Asian Journalists Association is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: New York
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

South Asian Journalists Association business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

Membership Fees: SAJA generates revenue through membership fees at three levels: Full Membership ($40/year), Student Membership ($25/year), and Life Memberships ($300 one-time). These fees contribute to operational costs and programming.
Donations and Contributions: SAJA Group Inc. operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit through fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund (PPF). The organization accepts tax-deductible donations through a dedicated donation portal, with funds supporting scholarships, fellowships, and general operations.
Event Sponsorships: SAJA organizes conferences and galas (such as the SAJA 2025 Fall Conference & Gala) with corporate and institutional sponsors supporting these events.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Annual	Full Membership - 1 Year
Subscription	Monthly	Full Membership - 1 Year with Auto Renewal
Subscription	Annual	Student Membership
Subscription	Annual	Associate Membership - 1 Year
Subscription	Multi-year contract	Full Life Membership
Subscription	Multi-year contract	Associate Life Membership

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

South Asian Journalists Association product offering

Product offering

Core offering

SAJA is a nonprofit professional membership association serving South Asian journalists and journalism students in North America. It offers paid membership tiers (Full, Student, Associate, Life), awards annual scholarships and journalism awards, runs an online job board, hosts conferences and galas, and provides reporting fellowships, internship awards, and grants to support members' careers.

Product overview

SAJA is a professional membership organization, not a technology product company. It operates a network supporting South Asian journalists through membership programs, scholarships, job board services, internship awards, reporting fellowships, grants, and events. The organization is powered by Wild Apricot membership software and does not offer a distinct technology product. Core offerings include membership tiers (Full, Student, Associate, Life), scholarships, journalism awards, and a job board for career opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

SAJA Membership Membership organization offering Full ($40/year), Student ($25/year), Associate, and Life Membership ($300 one-time) tiers for journalists and journalism students of South Asian origin in the U.S. and Canada, plus non-journalist supporters. Members gain access to networking, mentorship, the job board, awards, and events.
SAJA Scholarships

Companies that use South Asian Journalists Association

Customer profile

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

South Asian Journalists Association technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

South Asian Journalists Association partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

South Asian Journalists Association competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

Online News Association (ONA): ONA is a membership organization for digital journalists, offering training, an annual conference, and awards. It overlaps with SAJA's networking and event functions while serving the broader digital journalism community.
The NewsGuild-CWA: The NewsGuild is a labor union representing journalists and newsroom employees. While its primary mission is collective bargaining rather than professional development, it intersects with SAJA's career support and journalism community functions.
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ): SPJ is the most established U.S. journalism association with broad membership across all journalists. It offers training, awards, and advocacy — overlapping with SAJA's professional development and awards functions, but not identity-focused.
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): IRE is a nonprofit membership organization of investigative journalists offering training, conferences, and awards. It shares SAJA's fellowship and grant-adjacent support mechanisms but is not identity-specific.

Direct peers

Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA): IJA is a nonprofit professional association for Indigenous journalists offering membership, training, scholarships, and an annual conference. Its model and programming closely parallel SAJA's.
Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS): JAWS is a membership organization supporting women in journalism with an annual symposium and mentorship programs. Its structure and identity-based mission are directly comparable to SAJA.
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists: NLGJA is a professional journalism association offering membership, scholarships, an annual convention, and journalism awards for LGBTQ+ journalists. It mirrors SAJA's identity-based membership, programming, and event model.
National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ): NAHJ is a nonprofit membership organization for Hispanic journalists offering scholarships, training, an annual convention, and a job board. Its programming and identity-based mission closely parallel SAJA's structure and member services.
National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ): NABJ is the largest journalism association representing journalists of color in the U.S., operating scholarships, conventions, a job fair, and career programs. It shares SAJA's mission and operating model at greater scale.
Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA): AAJA is a professional membership association supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander journalists in the U.S. It mirrors SAJA's model of membership tiers, scholarships, journalism awards, annual conventions, and career development, making it the closest functional peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

South Asian Journalists Association financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

South Asian Journalists Association leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

South Asian Journalists Association funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

South Asian Journalists Association M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Asian Journalists Association

What does South Asian Journalists Association do?

Is South Asian Journalists Association a public or private company?

South Asian Journalists Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was South Asian Journalists Association founded?

South Asian Journalists Association was founded in 1994. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is South Asian Journalists Association based?

South Asian Journalists Association is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.

How does South Asian Journalists Association make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are donations and Contributions and event Sponsorships.

Who are South Asian Journalists Association's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are Online News Association (ONA), The NewsGuild-CWA, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE). Direct peers are Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA), Journalism and Women Symposium (JAWS), NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

Does South Asian Journalists Association have an API?

No public API is recorded for South Asian Journalists Association.

What industry is South Asian Journalists Association in?

South Asian Journalists Association's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies). Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.