Economic Hardship Reporting Project

What Economic Hardship Reporting Project does

The Economic Hardship Reporting Project (EHRP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit journalism organization founded in 2012 by Barbara Ehrenreich and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. EHRP operates as a grant-making and co-publishing platform that funds independent journalists reporting on poverty, economic inequality, workers' rights, and income disparity in the United States. The organization runs a structured grant program (news stories at $750-$1,500, features and investigative reports on per-word tiers up to $1,700, documentaries up to $5,000, photo essays at $500/day, and audio projects $800-$4,000), then co-publishes the resulting journalism with major outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, USA Today, NPR, Rolling Stone, ProPublica, WIRED, Mother Jones, Esquire, and The Nation.

EHRP's core products extend beyond the grant-and-co-publish model into a Reporting Fellows Program, the curated 'Working Sources' expert database connecting journalists with alternative subject-matter experts, and the 'Going for Broke' podcast co-produced with PRX's Wisconsin Public Radio. The underlying technology is a standard WordPress content management system; there are no proprietary platforms, APIs, or AI/ML components. All published journalism is freely accessible on the EHRP website without paywalls.

The organization is funded through a mix of foundation grants — most prominently a $1.65 million multi-year Ford Foundation BUILD grant received in July 2025 — plus support from Omidyar Network and the Sidney Hill Foundation, alongside individual donations processed via Donorbox and a planned-giving program. Operations run on a lean staff of 1-10 employees, and the current executive leadership is Alissa Quart (Executive Director) with Brent Schimke serving as Interim Executive Director & COO following founder Barbara Ehrenreich's death in September 2022. EHRP is a member of the Inn Network of nonprofit news organizations and has accumulated a significant award portfolio, including a 2026 Pulitzer Prize, Peabody, Emmy, Edward R. Murrow, MOLLY Prize, George Polk Award, and Overseas Press Club Award.

Name

Economic Hardship Reporting Project

Legal name

Economic Hardship Reporting Project

Website

https://economichardship.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Economic Hardship Reporting Project is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2012 that funds independent journalists reporting on poverty and inequality, then co-publishes their work with major outlets such as the New York Times, The Guardian, and NPR.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Investigative Journalism

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Journalism grant funding
• Nonprofit media organization
• Poverty inequality reporting
• Independent journalism support
• Co-publishing partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization accepts online donations through Donorbox, mail-in checks, and donor-advised funds. Donations support journalist resources and free access to journalism for the public.
2. Foundation Grants: EHRP receives grants from foundations including Ford Foundation ($1.65 million BUILD grant received in 2025), Omidyar Network, Sidney Hill Foundation, and others for general support of activities.
3. Journalist Grants: EHRP provides catalytic grant funding to independent journalists. Grant sizes vary by project type: news stories ($750-$1,500), narrative features ($0.40-$1.25/word, capped at $1,500), investigative reports ($0.70-$1.25/word, capped at $1,700), documentaries (up to $5,000), photo essays ($500/day, capped at five days), audio projects ($800-$4,000).
4. Planned Giving: Legacy giving program where supporters can include EHRP in their estate planning.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Economic Hardship Reporting Project is a nonprofit journalism organization that funds independent journalists reporting on economic inequality and poverty through catalytic grants ranging from $750 to $5,000 per project. EHRP provides editorial support and co-publishes the resulting journalism with major media outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, USA Today, NPR, and others. The organization also produces original multimedia content including the 'Going for Broke' podcast, documentaries, photo essays, and operates the Working Sources expert database for journalists.

Product overview

The Economic Hardship Reporting Project is a nonprofit journalism organization that operates as a grant-making and co-publishing platform. It supports independent journalists through its Grants Program (ranging $750-$5,000 for news stories, features, documentaries, photo essays, and audio projects), then co-publishes resulting work with major outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, Rolling Stone, and WIRED. The organization produces the 'Going for Broke' podcast with PRX/Wisconsin Public Radio, maintains the 'Working Sources' expert database for journalists, and runs a Reporting Fellows Program. All journalism content is provided free to readers on the EHRP website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journalism Grants Program Catalytic grant funding program for independent journalists reporting on economic inequality, poverty, workers' rights, and income disparity in the U.S. Grants range from $750 to $5,000+ per project depending on format: news stories ($750-$1,500), narrative features ($0.40-$1.25/word, capped at $1,500), investigative reports ($0.70-$1.25/word, capped at $1,700), documentaries (up to $5,000), photo essays ($500/day, capped at five days), audio projects ($800-$4,000).
• Co-Publishing Platform Partnership model where EHRP funds contributors' reportage and co-publishes resulting journalism with mainstream media outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, USA Today, The Nation, Rolling Stone, NPR, and WIRED. The platform enables stories on economic inequality to reach mainstream audiences that outlets rarely cover independently.
• Going for Broke Podcast Three-part podcast series co-produced with PRX's 'To The Best of Our Knowledge' at Wisconsin Public Radio, hosted by Ray Suarez. The podcast features Americans living on the economic edge and includes discussions with inequality thinkers including Barbara Ehrenreich.
• Working Sources Database Expert database connecting journalists with alternative experts who have lived experience or professional expertise in areas including Care, Disability, Drugs, Economics, History, Housing, Labor, and Military. Supported by Omidyar Network, Sidney Hill Foundation, Debt Collective, Better Life Lab (New America), and Changing the Narrative.
• Reporting Fellows Program Fellowship program for journalists covering economic hardship and inequality, providing editorial and financial support along with access to EHRP's network of media partners for co-publishing opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2026 Pulitzer Prize awarded to EHRP Grantee Brian Goldstone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Debt CollectiveminorOthersContributor to Working Sources database focusing on debt and economic justice expertise.
• Better Life Lab (New America)minorOthersContributor to Working Sources database focusing on work-life balance and labor issues.
• Changing the NarrativeminorOthersContributor to Working Sources database.
• Inn NetworkminorOthersEHRP is a member of the Inn Network, an association of nonprofit news organizations.
• DonorboxcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party donation platform used for online giving, fundraiser campaigns, and donor management.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• The Intercept: An investigative nonprofit news outlet publishing on inequality, labor, and systemic issues. While First Look Media-funded rather than foundation-funded, it operates in the same nonprofit investigative journalism space and often covers overlapping beats.

Direct peers

• ProPublica: The largest U.S. nonprofit investigative newsroom, ProPublica shares EHRP's model of foundation-funded investigative journalism and frequently co-publishes with EHRP-supported reporters. Both target systemic inequality stories with charitable funding.
• Type Investigations: A nonprofit investigative newsroom that commissions and supports long-form investigative journalism. Type shares EHRP's model of funding independent reporting and providing editorial support to journalists working on social justice issues.
• The Marshall Project: A nonprofit news organization focused on criminal justice, The Marshall Project operates a similar foundation-funded model and was co-founded by a former journalist. It demonstrates the same nonprofit investigative journalism archetype, though specializing in a different beat.
• The 19th News: A nonprofit news organization covering the intersection of gender, politics, and policy. While focused on a different demographic beat, it shares the same nonprofit journalism model with foundation funding and free access to readers.
• Reveal (Center for Investigative Reporting): A nonprofit investigative journalism organization producing investigative reporting across multiple platforms including podcast and documentary. Directly comparable in mission, funding model, and multi-format distribution approach.
• Center for Public Integrity: One of the largest U.S. nonprofit investigative news organizations, focusing on accountability journalism on inequality, money in politics, and labor. Shares the same grant-funded nonprofit operations model and editorial mission around economic justice.

Broad incumbents

• Mother Jones: A nonprofit investigative magazine covering politics, inequality, and social justice. Co-publishes with EHRP and shares the foundation-funded nonprofit investigative journalism model, though operating at a much larger scale.
• The Nation: A historic progressive magazine that co-publishes with EHRP and shares overlapping coverage of inequality, labor, and economic justice. Functions as both a peer and a key distribution partner for EHRP-supported stories.

Others

• Inn Network (Institute for Nonprofit News): An association of nonprofit news organizations of which EHRP is a member. Provides infrastructure, best practices, and shared services to member organizations like EHRP, representing the broader ecosystem of foundation-funded journalism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/econhardship
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/economic-hardship-reporting-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Economic Hardship Reporting Project