The Paper.
The Paper is a nonprofit digital local news organization founded in 2020 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, covering Albuquerque and Rio Rancho with a 23-person editorial team via the Newspack platform and the States Newsroom network. It is reader-funded through donations and syndicated with Source New Mexico, NM Political Report, and KUNM News.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersAlbuquerque, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Paper. does
The Paper is a nonprofit, digital local news organization founded in 2020 and headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, covering Albuquerque and the adjacent suburban market of Rio Rancho. It is operated within the States Newsroom network of state-focused nonprofit outlets, with editorial and operational infrastructure shared through that network, and parent entities Ctrl+P Publishing Inc. and Good Trouble LLLP. The publication employs approximately 23 staff and produces original local reporting on politics, government, arts, and culture, syndicated through partnerships with Source New Mexico, NM Political Report, and KUNM News under the broader nm.news network umbrella.
The Paper's underlying technology is the Newspack publishing platform, a WordPress-based CMS from Automattic purpose-built for small newsrooms that bundles hosting, newsletter delivery, and reader-revenue tooling into a single stack. This reduces the engineering footprint required to operate a modern digital newsroom and is a common choice among States Newsroom affiliates. Distribution is multi-channel: the main site, a dedicated Rio Rancho edition at riorancho.news, and social/newsletters, with cross-publication syndication handling much of the audience-acquisition cost.
The business model is reader-funded and nonprofit, with no paywall framing typical of commercial outlets; suggested donations of $5 and $20 anchor the donor funnel. There are no disclosed subscriptions, advertising contracts, or enterprise customers, and no venture funding rounds are reported. In July 2026, the organization extended its operational footprint by stepping in to help save the Roswell Daily Record, marking the first expansion outside its Albuquerque-Rio Rancho core and a potential template for absorbing distressed community papers elsewhere in New Mexico.
The Paper. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Paper.
- Legal name
- The Paper.
- Website
- https://abq.news
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Paper is a nonprofit digital local news organization founded in 2020 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, covering Albuquerque and Rio Rancho with a 23-person editorial team via the Newspack platform and the States Newsroom network. It is reader-funded through donations and syndicated with Source New Mexico, NM Political Report, and KUNM News.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Paper. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Local Digital News Publishing
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)
Keywords
Where The Paper. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Albuquerque
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Paper. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Reader Donations and Subscriptions: The Paper. operates as a nonprofit local news organization supported by reader donations. The site displays donation options of $5 and $20 amounts, indicating a reader-supported funding model. Part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
The Paper. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Paper. is a nonprofit local online news publication that produces and aggregates journalism for Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, New Mexico. It reports on city government, state and local politics, elections, arts and culture, and community events, distributing that content through its website abq.news, email newsletters, and partner newsrooms. Revenue is generated primarily through reader donations and grants administered via the States Newsroom nonprofit network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Paper. (abq.news) Online local news publication serving Albuquerque, New Mexico, covering city government, state politics, arts and culture, community events, and elections for area readers.
- Newsletter Subscription Free email newsletter offering readers news stories first, with subscription signup prompts integrated throughout the site.
- Reader Donation Support Donation-driven reader support program with suggested contribution amounts of $5 and $20, administered via the nm.news nonprofit network to fund local journalism.
Companies that use The Paper.
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Paper. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Paper. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- States NewsroomcoreThe Paper. is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. States Newsroom provides operational support and editorial independence for local newsrooms.
- Source New MexicocoreSource New Mexico (sourcenm.com) is a nonprofit news organization whose content is republished on The Paper. Articles are credited to Source New Mexico authors with editorial independence maintained.
- New Mexico Political ReportcoreNM Political Report (nmpoliticalreport.com) is a nonprofit news service covering politics and policy in New Mexico. Content is republished on The Paper. site.
- KUNM NewscoreKUNM News is a community-powered public radio station and NPR affiliate based at the University of New Mexico. Content is republished on The Paper. with permission as part of commitment to independent news.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Paper. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CalMatters: Nonprofit state-focused digital newsroom funded by donations and philanthropic grants covering California policy and politics; comparable in mission, donation/grant funding model, and digital-only distribution approach.
- The Connecticut Mirror: Nonprofit statewide digital news organization covering Connecticut policy, politics, and civics; closely comparable as a similarly-sized, donor-supported nonprofit newsroom with digital-only distribution.
- VTDigger: Pioneering statewide nonprofit digital newsroom supported by donations and grants; highly comparable business model and reader-funded value proposition, making it a strong template peer for nonprofit local news at The Paper.'s scale.
- The Nevada Independent: Nonprofit, donation-supported digital news organization covering state politics and policy; comparable scale, governance, and funding mix to The Paper. as a single-state nonprofit outlet.
- KUNM News: University of New Mexico-based public radio and NPR affiliate that syndicates content to The Paper.; comparable as a community-supported, nonprofit local newsroom serving the same Albuquerque audience.
- Block Club Chicago: Nonprofit, reader-funded hyperlocal digital news outlet covering Chicago neighborhoods; comparable in donation-driven revenue model, newsletter-led audience strategy, and local-journalism positioning.
- New Mexico Political Report: Nonprofit news service covering NM politics and policy whose content is republished on The Paper.; same States Newsroom network and donation-funded model, with thematic overlap on state and local political coverage.
- Source New Mexico: Statewide nonprofit news organization and direct content partner; The Paper. republishes Source New Mexico content, making it the closest operational and funding-model peer in New Mexico.
Others
- States Newsroom: Nonprofit network providing operational, editorial, and donor coalition support to member state-level newsrooms including The Paper.; the parent ecosystem that enables The Paper.'s current operating model and future geographic expansion.
Broad incumbents
- Albuquerque Journal: Dominant paid local daily newspaper in Albuquerque; The Paper.'s editor previously worked there, and it represents the established incumbent The Paper. positions against in the same ABQ market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Paper. social profiles
Digital presenceThe Paper. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Paper. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The Paper. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Paper. 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 Paper.
What does The Paper. do?
The Paper. is a nonprofit local online news publication that produces and aggregates journalism for Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, New Mexico. It reports on city government, state and local politics, elections, arts and culture, and community events, distributing that content through its website abq.news, email newsletters, and partner newsrooms. Revenue is generated primarily through reader donations and grants administered via the States Newsroom nonprofit network.
Is The Paper. a public or private company?
The Paper. is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Paper. founded?
The Paper. was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Paper. based?
The Paper. is headquartered in Albuquerque, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Paper. make money?
One revenue line is on record: reader Donations and Subscriptions.
Who are The Paper.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CalMatters, The Connecticut Mirror, VTDigger, The Nevada Independent, KUNM News, Block Club Chicago, New Mexico Political Report and Source New Mexico. States Newsroom is listed as an others. Albuquerque Journal is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Paper. have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Paper..
What industry is The Paper. in?
The Paper.'s product category is Local Digital News Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAB, Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital), with a secondary code of MPAJADAF, Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.