The Paper.

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.

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

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

• Local news coverage
• Nonprofit journalism
• Community news publishing
• Digital news media
• City government reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

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

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• States NewsroomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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 MexicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSource 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 ReportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNM Political Report (nmpoliticalreport.com) is a nonprofit news service covering politics and policy in New Mexico. Content is republished on The Paper. site.
• KUNM NewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKUNM 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

Direct 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

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thepaperabq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The Paper.