What Borderless Magazine does

Borderless Magazine NFP is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization founded in 2016-2017 in the aftermath of the U.S. Muslim Travel Ban to provide bilingual (English/Spanish) journalism serving immigrant communities. It operates as a digital-first publication covering immigration policy, enforcement and courts, labor, environment and health, and arts and culture across Chicago and the Midwest, while distributing bilingual content to an audience of approximately 240,000 people per month through its website, biweekly newsletter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and field canvassing. The publication is differentiated by its as-told-to methodology, mandatory two-language coverage of every story (Spanish speakers are approximately 40% of the audience), and a beat focused on immigration enforcement that requires reporters to carry gas masks in the field.

Its product surface extends beyond news to include the award-winning Pathways program (training the next generation of immigrant community journalists), the Immigration Reporting Lab (which trains other newsrooms), and impact reports documenting audience outcomes; the organization does not maintain a proprietary technology platform, running instead on WordPress with Bonfire-powered merchandise sales. Revenue is generated through individual donations, institutional grants (LION Publishers, Report for America, NewsMatch matching, Local Media Association), merchandise, and occasional fundraising events such as A Night of Stories; all journalistic content is free to readers with no paywall, and the organization maintains a 16-person staff under recent executive leadership Nancy Villafranca-Guzmán. Borderless is an independent nonprofit with no parent company or venture-backed ownership.

Name

Borderless Magazine

Legal name

Borderless Magazine NFP

Website

https://borderlessmag.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Borderless Magazine NFP is a Chicago-based bilingual (English/Spanish) nonprofit news outlet founded in 2016-2017 that covers immigration, enforcement, and immigrant communities across Chicago and nationally, reaching ~240,000 monthly readers through free digital content, newsletters, social media, and field canvassing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Digital Journalism

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigration Law Literacy & Rights Education (EDAAADAB), Digital Access & Online Government Services for Immigrants (EDAAADAF)

Keywords

• Nonprofit journalism
• Immigration reporting
• Bilingual news
• Community journalism
• Investigative reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individual supporters, marketed as 'supporting high-quality reporting.' Donations are the primary funding mechanism.
2. Institutional Grants: Grants from journalism support organizations including LION Publishers ($100,000 two-year grant), Report for America (corps member funding), and other foundations.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise through Bonfire storefront (borderless-magazine-store on bonfire.com).
4. Events and Fundraisers: Special fundraising events such as 'A Night of Stories' fundraiser held at venues like Vault Gallerie in Pilsen.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Borderless Magazine is a bilingual (English/Spanish) nonprofit digital news publication covering immigration, immigrant communities, enforcement, policy, labor, environment, health, and arts and culture in Chicago and the Midwest. All content is provided free to readers through the website, email newsletters, and social media channels, with the organization funded through individual donations, institutional grants, merchandise sales, and fundraising events. The organization also operates the Pathways program (training next-generation immigrant community journalists) and the Immigration Reporting Lab (training peer newsrooms on immigration reporting).

Product overview

Borderless Magazine is a single, unified bilingual nonprofit digital news publication covering immigration and immigrant communities in Chicago and the Midwest. The publication delivers content through its core website and newsletter platform, supported by an RSS feed for syndication. The organization extends its reach through two key programs: the Pathways Program (journalist training for immigrant communities) and the Immigration Reporting Lab (training for other news outlets). Impact Reports document the organization's journalism outcomes. Content is published in both English and Spanish, with approximately 40% of the audience being Spanish speakers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Borderless Magazine Bilingual (English/Spanish) nonprofit digital news publication covering immigration, immigrant communities, enforcement, policy, labor, environment, health, and arts and culture in Chicago and the Midwest. Free public access to all content with bilingual publishing for immigrant audiences.
• Pathways Program Award-winning journalism training program that develops the next generation of immigrant community journalists, providing mentorship, skills training, and professional development for aspiring journalists from immigrant backgrounds.
• Immigration Reporting Lab Training service that teaches other news outlets how to better report on and with immigrant communities, sharing methodologies, best practices, and culturally competent reporting techniques with peer news organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 240,000 monthly reach with growing national audience
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

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 minor and core.

• Brave of Us CampaignminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Brave of Us campaign provided support for the story about Dr. Thaer Ahmad's experiences in Gaza, demonstrating marketing/story support partnerships.
• South Side WeeklycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Side Weekly co-published the Cook County data broker investigation with Borderless Magazine. Alma Campos's story was originally published by South Side Weekly and cross-posted to Borderless, representing collaborative journalism partnerships.
• Northwestern University Medill School of JournalismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBorderless Magazine and Northwestern's Medill School collaborated on 'Sanctuary Stories,' a theatrical journalism project bringing immigrant stories to the stage for two weekends in Chicago. Represents educational partnership combining journalism with performing arts.
• Catchlight LocalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotography partnership providing visual journalism support. Many Borderless Magazine photographs credit Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for America.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Type Investigations: National nonprofit investigative journalism collaborative. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit investigative outlet producing long-form work on immigration, criminal justice, and accountability — overlapping with Borderless' investigative focus.
• South Side Weekly: Chicago-based nonprofit news outlet covering underserved Chicago neighborhoods. Directly comparable as a fellow local nonprofit publication; notably also a Borderless co-publishing partner, making them an active operational peer.
• Injustice Watch: Chicago-based nonprofit investigative newsroom covering criminal justice and systemic inequity. Comparable as a Chicago nonprofit investigative outlet with similar scale, donor model, and beat-driven investigative focus.
• Block Club Chicago: Chicago-based nonprofit digital news outlet covering neighborhood-level news. Directly comparable in scale and operating model (donor-supported, free content, digital-first nonprofit newsroom serving Chicago).
• The TRiiBE: Chicago-based digital media platform covering Black life and immigrant/migrant stories. Closely comparable in mission (community-centered storytelling, immigrant-adjacent coverage) and Chicago footprint.
• City Bureau: Chicago-based nonprofit civic journalism newsroom. Directly comparable as a fellow Chicago nonprofit news outlet focused on community-centered reporting, civic accountability, and journalist training programs (similar to Pathways).
• Documented: New York-based nonprofit news outlet covering immigrants. Directly comparable as a bilingual, donor-supported nonprofit newsroom exclusively focused on immigration — the closest direct vertical peer to Borderless.

Broad incumbents

• The Marshall Project: National nonprofit investigative newsroom covering criminal justice and immigration enforcement. Comparable as a larger, more established nonprofit investigative outlet with overlapping coverage of immigration enforcement (ICE, detention).
• CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit news outlet covering state policy. Comparable as a regional, donor-supported nonprofit newsroom scaling impact through partnerships, training, and beat-focused investigative work.
• The 19th News: National nonprofit newsroom covering gender, politics, and policy. Comparable in operating model (nonprofit, donor-supported, free access) and underrepresented-community focus, though at meaningfully larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCo8OCTsOAy9iqKtQ9wS-fw
• Facebookfacebook.com/BorderlessMagazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/borderless_mag
• TikToktiktok.com/@borderless_mag?
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/borderlessmag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Borderless Magazine