International Network of Street Papers

What International Network of Street Papers does

The International Network of Street Papers (INSP) is a Scottish nonprofit membership organization (Scottish Charity SC036369, Company Limited by Guarantee SC280250) founded in 1994 and headquartered in Glasgow. It supports a global network of approximately 92 street paper organizations operating across 35 countries and publishing in 25 languages, providing infrastructure for a movement that sells newspapers and magazines through vendors experiencing poverty and homelessness. INSP's core products and services include the Street Papers Network coordination function, the INSP News Service as an international news agency for member publications, the annual Global Street Paper Summit, the INSP Awards program recognizing journalism and campaigning excellence, and the Journalism Training Academy launched in May 2025 to develop professional journalism skills among vendors and member staff. Operationally, the organization runs a public website (insp.ngo) and a member hub (hub.insp.ngo) for network coordination.

INSP is governed by its member street papers and a board of directors, with revenue derived from membership fees and charitable donations, supplemented by event sponsorship from partners including Caritas Ambrosiana, BISS, and the Moondance Foundation. Its go-to-market motion is community-led: INSP supports street papers to start up, develop and scale through regional networks, events, and peer-to-peer learning, while acting as an international news agency for street papers and connecting members to build a global movement against poverty. Reported impact metrics include 3.2 million readers worldwide, 5,730 active vendors, 13.15 million papers sold in 2021 across 1,350 towns and cities, £17.9 million placed in vendor pockets in 2021, and £214.3 million cumulatively over ten years. The organization is led by Chief Executive Mike Findlay (appointed May 2022).

Name

International Network of Street Papers

Legal name

International Network of Street Papers

Website

https://insp.ngo

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

INSP is a Scottish nonprofit that supports a global network of 92 street papers across 35 countries, helping vendors experiencing poverty earn income through newspaper sales while coordinating news syndication, training, and an annual summit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and donations: As a nonprofit charitable organization (Scottish Charity SC036369), INSP generates revenue through membership fees from street paper organizations and charitable donations to support their mission of tackling poverty and homelessness globally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

INSP is a nonprofit membership organization that supports a global network of 92 street papers operating across 35 countries and 25 languages. It provides an international news agency for member street papers, connects street paper organizations through peer learning and events, and helps vendors earn a dignified income through street paper sales to tackle poverty and homelessness.

Product overview

INSP is a nonprofit membership organization that operates a global network of 90+ street papers across 35 countries. The organization provides three core offerings: (1) a network of street papers providing income opportunities for vendors experiencing poverty, (2) the INSP News Service as an international news agency for member publications, and (3) connection through events like the annual Global Street Paper Summit and INSP Awards. Additional services include the Journalism Training Academy for developing journalism skills among network members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Street Papers Network A global network of over 90 street papers operating in 35 countries, published in 25 languages, providing income opportunities for people experiencing poverty through newspaper and magazine sales. Members include independent nonprofit street paper organizations worldwide.
• INSP News Service An international news agency that provides news content and journalism support services to member street papers worldwide, aggregating reporting from across the street paper network.
• Global Street Paper Summit An annual international conference bringing together street paper staff from around the world to discuss shared challenges, celebrate successes, and shape the future of the movement. Past editions hosted in Milan (2022) and Liverpool (2024).
• INSP Awards Annual awards program recognizing excellence in journalism, campaigning, support, design and photography across the street paper network.
• Journalism Training Academy A training program designed to develop professional journalism skills among street paper vendors and staff, helping them create high-quality editorial content. First participants graduated in October 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £17.9 million in vendor income in 2021; £214.3 million over ten years
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Global Forum for Media DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2024INSP joined the Global Forum for Media Development in June 2024, connecting with a broader network of media development organizations.
• Translators Without BordersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2023Translation services provided for the Juha Kaakinen interview on Finland's homelessness approach, enabling publication in English.
• Scarp de' teniscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2022Local street paper and main sponsor of the 2022 Global Street Paper Summit held in Milan, Italy. Collaborated with INSP to host the annual gathering of street paper staff from around the world.
• Caritas AmbrosianacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2022Main sponsor of the 2022 Global Street Paper Summit in Milan. Contributed to hosting international delegates at the annual event.
• BISScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2022Main sponsor of the 2022 Global Street Paper Summit in Milan, supporting the annual gathering of street paper organizations.
• City Council of MilanminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2022Supported the 2022 Global Street Paper Summit held in Milan, contributing to local hosting arrangements.
• Moondance FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2022Sponsor of the 2022 Global Street Paper Summit, supporting the international street paper gathering.
• Food for Soul / Refettorio AmbrosianominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2022INSP partnered with Food for Soul's Refettorio Ambrosiano community kitchen in Milan for a Summit social event. The Refettorio provides meals to people experiencing hunger, homelessness and poverty using salvaged ingredients, embodying similar values to street papers.
• United Nations Refugee AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2022UN Refugee Agency participated in the 2022 Summit discussing ways street papers can support refugee populations. Over 100 million people were forcibly displaced globally in 2022.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Crisis UK: Crisis is a major UK national homelessness charity providing housing, education, and advocacy services. It operates at far broader scale than INSP in the homelessness space but does not run a street paper network.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Habitat for Humanity is a large global nonprofit addressing housing and homelessness. While focused on housing construction rather than street papers, it operates in the same end-market with similar global membership and donor models.
• Homeless World Cup Foundation: The Homeless World Cup Foundation uses football to combat social exclusion and homelessness globally. It is a comparable global nonprofit addressing homelessness through community-driven activity, with similar international partnership structures.

Direct peers

• The Big Issue Group: The Big Issue is the founding UK street paper (1991) and operates The Big Issue Group, which includes The Big Issue, Big Issue Invest, and The Big Issue Foundation. It is both a member of INSP and a functional peer in running a street paper with an associated investment and vendor-support arm.
• Megaphone Magazine: Megaphone is a Vancouver-based street paper published by Megaphone Editorial Society. As an INSP member with a homelessness-income-vendor mission, it is directly comparable in scale and model.
• Street Roots: Street Roots is a Portland-based nonprofit street newspaper offering income opportunities to vendors experiencing poverty and homelessness. It is an INSP member with the same vendor-driven print model.
• Hus Forbi: Hus Forbi is one of the largest and longest-running street papers globally, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is an INSP member and operates the same vendor-income journalism model at national scale.
• Real Change: Real Change is a Seattle-based street paper providing income and advocacy for people experiencing homelessness. It is an INSP member and operates a near-identical vendor-based model targeting a US metro.

Emerging players

• Food for Soul: Food for Soul runs community kitchens (Refettorios) that use salvaged ingredients to serve people experiencing hunger and homelessness. INSP has partnered with its Refettorio Ambrosiano; it is a peer in the dignity-first social services space with a comparable brand-led model.
• Global Alliance for Street Vendors: StreetNet International is an alliance of street vendor organizations advocating for informal-economy workers. While its members include street paper vendors, it operates more broadly across informal commerce and shares INSP's global, vendor-centric structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-network-of-street-papers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Network of Street Papers