JOURNALISM ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES

What JOURNALISM ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES does

The Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional organization founded in 1955 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 2006 (Federal Tax ID 94-6108903). It serves approximately 36 community college journalism programs across California, organized into NorCal and SoCal regions, providing membership-based access to conferences, student publication contests, awards, scholarships, a faculty listserv, and a member resource bank. Its core programs include the NorCal and SoCal fall regional conferences (each drawing ~200 attendees), a Mid-Winter Faculty Conference in Morro Bay (currently on hiatus), and an annual State Convention co-hosted with the Associated Collegiate Press since 2022.

JACC does not develop proprietary technology. Its technology stack relies on third-party platforms: BetterBNC (betternewspapercontest.com) for contest entry management, Wild Apricot historically for membership management, WordPress for its website (jacconline.org), and standard video conferencing for board meetings. The organization operates with an all-volunteer Board of Directors representing NorCal, SoCal, student, industry, and university constituencies; day-to-day administrative, financial, and operational services are outsourced to CNPA Services Inc. under a contractual arrangement established in 2015.

Revenue is generated through four streams: annual institutional membership dues (historically $500 per college), per-delegate conference and contest registration fees, donations, and modest scholarship contributions. The organization accepts tax-deductible donations and operates from Sacramento, California, with a new address effective April 2026.

Name

JOURNALISM ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Legal name

Journalism Association of Community Colleges

Website

https://jacconline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) is a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports ~36 community college journalism programs through annual conferences, student publication contests, awards, scholarships, and faculty professional development resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Journalism Education Professional Association

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAOAE

Debate Tournament & League Organizers

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Public Speaking & Debate Clubs

Keywords

• Journalism education association
• Community college journalism
• Student press organization
• Journalism conferences contests
• Professional development journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Dues: Community colleges pay annual dues to become JACC members. Upon payment, all student publications and journalism students/faculty at the college become members. The annual dues structure was mentioned as $500 per college historically.
2. Conference Registration Fees: Fees charged for regional conferences (NorCal and SoCal), State Convention, and Mid-Winter Faculty Conference. These events provide workshops, contests, networking, and professional development. Host college advisers/students receive discounted or free registration.
3. Publication and On-the-Spot Contest Entry Fees: Entry fees for mail-in publication contests and on-the-spot competitions associated with regional conferences and State Convention. Managed through BetterBNC platform.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted. JACC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with Federal Tax ID 94-6108903. Donations help serve students and faculty.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JACC is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association that provides membership services, regional and statewide conferences, journalism competitions, scholarships, and faculty professional development to California community college journalism programs. Its core offerings include the NorCal and SoCal regional conferences, an annual State Convention (co-hosted with ACP since 2022), Mid-Winter Faculty Conference, Publications Awards contests, On-the-Spot competitions, JACC Scholarships, a faculty listserv, and a member resource bank.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NorCal Conference A one-day regional conference held each fall at a northern California community college or CSU, providing students and faculty from member schools in northern California (colleges above Fresno and San Luis Obispo) with workshops, contests, and meetings.
• SoCal Conference A one-day regional conference held each fall at a southern California community college, providing students and faculty from member schools in southern California (colleges below Bakersfield and Santa Barbara) with workshops, contests, and meetings.
• Mid-Winter Faculty Conference A two-day conference scheduled each January or February at a hotel in the Morro Bay area, providing community college journalism faculty with workshops focusing on teaching journalism, including an annual media law update. Currently on hiatus.
• State Convention An annual convention (previously a three-day format held in late March or early April) that brings together students and faculty from member schools across California for speakers, workshops, contests, and meetings. Since 2022, co-hosted with the Associated Collegiate Press spring college media conference.
• Publications Awards Contests Three annual Publications Awards contests honoring work completed in student publications. Entry eligibility for regional conference competitions covers the previous school year and the state convention covers the previous calendar year.
• On-the-Spot Competitions Three On-the-Spot competitions per year presented in honor of outstanding work completed during conferences and conventions, including both work completed under deadline circumstances and bring-in work completed for competition weeks before the conference.
• JACC Scholarships

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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 and minor.

• Associated Collegiate Press (ACP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Since 2022, JACC State Convention has joined forces with the ACP spring college media conference. This partnership combines JACC's community college journalism focus with ACP's broader collegiate media conference, creating a larger event for students and faculty.
• CNPA Services Inc.coreOthers · 1 June 2015CNPA Services Inc. provides administrative and business services for JACC including logistics, financial management, membership billing, contest management, and office functions. Joe Wirt serves as administrator. This partnership allows the all-volunteer board to focus on governance and programming while staff handles operations. Services include mail handling, bank account management, accounts payable, budgeting, event coordination, and legal compliance support. JACC operates under CNPA Services' 501(c)(3) umbrella.
• California Newspaper Publishers Association (CNPA)minorOthersCNPA Services Inc. is a subsidiary/affiliate of California Newspaper Publishers Association. Joe Wirt represents CNPA Services. JACC historically had connections with CNPA for industry representation and advocacy.
• First Amendment CoalitionminorOthersGinny LaRoe serves as JACC Industry Representative from First Amendment Coalition, representing the nonprofit organization dedicated to transparency and First Amendment issues on the JACC board.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ): SPJ is the nation's most broad journalism professional organization; while not focused exclusively on community colleges, it influences ethics training, the Distinguished Teaching Award won by a JACC member in 2025, and First Amendment advocacy that overlaps with JACC's mission.
• Poynter Institute: Poynter is a leading journalism training and research institution offering workshops, seminars, and ethics resources. It overlaps with JACC's faculty professional development and media law training rather than directly competing for members.

Direct peers

• College Media Association (CMA): CMA is a peer professional association serving collegiate student media outlets and advisers, offering conferences, awards, and training that directly overlap with JACC's journalism education programs and member base.
• Journalism Education Association (JEA): JEA is a national scholastic journalism education association supporting both high school and college journalism programs with contests, conventions, and curriculum resources — closely comparable in mission to JACC but at a larger national scale.
• National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA): NSPA serves scholastic student media across high schools and colleges, running Pacemaker awards, conventions, and critique services that overlap directly with JACC's publications contests and on-the-spot competitions.
• Associated Collegiate Press (ACP): ACP is the most direct peer — a national membership association for collegiate student media, including community colleges. Since 2022, ACP has co-hosted JACC's State Convention, indicating closely aligned mission, audience, and event model.
• Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA): CSPA is one of the oldest student press associations in the U.S., offering Gold Medal critiques, conferences, and awards to scholastic and collegiate media — directly comparable to JACC's publications awards and educational programming.

Regional players

• California Journalism Education Coalition: This California-specific coalition co-administers Outstanding Instructor Awards with high school, community college, and university journalism programs — directly comparable in geography, audience, and education mission to JACC.
• Community College Humanities Association (CCHA): CCHA supports humanities disciplines across California community colleges. While not journalism-specific, it serves the same institutional segment (California community college faculty and departments) with conferences, resources, and advocacy comparable in form to JACC's offerings.

Others

• First Amendment Coalition: The First Amendment Coalition is a nonprofit advocacy organization whose representative serves on JACC's board. It is thematically aligned with JACC's free student press mission and First Amendment Awards but does not directly compete for the same members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jaccnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/journalism-association-of-community-colleges

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about JOURNALISM ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES