The Frontier

What The Frontier does

The Frontier is an Oklahoma-based nonprofit investigative newsroom founded in 2015 and operating under a 501(c)(3) structure with roughly 16 staff members. The organization produces free, ad-free investigative journalism covering criminal justice, health, community and culture, business, environment, education, and government across Oklahoma, with stories distributed without paywalls and made available for republication under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 license. Its core products include investigative news stories, long-form special projects (such as "Purged: Oklahoma's Toxic Wastewater," "Fields of Green," and the "Shot by Shot" police shootings tracking database), the "Listen Frontier" podcast series, and email newsletters. The technology stack is a standard WordPress-based content management system with RSS syndication; no proprietary technology or AI features are noted.

The Frontier's business model is donor-funded: it explicitly does not run advertising and solicits tax-deductible donations from individuals who support its mission, with a donor dashboard and recurring monthly giving as the primary revenue mechanism. Reader-facing access is completely free. Distribution occurs through direct website access at readfrontier.org, email newsletters, podcasts, Twitter/X, a Bonfire merchandise store, and content syndication to other outlets. Ancillary revenue streams include merchandise and community events such as "Overpressured." The organization has built strategic co-reporting partnerships with ProPublica, KOSU (Oklahoma public radio), StateImpact Oklahoma, and Curbside Chronicle, allowing it to punch above its weight on national investigations. Leadership consists of Executive Editor Dylan Goforth (since 2017), Managing Editor Brianna Bailey (since 2021), and Senior Staff Writer Clifton Adcock, covering criminal justice, politics, and environmental issues across Oklahoma.

Name

The Frontier

Legal name

The Frontier

Website

https://readfrontier.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Frontier is a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based nonprofit investigative newsroom founded in 2015 that produces free, ad-free journalism on criminal justice, government, health, and the environment for Oklahoma readers, funded entirely by tax-deductible donations and supported by partnerships with ProPublica and Oklahoma public radio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions: The Frontier is funded by tax-deductible donations from individuals who support quality journalism. The organization explicitly states it does not run advertising and relies on donors who believe in its mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Frontier is an Oklahoma-based nonprofit news organization that produces and distributes investigative journalism covering criminal justice, health, environment, government, education, business, and community topics. Its core output is freely accessible reporting (no paywall or advertising) supplemented by special long-form investigative projects, podcasts, and email newsletters, all funded through tax-deductible reader donations.

Product overview

The Frontier is a nonprofit news organization producing investigative journalism for Oklahoma. The organization operates a unified news platform offering investigative news stories across multiple beats (criminal justice, health, environment, government), supported by special investigative projects, podcasts, email newsletters, and RSS feeds. The portfolio centers on fearless, in-depth reporting with no advertising revenue—the organization is funded entirely through tax-deductible donations from supporters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Listen Frontier: Podcast series featuring Oklahoma journalism and stories.

Products and services

• Investigative News Stories In-depth investigative journalism articles covering criminal justice, health, community and culture, business, environment, education, and government topics in Oklahoma. Freely accessible to all readers without a paywall, targeted at Oklahoma residents seeking accountability reporting on state and local issues.
• Special Projects Long-form investigative series and data-driven reporting projects, including Purged (Oklahoma's Toxic Wastewater), Fields of Green (medical marijuana black market investigation with ProPublica), and Shot by Shot (police shootings tracking database). Aimed at Oklahoma residents and other media outlets seeking deep accountability reporting on Oklahoma institutions.
• Listen Frontier Podcast Audio journalism content including Listen Frontier episodes covering local issues such as data center moratoria and community impacts. Targeted at Oklahoma residents and news consumers who prefer podcast/audio formats for consuming local investigative reporting.
• Email Newsletter Email newsletter delivering Oklahoma investigative journalism directly to subscribers' inboxes. Freely available with no subscription fee; used as a core channel for engaging readers and cultivating donor relationships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple investigations published including data center secrecy deals, Black Lives Matter OKC fraud investigation, and Oklahoma prison/detention conditions

Segments2 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 core and minor.

• ProPublicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProPublica collaboration on investigative projects including 'Fields of Green' investigation into Oklahoma's medical marijuana black market and 'To protect its drinking water' investigation into oil regulators. Staff reporter Nick Bowlin co-authored stories with ProPublica's Al Shaw.
• KOSUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKOSU (Oklahoma public radio) co-reported stories with Frontier journalists including the bail hearings investigation with reporter Sierra Pfeifer.
• StateImpact OklahomaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStateImpact Oklahoma collaborated with Frontier reporter Ari Fife on investigation into anti-abortion group rewriting Oklahoma state law.
• Curbside ChronicleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurbside Chronicle contributed photography (Nathan Poppe) for coverage of 2020 Oklahoma City protests.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Marshall Project: National nonprofit newsroom covering criminal-justice issues with donor-supported revenue. Highly comparable to The Frontier's deep criminal-justice coverage and donation-driven editorial independence.
• VTDigger: Vermont-focused nonprofit investigative newsroom funded by donations and memberships. Comparable as a small-team, state-scoped, donor-funded investigative outlet.
• Mississippi Today: State-level nonprofit newsroom covering Mississippi government, policy, and justice. Closely analogous donor-supported model and state-accountability focus, with similar audience scale to The Frontier.
• Honolulu Civil Beat: Hawaii-focused nonprofit investigative newsroom with a donor/membership-funded model. Comparable state-scoped nonprofit news structure with accountability-government coverage focus.
• KOSU: Oklahoma public radio station that co-reports investigations with The Frontier. Directly comparable Oklahoma-specific coverage footprint and active editorial partnership on bail-hearings and justice stories.
• CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit news organization covering state policy and accountability. Comparable donor-funded investigative model and state-scoped mission, though serving a much larger population.
• ProPublica: National nonprofit investigative newsroom funded by donations; directly comparable donor model and editorial structure. The Frontier's existing co-reporting partnership with ProPublica underscores operational and methodological alignment.
• Block Club Chicago: Chicago-focused nonprofit local newsroom funded by reader donations. Comparable small-team donor model and hyperlocal accountability journalism, though operating in a denser urban market.
• The Texas Tribune: State-focused nonprofit news organization funded primarily by donations and events. Highly comparable as a donor-supported state-level investigative outlet, though operating at substantially larger scale.
• Oklahoma Watch: Oklahoma-focused nonprofit investigative newsroom covering state government, justice, and health. Directly comparable in geography, mission, and donor-funded business model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/readfrontier
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/readfrontier

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 The Frontier