Religion News Foundation

What Religion News Foundation does

Religion News Foundation (RNF) is an independent, secular 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization (EIN 31-1650883) that works to advance religious literacy in America and globally. Legally domiciled in Virginia and headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, RNF is staffed by a small team of five employees and built around three core operating units: Religion News Service (RNS), a newswire reaching approximately 1 million readers per month; Religion News Association (RNA), a professional association for religion journalists; and a resources portfolio that includes the Religion Stylebook, ReligionLink reporting resource guides, podcasts, print publications, and training programs.

The foundation's technology infrastructure is conventional web publishing: a website at religionnewsfoundation.org, email newsletters, podcasts, and online resource distribution. Its core proprietary asset is the Religion Stylebook, a domain-specific reference that standardizes terminology for reporting on religion. Distribution is digital-first and free to users, relying on RNS syndication to reach a broad audience across vertical media outlets. The organization also maintains affiliate and ministry partner channels to extend content reach.

RNF's revenue model is donations and charitable contributions only; it does not sell products or services commercially. Customer segments are horizontal, spanning journalists and media professionals (primary), academics and educators, nonprofits and government agencies, and the general public. The organization operates with no disclosed parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, and no documented mergers, acquisitions, or leadership changes in the source data.

Name

Religion News Foundation

Legal name

Religion News Foundation

Website

https://religionnewsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Religion News Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advances religious literacy through journalism, operating Religion News Service (1 million monthly readers), Religion News Association, and resources like the Religion Stylebook and ReligionLink for journalists and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Religious Journalism and Literacy Education

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Media, Publishing & Broadcasting (Radio, TV, Digital, Press) (BPAGAJAI)

Keywords

• Religious literacy
• Religion journalism
• News media training
• Nonprofit journalism
• Interfaith education

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, RNF operates primarily through donations from individuals, foundations, and supporters who share their mission of advancing religious literacy through journalism.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Religion News Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that advances religious literacy through journalism, storytelling, and training. It operates Religion News Service (a religion news wire reaching about 1 million readers per month), Religion News Association (a professional association for religion journalists), and produces supporting resources including the Religion Stylebook, ReligionLink resource guides, podcasts, print publications, and training/consulting for journalists, nonprofits, governments, and academics.

Product overview

Religion News Foundation is an independent, educational, secular charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advances religious literacy through journalism, storytelling, and strategic partnerships. The foundation operates as a resource and training organization rather than a technology product company. Its portfolio includes the Religion Stylebook (defining religion terms for journalists), ReligionLink (reporting resource guides), Religion News Service (reaching 1 million readers monthly), Religion News Association (professional journalism network), along with publications, podcasts, and training programs. Together these offerings provide journalists and the public with tools to report on and understand religion with balance, accuracy, and insight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Religion News Service (RNS): A religious news reporting service reaching 1 million readers per month
• Religion News Association (RNA)
• Religion Stylebook
• ReligionLink
• Religion News Foundation podcasts

Products and services

• Religion News Service Religion news wire operated by Religion News Foundation, providing daily news coverage of religion in America and globally and reaching approximately 1 million readers per month.
• Religion News Association
• Religion Stylebook
• ReligionLink
• Publications
• Podcasts
• Training Programs

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Religion News ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReligion News Service (RNS) is operated by Religion News Foundation as its core news operation, providing daily coverage of religion in America and globally. RNF advances religious literacy primarily through RNS journalism and storytelling, reaching 1 million readers monthly.
• Religion News AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReligion News Association (RNA) supports professional religion journalism under the RNF umbrella, providing training, resources, and professional development for journalists covering religious topics.
• Ministry PartnersminorOthersRNF may share personal information with ministry partners (in the US or abroad) for ministry services. These partners are subject to applicable laws in their respective countries when handling personal data.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Interfaith America: Interfaith America (formerly Interfaith Youth Core) advances religious literacy and interfaith cooperation through training and convenings. It overlaps with RNF on the training-and-resources side of the religious-literacy mission.
• The Conversation US: The Conversation US publishes academic-authored journalism across topics including religion, distributed via partner newsrooms. It overlaps with RNF in providing journalists with accessible, expert-led religion-related content.

Direct peers

• Religion Dispatches: Religion Dispatches is an online magazine covering religion in politics, pop culture, and public life with an editorial/journalism posture very close to RNS. It serves the same niche readership and competes for the same religion-news attention.
• Christianity Today: Christianity Today is a major evangelical Christian news and publishing outlet that serves a similar faith-based journalism mission to RNF's Religion News Service, with comparable distribution across news, magazines, podcasts, and editorial commentary.
• Baptist News Global: Baptist News Global is a denomination-adjacent news wire publishing religion journalism across news, commentary, and feature formats. Like RNS, it functions as a wire-style outlet that other outlets pick up.
• The Forward: The Forward is a nonprofit Jewish news organization producing religion and culture journalism with a similar news-plus-resources-and-events model. It competes for the same religion-news audience and donor pool.
• Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI): PRRI is a nonprofit research organization producing polling and analysis on religion and public life. It shares RNF's religious-literacy mission and similarly serves journalists, academics, and policymakers as primary customers.
• National Catholic Reporter: National Catholic Reporter is an independent Catholic news organization producing religion journalism and commentary. Like RNF, it is mission-driven (nonprofit), covers religion in public life, and competes for the same reader and donor base interested in religion reporting.
• Sojourners: Sojourners is a faith-based nonprofit media organization producing news, magazine content, and advocacy around religion and social justice. It mirrors RNF's combination of journalism, training resources, and a faith-aligned donor community.

Broad incumbents

• Pew Research Center - Religion & Public Life: Pew's Religion & Public Life program produces authoritative research on religion in society, frequently cited by religion journalists. It competes with RNF for shaping the public religion-literacy narrative, though as a research rather than journalism operation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/religionnewsfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Religion News Foundation