What Signal Ohio does

Signal Ohio is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a statewide network of locally led newsrooms in Ohio. Founded in 2022 as the Ohio Local News Initiative and rebranded to Signal Ohio in 2025, the organization operates newsrooms in Cleveland (18 staff), Akron (9 staff), and Columbus (3-person Statehouse bureau launched October 2024), with a Cincinnati newsroom in development launched alongside the Cincinnati Documenters program in July 2024. It produces free accountability, community, and service journalism across topics including business, education, elections, energy and environment, health, government, and public safety, and runs the State Signals newsletter reaching more than 40,000 Ohio subscribers, the Documenters civic-engagement program, and evergreen guides and explainers. The core technology stack is WordPress with Newspack for content management; no proprietary platform or technology products are disclosed.

Signal Ohio is funded by foundation grants and reader donations rather than a paywall. Cumulative funding raised exceeds $15 million from a coalition anchored by the American Journalism Project and including MacArthur Foundation ($250K in 2025), JPMorganChase (2024 cohort with AJP), and Knight Foundation via the Knight Election Hub. Revenue streams include donor support, foundation grants, and a modest advertising/sponsorship program. Content is free to access and explicitly available for republishing by other outlets, which functions as a distribution channel extending reach. The organization is governed by a board representative of Ohio's diverse communities, chaired by Doug Ulman (Pelotonia) with Vice Chair Henry J. Gomez (NBC News); operating leadership includes Interim CEO Collette Laisure, Chief Audience Officer Michelle Everhart Sullivan, Northeast Ohio General Manager Michael DeAloia, and Statehouse Bureau Chief Scott Cameron.

Signal Ohio positions itself as one of the largest local nonprofit news startups in the country, addressing the collapse of commercial local journalism in Ohio by combining traditional accountability reporting with a community-engagement model (Documenters) and a statewide newsletter. Its award wins include a 2025 WAN-IFRA Digital Media Award for Best Data Visualization (with The Marshall Project), 2024 Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards, and a 2025 CatchLight Local Fellowship placement. Primary customer segments are Ohio general-public readers, civic-minded Ohioans engaged through Documenters, and policy-interested Ohioans seeking state-government coverage; pricing is freemium with no paywall.

Name

Signal Ohio

Legal name

Signal Ohio

Website

https://signalohio.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Signal Ohio is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit network of locally led newsrooms in Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, and Cincinnati producing free accountability and state-government journalism, funded by foundation grants and reader donations for Ohio residents underserved by commercial media.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Nonprofit Journalism

akta.pro primary industry

Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public/Community Local Stations (PBS Member Stations, Community Radio, LPFM) (MPABACAG)

Keywords

• Nonprofit local news
• Community journalism
• Statehouse reporting
• Newsletter publishing
• Civic engagement programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donor Support: Reader donations through the website and direct support campaigns. The organization emphasizes that reader support has made its reporting possible and solicits contributions with messaging like 'Every dollar builds momentum—and fuels the kind of reporting Ohio needs now.'
2. Foundation Grants: Funding from major philanthropy including the American Journalism Project coalition, MacArthur Foundation ($250,000 grant), and other institutional funders. The organization has raised more than $15 million so far from coalition supporters.
3. Advertising/Sponsorships: The organization has a page for 'Advertise with Signal Ohio' suggesting some commercial revenue from advertisers seeking access to Ohio-focused audience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Signal Ohio is a nonprofit statewide network of locally-led newsrooms that produces and distributes free local and state government journalism for Ohio residents. Its core offerings include the State Signals weekly newsletter (40,000+ subscribers), multiple local newsrooms (Signal Cleveland, Signal Akron, Signal Cincinnati, Signal Statewide), the Documenters civic engagement program, and evergreen Ohio guides and explainers.

Product overview

Signal Ohio is a nonprofit statewide network of independent, community-led newsrooms providing high-quality accountability journalism. The organization operates multiple local newsrooms (Signal Cleveland with 18 staff, Signal Akron with 9 staff, and Signal Statewide with 3 staff, with Signal Cincinnati launching), alongside the free weekly State Signals Newsletter reaching over 40,000 subscribers. The network also includes the Documenters community engagement program and publishes guides and explainers. The newsrooms produce coverage across topics including politics, business, education, health, energy, and public safety, with all content free to access and available for republishing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State Signals Newsletter A free weekly email newsletter delivering Ohio politics and policy news and insights, connecting state actions to daily life for more than 40,000 Ohio subscribers.
• Signal Cleveland An 18-person nonprofit newsroom producing accountability, community, and service reporting across multiple formats for Greater Cleveland; home to the Cleveland Documenters program.
• Signal Akron A nine-person nonprofit newsroom producing accountability, community, and service reporting for the Akron area; home to the Akron Documenters program.
• Signal Cincinnati A local nonprofit newsroom in development as part of the Signal Ohio statewide network, focused on Cincinnati-area accountability, community, and service reporting; home to Cincinnati Documenters.
• Signal Statewide News Bureau A three-person Statehouse news bureau in Columbus producing state government reporting across multiple formats, covering how Ohio statehouse decisions affect residents statewide.
• Documenters Program A civic engagement program that equips Ohio residents to attend and document local government meetings, creating pathways for civic participation and feeding community-sourced reporting into Signal Ohio's newsrooms.
• Signal Ohio Guides and Explainers Evergreen guides and timely explainers that help Ohioans navigate complicated topics and systems that affect their lives, from voting laws to healthcare.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 40,000 Ohioans subscribe to the free State Signals newsletter
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered notable and core.

• CatchLight / Report for AmericanotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership for photojournalism fellowship. Michael Indriolo from Signal Cleveland selected as one of 14 photojournalists for CatchLight Local Fellowship made possible by partnership with Report for America.
• Knight Election HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Signal Akron and Signal Cleveland newsrooms were part of 31 local and community-based media across the country selected to participate in community engagement grants alongside the Knight Election Hub.
• American Press InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Signal awarded two community engagement grants from American Press Institute alongside the Knight Election Hub for election coverage and community engagement initiatives.
• Open CampusnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Signal Ohio partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage, combining local reporting with national education journalism expertise.
• The Marshall ProjectnotableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Ohio Local News Initiative and The Marshall Project joined forces to fund community reporting collaboration. Rachel Dissell joined to contribute to reporting and community engagement efforts of both newsrooms. Won WAN-IFRA Digital Media Award together for Cleveland Judge Guide.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MLK50: Justice Through Journalism: Memphis-based nonprofit digital newsroom focused on economic and social justice accountability reporting; comparable in community-engagement mission and donor-funded nonprofit model.
• VTDigger: Vermont statewide nonprofit digital news outlet producing accountability reporting funded primarily by donations and foundations; comparable single-state digital nonprofit news operation.
• CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit digital news outlet providing statewide policy and accountability reporting funded by philanthropy and donations; directly comparable in scope, statewide mission, and nonprofit revenue model.
• Block Club Chicago: Nonprofit neighborhood-level digital news network in Chicago supported by donations and reader revenue; highly comparable multi-local-newsroom model with community engagement focus.
• The Texas Tribune: Large nonprofit statehouse-focused digital newsroom that combines statewide accountability reporting with free access and donor-supported revenue — the closest direct analog in terms of mission, scale, and funding model.
• Honolulu Civil Beat: Hawaii-focused nonprofit digital news outlet covering state government and policy with a donor-supported revenue model; closely comparable in regional scope and nonprofit funding approach.
• The City: New York City-focused nonprofit digital news outlet covering local government and accountability issues; comparable in mission, donor-supported model, and community-accountability journalism.
• Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania-focused collaborative nonprofit newsroom producing accountability journalism through coalition funding; similar statewide-coverage mission and grant-funded nonprofit model.
• The Connecticut Mirror: Connecticut-focused nonprofit digital news outlet covering state government and policy; directly comparable single-state nonprofit news operation funded by foundations and donors.

Others

• American Journalism Project: Venture philanthropy funder and incubator that incubated Signal Ohio and backs a national portfolio of nonprofit newsrooms; comparable as the funder/cohort operator rather than as a news competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SignalStatewide
• Facebookfacebook.com/SignalStatewide
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/signal-ohio
• Instagraminstagram.com/signalstatewide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Signal Ohio