Flintside

Flintside is a weekly online news magazine covering neighborhoods, business, arts, health, and community development in Flint, Michigan. It serves local residents and community organizations through solutions journalism, funded by reader subscriptions, advertising, and foundation underwriting as part of Issue Media Group.

Company typePrivate
Founded2017
HeadquartersDetroit, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2C
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What Flintside does

Flintside is a weekly online news magazine covering Flint, Michigan and the surrounding Genesee County region, focused on solutions-oriented journalism about neighborhoods, small business, entrepreneurship, arts and culture, health, education, and community development. Founded on March 3, 2017, the publication is owned by Issue Media Group, a national network of 16 community-publication brands, and operates with a staff of 1-10. Its editorial product spans 15+ topic categories and 10 named neighborhood coverage areas, with a flagship weekly email newsletter distributed every Wednesday.

The publication runs on a WordPress content management system, with Google Analytics for traffic measurement, Convert Pro for conversion optimization, and Stripe for payment processing. Distribution channels include the direct website (flintside.com), the Wednesday newsletter, social media, community engagement programs such as "On the Ground" listening sessions and a community correspondent fellowship, and the Indiegraf ad network.

Flintside generates revenue through three streams: (1) tiered reader subscriptions priced at $5/month (Basic), $10/month (Standard, which includes a Common Grounds coffee perk), and $20/month (Pro), with annual and one-time equivalents; (2) display advertising, newsletter sponsorships, and branded content sold to local businesses and organizations; and (3) underwriting from a coalition of at least eight named foundations and community institutions including the Ruth Mott Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater Flint, Hamilton Community Health Network, United Way of Genesee County, Genesee Intermediate School District, Flint Institute of Arts, and Flint & Genesee Group. Contributions are explicitly not tax-deductible, and Flintside operates as a for-profit news outlet within the Issue Media Group portfolio, with stated editorial independence from its funders.

Flintside firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Flintside
Legal name: Flintside
Website: https://flintside.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2017
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Flintside is a weekly online news magazine covering neighborhoods, business, arts, health, and community development in Flint, Michigan. It serves local residents and community organizations through solutions journalism, funded by reader subscriptions, advertising, and foundation underwriting as part of Issue Media Group.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Flintside industry classification

Industry

Product category: Local Digital News
NAICS: Newspaper Publishers (513110)
SIC: Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
akta.pro primary industry: Blogging & Website Publishing Platforms (MPACAIAB)
akta.pro secondary industries: Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH), News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO), Local News & Weather Stations (MPABACAJ)

Keywords

Local digital news
Solutions journalism
Community journalism
Online news magazine
Weekly newsletter

Where Flintside is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Detroit
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Flintside business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

Subscription Revenue: Recurring monthly, annual, and one-time subscription payments from readers supporting independent journalism. Tiers include Basic ($5/month), Standard ($10/month), and Pro ($20/month) with corresponding annual and one-time options.
Advertising & Sponsorships: Display advertising on website, newsletter ads and sponsorships, branded content, and custom content collaborations with local businesses and organizations.
Underwriting & Foundation Support: Funding from community partners including The Ruth Mott Foundation, The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, The Community Foundation of Greater Flint, Hamilton Community Health Network, The United Way of Genesee County, Genesee Intermediate School District, Flint Institute of Arts, and Flint & Genesee Group. Underwriters support coverage topics but do not influence editorial independence.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Monthly	Basic tier for reader supporters
Subscription	Monthly	Standard tier with coffee perk
Subscription	Monthly	Pro tier for major supporters
Subscription	Pay-as-you-go	Custom amount support

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Flintside product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Flintside is a digital local news magazine that publishes weekly online journalism covering Flint, Michigan's neighborhoods, small businesses, arts, health, and community life. Its core deliverables are online news articles and a free weekly email newsletter, distributed through the flintside.com website and supported by Issue Media Group's network of local news outlets.

Product overview

Flintside is a single unified digital news publication—specifically a local online news magazine published by Issue Media Group—that covers Flint, Michigan through multiple content streams. Its core offering is editorial journalism across topic categories (Arts & Culture, Civic & Nonprofits, Community Development, Diversity & Equity, Economic Development, Education, Entrepreneurship, Health, Neighborhoods, Outdoors, Scene, Sports, Technology & Innovation, Transportation). The publication complements its news content with a weekly email newsletter subscription product and offers advertising/partnership opportunities as a revenue channel. There is no platform-plus-modules architecture; the products are the publication itself and its associated distribution (newsletter) and monetization (advertising) features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Flintside Digital News Magazine Weekly online news magazine covering Flint, Michigan's neighborhoods, small businesses, arts, health, and community life, available at flintside.com.
Flintside Weekly Newsletter Free weekly email newsletter delivering Flintside's latest local journalism and community stories to subscribers.
Flintside Reader Membership / Subscriptions Paid membership program with tiered subscription options (annual, monthly, and one-time contributions) supporting Flintside's local journalism.

Companies that use Flintside

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Flintside technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Flintside partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Issue Media GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company and publishing platform. Flintside is an award-winning weekly online news magazine published by Issue Media Group, a national network of publications dedicated to solutions journalism, connecting communities, and inspiring progress.
100K IdeascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with 100K Ideas as the host location for Michigan Women Forward's on-the-ground presence in Flint, with a full-time lending officer based at their downtown office.
Michigan Women ForwardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Development Financial Institution expanding access to small business loans in Flint through partnership with 100K Ideas.
CEDAMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting the Block by Block series on affordable housing development.
IndiegrafcoreTechnology or IntegrationAd network and technology partner providing advertising infrastructure and website cookie management for Flintside.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Flintside competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Others

Indiegraf: Ad-tech and ad-network partner for independent local publications; Flintside uses Indiegraf for display advertising and is part of a broader network of comparable local news outlets using the same monetization infrastructure.

Direct peers

Model D (Issue Media Group): IMG sibling publication focused on Detroit's neighborhoods and development; same solutions-journalism approach and shared national ad network partnership with Indiegraf.
Metromode (Issue Media Group): Another IMG sibling publication covering metro Detroit, sharing editorial workflows, tech infrastructure, and foundation-supported funding model used by Flintside.
Bridge Michigan: Michigan statewide nonprofit digital news outlet covering public policy and state-level issues; competes for the same foundation funding pool and partially overlaps with Flintside's civic/government coverage.
Detour Detroit: Independent local Michigan digital publication covering Detroit and broader Michigan with a similar nonprofit/foundation-supported community-focused journalism model.
Rapid Growth (Issue Media Group): IMG sibling publication covering Grand Rapids and West Michigan with the same template, partnership structure, and solutions-journalism mission as Flintside.
Concentrate (Issue Media Group): Sister publication within Issue Media Group covering Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan using the same solutions-journalism model, shared tech stack, and editorial infrastructure as Flintside — the most operationally identical peer.
Second Wave (Issue Media Group): Michigan-focused IMG sister publication centered on economic and community development — overlapping topic categories (entrepreneurship, neighborhoods, innovation) with Flintside's coverage.

Emerging players

Outlier Media: Detroit-based local news outlet using a text-message-based service journalism model; comparable mission to serve under-covered communities but distinct delivery channel.

Broad incumbents

MLive / The Flint Journal: Legacy local news outlet covering Flint as part of its larger Advance Local network; serves the same local audience but operates at much greater scale with traditional news rather than solutions journalism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Flintside financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Flintside leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Flintside funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Flintside M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Flintside

What does Flintside do?

Is Flintside a public or private company?

Flintside is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was Flintside founded?

Flintside was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Flintside based?

Flintside is headquartered in Detroit, United States, in the North America region.

How does Flintside make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription Revenue is the primary driver. The others are advertising & Sponsorships and underwriting & Foundation Support.

Who are Flintside's main competitors?

Indiegraf is listed as an others. Direct peers are Model D (Issue Media Group), Metromode (Issue Media Group), Bridge Michigan, Detour Detroit, Rapid Growth (Issue Media Group), Concentrate (Issue Media Group) and Second Wave (Issue Media Group). Outlier Media is listed as an emerging player. MLive / The Flint Journal is listed as a broad incumbent.

Does Flintside have an API?

No public API is recorded for Flintside.

What industry is Flintside in?

Flintside's product category is Local Digital News. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAIAB, Blogging & Website Publishing Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAJADAH, Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2721.