Journalism & Women Symposium
Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that empowers women journalists through its annual CAMP conference, regional chapters, the myJAWS online community, the Health Journalism Fellowship, and advocacy for inclusive journalism coverage.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersGrandville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Journalism & Women Symposium does
Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1985 and headquartered by mailing address in Grandville, Michigan. Its stated mission is the professional empowerment and personal growth of women in journalism, alongside advocacy for more inclusive coverage of diverse communities. JAWS serves individual members who self-identify as women, non-binary, gender-nonconforming, or agender, including working journalists across all career stages, journalism educators and researchers, and journalism students. The organization delivers value through an annual Conference and Mentoring Program (CAMP) entering its 41st year in 2026, regional chapters in cities including Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC, webinars on professional development topics, the myJAWS online community platform (hosted on mn.co), the Commonwealth Fund-supported Health Journalism Fellowship (8 fellows per year, $4,000 reporting grants), and the Alicia Shepard Fellowship launched in 2024.
The core technology stack is a digital-first but conventional web infrastructure: a Squarespace-hosted website at jaws.org, the third-party mn.co community platform branded as myJAWS, Zoom-based webinars, and email newsletters. JAWS has no proprietary software, app, or API products; the myJAWS platform is licensed infrastructure rather than internally developed. Operational technology is paired with significant volunteer infrastructure - the organization is led by an Executive Director (Nicole June, full-time as of November 2025) and a Board of Directors comprising 11 members, supported by volunteer committees covering CAMP, Communications, DEI, Finance, Fund Development, Governance, Membership, and Programs.
JAWS operates a diversified nonprofit revenue model across four streams: recurring membership dues (500+ members), conference registration fees (CAMP 2026 pricing tiers at $175-$625 depending on member status and timing), donations and year-end fundraising (including a $40,000 goal in 2025 and IRA charitable rollover gifts), and corporate sponsorships. The organization also pursues grant funding, notably from the Commonwealth Fund for the Health Journalism Fellowship. Go-to-market is community-led and direct-to-consumer, with the annual CAMP conference as the flagship acquisition and retention event.
Journalism & Women Symposium firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Journalism & Women Symposium
- Legal name
- Journalism & Women Symposium
- Website
- https://jaws.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that empowers women journalists through its annual CAMP conference, regional chapters, the myJAWS online community, the Health Journalism Fellowship, and advocacy for inclusive journalism coverage.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Journalism & Women Symposium industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association / Nonprofit Membership Organization
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (813920)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)
Keywords
Where Journalism & Women Symposium is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grandville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Journalism & Women Symposium business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: JAWS generates revenue through annual membership fees from journalists, educators, and students who join the organization for access to community, mentorship, events, and professional development resources.
- Conference Registration Fees: The annual CAMP conference generates revenue through registration fees. Rates vary by membership status (member vs. non-member) and student discounts. Early bird and regular pricing tiers are offered.
- Donations and Fundraising: JAWS conducts fundraising campaigns, including year-end appeals (e.g., $40,000 goal by year's end mentioned in 2025) and accepts tax-deductible donations. The organization also receives IRA charitable rollover gifts from donors aged 70½ and older.
- Corporate Sponsorships: JAWS seeks corporate sponsors to support programming and CAMP activities, making conferences more affordable for participants. Sponsors receive recognition and access to the JAWS community.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One-time | CAMP 2026 Early Bird Rates (ending July 15) |
| Subscription | One-time | CAMP 2026 Regular Rates (July 15 - October 1) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Journalism & Women Symposium product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) is a membership-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that sells individual memberships and conference registrations to women journalists, journalism educators, and journalism students. Its core deliverables are the annual Conference and Mentoring Program (CAMP), the Health Journalism Fellowship (providing $4,000 reporting grants to eight fellows per year), the myJAWS online community platform, regional chapter events, and professional development webinars. The organization also engages in press freedom and diversity advocacy through coalition work with peer journalism organizations.
Product overview
Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) operates as a membership-based nonprofit organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include the annual Conference and Mentoring Program (CAMP), the Health Journalism Fellowship, the myJAWS online member platform, educational webinars, and regional chapter events. These programs work together to support professional empowerment, networking, and career development for women journalists.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Conference and Mentoring Project (CAMP): JAWS annual conference bringing together women journalists for networking, mentoring, and professional development.
- Health Journalism Fellowship
Products and services
- JAWS Membership
- Conference and Mentoring Program (CAMP)
- Health Journalism Fellowship
- myJAWS Online Community Platform
- JAWS Webinars
- JAWS Regional Groups
Quantifiable outcome
- 8 health journalism fellows per year receive $4,000 reporting grants plus mentorship and conference access
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Journalism & Women Symposium
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Journalism & Women Symposium technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Journalism & Women Symposium partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)coreJAWS co-hosts the annual Washington, D.C. Journalism Job Fair with NAHJ and other journalism organizations including NABJ, AAJA, NLGJA, SPJ, and the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA). The job fair connects journalists with employers including Bloomberg, Politico, NBC4/Telemundo44, and others.
- Journalism Diversity OrganizationscoreJAWS partners with other journalism diversity organizations including NABJ, NAHJ, NLGJA, AAJA, SAJA, and others to advocate for inclusive journalism staffing and reporting standards. These partnerships advance shared goals of diversity and inclusion in newsrooms.
- Student Press Law CenterminorJAWS joined a coalition led by the Student Press Law Center to urge Indiana University to implement recommendations for independent student media. The coalition included 14 national journalism organizations.
- Maynard Institute for Journalism EducationminorLinda Jue, JAWS Vice President, serves as a DEI program consultant for the Maynard Institute. JAWS also collaborated on the Maynard 200 Fellowship program with the institute.
- Hyatt HotelsminorJAWS partners with Hyatt hotels for CAMP conference venues, receiving discounted room rates for attendees at locations including the Hyatt Centric Delfina in Santa Monica for CAMP 2026.
- Ms. MagazineminorMs. Magazine offices in Beverly Hills host the welcome reception for CAMP 2026 attendees, with light refreshments provided for conference participants.
- Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ)minorJAWS NY co-hosts events with AHCJ, including a conversation with creator journalists Marisa Kabas (The Handbasket) and Garnet Henderson (Autonomy News) at Marymount Manhattan College.
- Press Forward ChicagominorPress Forward Chicago provides support for the JAWS Chicago Summer Soiree event at Vjosa Cafe, helping fund the free community event for journalists.
- International Women'S Media FoundationminorBoth organizations work on advancing women in journalism and press freedom. Alicia Shepard, late JAWS member, was a former senior project manager for IWMF.
- Georgetown UniversityminorJAWS participates in the annual Washington, D.C. Journalism Job Fair hosted by Georgetown University's Master of Professional Studies in Journalism program at their Capitol Campus.
- FGS GlobalminorFGS Global partnered with JAWS for an empowering webinar on women content creators navigating the independent journalism landscape, featuring Anne Gearan and Cat Rakowski.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Journalism & Women Symposium competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- International Women's Media Foundation: IWMF is the closest direct peer: a global nonprofit advancing women journalists through fellowships, awards, and safety training. Comparability is direct—same mission (women in journalism), overlapping fellowship/grants model, and overlapping advocacy on press freedom.
- Women's Media Center: Women's Media Center advocates for women in media through original reporting, training programs, and leadership initiatives. It mirrors JAWS' membership/community model and serves women journalists and media makers across career stages.
- National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ): NABJ is a direct peer as a diversity-focused journalism association running annual conventions, regional chapters, mentorship, and job fairs—directly comparable to JAWS' CAMP, regional groups, and DC Journalism Job Fair co-hosting.
- Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA): AAJA is a peer diversity-focused journalism association running an annual convention, scholarships, and chapter programming with comparable mission, structure, and member profile to JAWS.
- NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists: NLGJA is a peer journalism association running an annual convention, regional chapters, and mentorship programs. JAWS explicitly partners with NLGJA on the DC Job Fair and on press freedom advocacy.
- South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA): SAJA is a peer journalism association providing mentorship, awards, and resources to South Asian journalists. JAWS explicitly partners with SAJA on diversity advocacy and press freedom initiatives.
- National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ): NAHJ co-hosts the DC Journalism Job Fair with JAWS and operates an annual convention, scholarships, and chapter programming—structurally analogous to JAWS' CAMP and regional model, targeting an overlapping journalist demographic.
- Maynard Institute for Journalism Education: Maynard Institute is a peer journalism training organization offering fellowships (Maynard 200) and DEI consulting. JAWS' Linda Jue serves as a DEI consultant there, and JAWS collaborated on Maynard 200, evidencing direct programmatic overlap.
Emerging players
- The News Literacy Project: The News Literacy Project is an adjacent peer in the journalism-support nonprofit space, focused on news literacy education rather than women-in-journalism directly. It represents an emerging programmatic category JAWS could expand into via webinars or fellowship verticals.
Broad incumbents
- Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ): SPJ is the broad incumbent U.S. journalism professional association with regional chapters, training, and advocacy. It serves the entire profession rather than a specific demographic, but operates a comparable membership + chapter + training model to JAWS.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Journalism & Women Symposium social profiles
Digital presenceJournalism & Women Symposium financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Journalism & Women Symposium leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Journalism & Women Symposium funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Journalism & Women Symposium M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Journalism & Women Symposium
What does Journalism & Women Symposium do?
Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) is a membership-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that sells individual memberships and conference registrations to women journalists, journalism educators, and journalism students. Its core deliverables are the annual Conference and Mentoring Program (CAMP), the Health Journalism Fellowship (providing $4,000 reporting grants to eight fellows per year), the myJAWS online community platform, regional chapter events, and professional development webinars. The organization also engages in press freedom and diversity advocacy through coalition work with peer journalism organizations.
Is Journalism & Women Symposium a public or private company?
Journalism & Women Symposium is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Journalism & Women Symposium founded?
Journalism & Women Symposium was founded in 1984. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Journalism & Women Symposium based?
Journalism & Women Symposium is headquartered in Grandville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Journalism & Women Symposium make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are conference Registration Fees, donations and Fundraising and corporate Sponsorships.
Who are Journalism & Women Symposium's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are International Women's Media Foundation, Women's Media Center, National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. The News Literacy Project is listed as an emerging player. Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Journalism & Women Symposium have an API?
No public API is recorded for Journalism & Women Symposium.
What industry is Journalism & Women Symposium in?
Journalism & Women Symposium's product category is Professional Association / Nonprofit Membership Organization. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies), with a secondary code of MPAJABAK, Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing. Its NAICS code is 813920 and its SIC code is 8600.