What Flatwater Free Press does

Flatwater Free Press is Nebraska's first independent, nonprofit newsroom, launched in 2021 as a publication of the Nebraska Journalism Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Omaha. The organization produces investigative journalism, accountability reporting, and feature stories across four coverage areas — statewide issues, the Omaha and Lincoln metro areas, Greater Nebraska, and historically excluded communities — with a stated target of devoting roughly 25% of stories to Black, brown, immigrant, and native populations. All content is published free of charge and made available for free republication to other publications, distributed through a direct-to-consumer website, email newsletters (including the FFP Omaha weekly), a multi-platform social media presence, and a community-contributed Documenters program that trains and pays citizens to document public meetings in Omaha and Lincoln.

Beyond core journalism, the organization operates a portfolio of program-level products: the Documenters civic journalism program, a free lead soil testing initiative in partnership with ProPublica, the Public Payrolls interactive database, the Omaha Fish Fry Guide, a year-long Nebraska Steakhouses series, and 2025 Omaha/Lincoln voter guides. Technology infrastructure is described as a standard web-based content management and publishing platform with email newsletter distribution — no proprietary technology, no AI capabilities, and no disclosed integrations or API surface. The team spans editorial leadership (Executive Director Matt Wynn, Managing Editor Ryan Hoffman, plus editors and investigative editors), a roster of beat and investigative reporters largely drawn from the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star, and a development/operations function (Director of Advancement, Director of Operations and Finance, Director of Civic Journalism, Development Manager, Sponsorships Manager, and grant writing support).

Flatwater Free Press operates a nonprofit revenue model with no paywall, no subscription fees, and no disclosed pricing. Funding comes from individual donations, corporate and organizational sponsorships, free newsletter subscriptions, and grants, supplemented by grant writing and development consulting provided by Vic Gutman & Associates. The organization does not publicly disclose revenue figures. Strategic partnerships with national nonprofit media (ProPublica, Grist) and foundations (Scripps Howard) layer in additional capacity and funding. As a 501(c)(3) publication governed by a board of directors with a stated editorial firewall, the newsroom is funded by contributed revenue rather than commercial investment.

Name

Flatwater Free Press

Legal name

Flatwater Free Press

Website

https://flatwaterfreepress.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Flatwater Free Press is a Nebraska-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom that publishes free investigative and feature journalism statewide. Founded in 2021, it serves Nebraska residents through its website, newsletters, free republication, and a citizen-journalism Documenters program covering under-reported public meetings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Nonprofit Newsroom

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB), Public Service News Channels (MPABAIAE)

Keywords

• Nonprofit journalism
• Investigative reporting
• Local news coverage
• Civic journalism programs
• Newsletter publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Nonprofit donations from individual supporters form a major revenue stream for the Nebraska Journalism Trust, which funds Flatwater Free Press.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsorships provide funding, with exclusive sponsorship opportunities available for organizations seeking to support Nebraska journalism.
3. Subscriptions: Free newsletter subscriptions with optional premium or support engagement.
4. Grants and Fundraising Consulting: Grant writing and development consulting services through Vic Gutman & Associates for institutional fundraising.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Flatwater Free Press is a nonprofit newsroom that publishes independent investigative journalism, feature stories, and accountability reporting across Nebraska, organized into coverage areas including Statewide, Metro, Greater Nebraska, and Historically Excluded communities. It also runs civic engagement programs such as the Documenters initiative (which trains and pays citizens to document public meetings) and the weekly FFP Omaha newsletter, and offers community resources such as a public payrolls database, voter guides, a free lead-testing initiative, and specialty editorial series.

Product overview

Flatwater Free Press is a single-product nonprofit news organization (Nebraska's first independent, nonprofit newsroom) focused on investigations and feature stories. The organization produces journalism across multiple coverage categories (Statewide, Metro, Greater Nebraska, Historically Excluded) and offers related programs including the Documenters civic journalism program, the FFP Omaha newsletter, and community resources such as the lead testing initiative, voter guides, public payroll data, and specialty content series like the Steak Town USA restaurant reviews and Omaha Fish Fry Guide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Documenters: A program of the Nebraska Journalism Trust that trains and pays citizens to attend and document under-reported public meetings in Omaha and Nebraska.
• Flatwater Explains
• FFP Omaha

Products and services

• Flatwater Free Press News Coverage Primary journalism product covering Nebraska news, investigations, and feature stories across categories including Statewide, Metro, Greater Nebraska, and Historically Excluded communities. Free to read and free to republish.
• Documenters Program A civic journalism program of the Nebraska Journalism Trust that trains and pays citizens to attend and document under-reported public meetings in Omaha and publish the results.
• FFP Omaha Newsletter
• Omaha Fish Fry Guide A community resource and guide listing fish fries at various locations across the Omaha metro area during Lenten season.
• Steak Town USA Series A year-long series celebrating Omaha and Nebraska steakhouses, including reviews, maps, and feature stories about the state's iconic dish.
• Public Payrolls Database An interactive map and database of public payroll information for Nebraska entities.
• Omaha/Lincoln Voter Guides A voter guide providing information for elections in the Omaha and Lincoln area.
• Free Lead Testing Soil Samples Program A community initiative in partnership with ProPublica offering free soil lead testing for properties in Omaha, Council Bluffs, Carter Lake, and Bellevue areas.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program Exclusive sponsorship opportunities for organizations seeking to support Nebraska journalism, with associated sponsored content placement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Target of 25% of stories focusing on historically excluded communities (black, brown, immigrant, and native)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 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 core and minor.

• ProPublicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlatwater Free Press is partnering with ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative newsroom, on lead contamination investigation. Together they are collecting soil samples and analyzing the effectiveness of EPA cleanup efforts in the Omaha area, including properties outside the designated Superfund site.
• GristcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClimate and environment reporter Anila Yoganathan is employed through a partnership between Flatwater Free Press and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
• Documenters NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNebraska Documenters is part of a national network of organizations that helps people understand what's going on in their local communities by making important information available and encouraging civic participation.
• Silicon Prairie NewsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilicon Prairie News appears to operate in conjunction with Flatwater Free Press under the Nebraska Journalism Trust umbrella, sharing staff and coverage of regional business and entrepreneurship news.
• Hastings CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHastings College contributes reporters and content to Flatwater Free Press as part of academic partnership for journalism training.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Connecticut Mirror: Connecticut-focused nonprofit news organization covering state policy and government accountability. Directly comparable as a small, state-scoped, nonprofit investigative newsroom.
• CalMatters: California-focused nonprofit newsroom covering state government, policy, and accountability. Comparable as a state-scoped, nonprofit, accountability-journalism organization with similar beat structure to FFP.
• The Marshall Project: National nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on criminal justice. Comparable in mission (nonprofit, donation-funded investigative journalism) and beat overlap (FFP's award-winning prisons reporting).
• Mississippi Today: Mississippi-focused nonprofit news organization covering state government and policy. Directly comparable as a small, state-scoped, nonprofit investigative and accountability newsroom.
• The Maine Monitor: Statewide nonprofit news organization covering Maine with a focus on accountability journalism. Comparable in size, mission, and nonprofit/donation funding model.
• The Texas Tribune: State-focused nonprofit news organization covering Texas politics, policy, and accountability. Highly comparable to FFP in mission (independent, nonprofit, state-focused accountability journalism) and nonprofit funding model.
• VTDigger: Vermont-focused nonprofit investigative and accountability newsroom. Closely comparable as a small, state-scoped, donation-funded nonprofit news organization covering government, communities, and underrepresented populations.

Broad incumbents

• Grist: National nonprofit environmental media organization and active FFP partner (funds FFP's climate reporter). Comparable as a nonprofit, mission-driven media organization; broader in geographic scope and topic focus.
• ProPublica: National nonprofit investigative newsroom and active FFP partner. Directly comparable as a mission-aligned, donation-funded investigative news organization; broader in geographic scope and significantly larger.

Regional players

• Omaha World-Herald: Legacy regional daily newspaper covering Omaha and Nebraska. Comparable in geographic coverage and beats (state government, metro, communities) and is the dominant traditional competitor that several FFP staff previously worked for.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/flatwaterfreep
• Facebookfacebook.com/Flatwater-Free-Press-100070601733730
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flatwater-free-press
• Instagraminstagram.com/flatwaterfreepress
• TikToktiktok.com/@flatwaterfreep

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles29 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 Flatwater Free Press