Public Health Watch

What Public Health Watch does

Public Health Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization founded in 2020 and headquartered in Austin, Texas. It produces investigative journalism, interactive data tools, and the Fumed podcast on public health threats, with a thematic focus on air and water pollution, petrochemical encroachment, healthcare access, workplace safety, climate change, and environmental justice. Its core outputs include the weekly newsletter "The Watch," the award-winning Fumed podcast, a portfolio of approximately eight interactive mapping/database tools (Hydrogen Fluoride Near You, Uninsured by State, Mapping Petrochem Plants, Find Polluters, Particulates by Community, Mapping Alzheimer's), and ongoing reporting projects such as Uninsured in America, The Holdouts, Toxic Texas Air, and the Silicosis Epidemic. Geographically, coverage is anchored in Texas (Gulf Coast, Houston Ship Channel, Rio Grande Valley) but extends to roughly ten additional states via republishing partnerships with The Texas Tribune, Univision 45, Houston Public Media, and a wider state-level outlet network.

The organization operates on a nonprofit revenue model with no paywall or subscription fees. Income is generated through three primary streams: individual donations (tiered giving from $7 to $500, including a recurring "Join Our Circle" program), grants from foundations such as The Commonwealth Fund, T.L.L. Temple Foundation, and the Fund for Investigative Journalism, and newsletter readership that supports donor cultivation rather than paid subscriptions. Content is distributed freely through the publichealthwatch.org website (built on the Newspack open-source publishing platform), email, major podcast platforms, and an extensive republishing network. The Fumed podcast's investigation contributed to a Houston Planning Department policy change on industrial permitting and deed restrictions, providing documented evidence of policy impact.

The leadership team is led by Executive Director and editor-in-chief Jim Morris, with governance provided by a board chaired since February 2026 by retired NPR correspondent Howard Berkes, with political strategist Cliff Walker as Vice Chair. The organization has won multiple national journalism awards in 2025–2026, including First Place in the National Headliner Awards, two SABEW Best in Business awards, and a Regional Emmy Award (with Univision 45).

Name

Public Health Watch

Legal name

Public Health Watch

Website

https://publichealthwatch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Public Health Watch is a nonprofit investigative news organization founded in 2020 and based in Austin, Texas, producing data-driven journalism, interactive mapping tools, and the Fumed podcast on public health threats, pollution, and healthcare access for general readers, policymakers, and affected communities across the U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investigative Journalism

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Health Communications, Risk Communication & Community Engagement (HLAJAMAH)

Keywords

• Investigative journalism
• Public health reporting
• Newsletter publishing
• Data journalism tools
• Nonprofit newsroom

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Individual Contributions: Public Health Watch accepts direct financial contributions from individuals through its website. The organization maintains a 'Donate' button prominently on its homepage and offers options for one-time, monthly, and annual giving at various tier levels ($7, $15, $30, $100, $250, $500, or custom amounts).
2. Grants and Foundation Funding: Public Health Watch is funded by grants from foundations and institutional funders. The site references the organization 'Funders' page, and its investigative collaborations (e.g., with The Texas Tribune) are supported by grants from organizations such as The Commonwealth Fund and the T.L.L. Temple Foundation. The organization is described as nonprofit and nonpartisan.
3. Newsletter Subscription (Reader Revenue): The organization operates a newsletter called 'The Watch' — a weekly roundup of public health news — delivered via email subscription. While the newsletter is free, it serves as the primary reader revenue and audience-building mechanism.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Public Health Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization founded in 2020 and based in Austin, Texas. It produces original reporting, interactive data tools, podcasts, and a newsletter that investigate public health threats and inequities, with particular focus on environmental health, petrochemical pollution, and uninsured populations.

Product overview

Public Health Watch is a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization offering a portfolio of news products and interactive data tools. Its core offerings include The Watch weekly newsletter, the award-winning Fumed investigative podcast, and approximately 8 interactive data mapping tools covering topics such as hydrogen fluoride risks, uninsured rates, petrochemical expansion, pollution databases, particulate pollution, and Alzheimer's prevalence. The organization also produces long-form investigative reporting projects including Uninsured in America, The Holdouts, Silicosis Epidemic, Toxic Texas Air, and Coal's Deadly Dust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fumed: An investigative podcast from Public Health Watch exploring petrochemical encroachment into Texas communities
• The Watch
• Uninsured in America
• The Holdouts

Products and services

• The Watch
• Fumed
• Hydrogen Fluoride Near You
• Uninsured by State
• Mapping Petrochem Plants A database mapping petrochemical plants and facilities, providing geographic and facility-level information for communities, journalists, and researchers tracking industrial pollution sources.
• Find Polluters A database that catalogs polluters and pollution incidents, enabling users to search and identify environmental hazards and violators in their area.
• Particulates by Community An interactive map showing particulate matter pollution levels by community across Texas, allowing residents and advocates to assess local air quality and pollution exposure.
• Mapping Alzheimer's An interactive data tool that maps Alzheimer's disease prevalence and related data, supporting reporting on the disease's geographic distribution and impact.

Quantifiable outcome

• Analysis estimated 8,405 Texans died in 2016 from exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5), along with 24,575 new Alzheimer's cases, 7,823 new asthma cases, and 2,209 strokes linked to particulate pollution
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Texas TribunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Health Watch co-publishes investigative reporting with The Texas Tribune, including major investigations into regulatory failures at chemical facilities (e.g., the ITC Deer Park fire investigation). This is a key content partnership for investigative journalism on Texas public health and environmental issues.
• Univision 45 (Univision Houston)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Health Watch collaborated with Univision 45 on an investigative report about benzene pollution in Channelview, Texas. This partnership won a Regional Emmy Award. The collaboration extends bilingual investigative journalism reach to Spanish-speaking audiences in Houston.
• Houston Public MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Health Watch's Executive Director Jim Morris appeared on Houston Public Media's 'Hello Houston' talk show to discuss petrochemical investigation. The organization also hosts joint town hall events with Houston-area communities.
• State-Level News PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Health Watch works with various state-level news organizations including Kansas Reflector, Mississippi Today, Kentucky Public Radio, Stateline, WUSF, MLK50, Deceleration, Inside Climate News, and others to extend coverage across multiple states on shared public health issues.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Texas Tribune: A Texas-focused nonprofit investigative newsroom and an active publishing partner of Public Health Watch. Comparable as a similarly structured nonprofit news outlet operating in the same geographic market with shared co-publishing relationships.
• The Marshall Project: A nonprofit investigative news organization covering criminal justice with a similar grants-plus-donations funding model. Comparable to Public Health Watch as a similarly structured, mission-driven, grant-supported investigative outlet.
• MLK50: A nonprofit investigative newsroom covering economic and racial justice, listed as a Public Health Watch republishing partner. Comparable as a small-team, donor-funded nonprofit investigative outlet with shared republishing partnerships.
• Mother Jones: A nonprofit investigative magazine covering politics, environment, and social justice. Comparable to Public Health Watch as a donor-funded nonprofit investigative outlet publishing on health-adjacent and environmental issues.
• ProPublica: The largest U.S. nonprofit investigative newsroom, funded by donations and grants and freely distributing its journalism. Comparable to Public Health Watch as a structurally similar nonprofit investigative outlet with documented policy influence.
• Grist: A nonprofit environmental news and investigative outlet with a similar grants-and-donor funding model. Comparable to Public Health Watch specifically on environmental, climate, and environmental-justice journalism.
• KFF Health News (formerly Kaiser Health News): A national nonprofit investigative newsroom dedicated to health and health policy reporting, distributed free via partner outlets. Closely comparable to Public Health Watch in mission, nonprofit funding model, partner-republishing distribution, and health-journalism focus.
• Reveal (Center for Investigative Reporting): A nonprofit investigative newsroom producing long-form journalism and podcasts on abuse of power. Comparable to Public Health Watch in nonprofit funding structure, investigative podcast format, and high-impact public-interest reporting.
• STAT News: A health and science investigative news outlet with deep coverage of public health, pharma, and policy. Comparable to Public Health Watch on topic overlap and editorial depth in health/policy reporting.
• Center for Public Integrity: A national nonprofit investigative newsroom focused on government accountability and public-interest reporting. Comparable to Public Health Watch in funding model, mission-driven investigative journalism, and emphasis on accountability outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pubhealthwatch
• Facebookfacebook.com/pubhealthwatch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/publichealthwatch/about/?viewAsMember=true

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Public Health Watch