The Chicago Reporter
The Chicago Reporter is a nonprofit investigative news organization founded in 1972 that publishes journalism on race, poverty, and inequality in Chicago, funded by foundation grants, individual donations, and limited advertising.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Chicago Reporter does
The Chicago Reporter is a nonprofit investigative news organization founded in 1972 by civil rights activist John A. McDermott to investigate racial and economic inequality in Chicago. It is published by the Community Renewal Society, a faith-based social justice organization founded in 1882, and operates from 111 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 820 in Chicago, IL. The publication covers criminal justice, housing, education, economic development, transportation, and healthcare, producing investigations that have produced measurable policy outcomes including an $8.7 billion settlement with Countrywide Financial and acquisition of exclusive video in the Laquan McDonald case. Its small newsroom (approximately five named staff including an interim publisher, investigative editor, development associate, digital operations manager, and reporters) has accumulated dozens of journalism awards (Peter Lisagor, Sigma Delta Chi, IRE Innovation, Paul Tobenkin Memorial, NABJ Salute to Excellence) and benefits from Pulitzer Center and Medill affiliations.
The organization's core product surface consists of free editorial content distributed through chicagoreporter.com, a free email newsletter, a NewsBank-powered searchable archive spanning 1972 to the present, a content syndication/republication program, a Student Voices partnership series with Truman College and the Uptown Exchange, and a platform built on Newspack. Business model mechanics rely on three revenue streams: foundation grants (six named major funders contributing over $5,000 annually, including Chicago Community Trust, Ford Foundation, Joyce Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, McCormick Foundation, and Open Society Foundations), individual donations tiered from $10 to $1,000 with a monthly giving option, and limited advertising revenue. Distribution spans owned digital channels, social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, YouTube, RSS), newsroom partnerships (Illinois Answers Project, WBEZ), and free republication rights to other outlets. Editorial independence is governed by Institute for Nonprofit News standards, with explicit exclusion of government and political donations.
The Chicago Reporter firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Chicago Reporter
- Legal name
- The Chicago Reporter
- Website
- https://chicagoreporter.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Chicago Reporter is a nonprofit investigative news organization founded in 1972 that publishes journalism on race, poverty, and inequality in Chicago, funded by foundation grants, individual donations, and limited advertising.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Chicago Reporter industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investigative Journalism
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (513110), Periodical Publishers (51312)
- SIC
- Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)
Keywords
Where The Chicago Reporter is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Chicago Reporter 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
- Foundation and Donor Support: Nonprofit funding from foundations and individual donors supporting investigative journalism operations
- Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals at various levels ($10, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000)
- Advertising: Limited advertising revenue from partnerships
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Newsletter |
| Subscription | Monthly | Donation tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Chicago Reporter product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Chicago Reporter is a nonprofit investigative news organization founded in 1972 that publishes original reporting on race, poverty, and inequality in Chicago and Cook County. It distributes its journalism through a website, a free email newsletter, an extensive searchable archive spanning 50+ years, and content syndication/republication services offered to other news outlets.
Product overview
The Chicago Reporter is a nonprofit investigative news organization offering a single unified product—its investigative journalism publication—along with supplementary services including a free email newsletter, a digital archive accessible via NewsBank, freelance writing opportunities, a content syndication/republication program, and the Student Voices partnership series. The organization is a publication of the Community Renewal Society and is powered by Newspack publishing platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Chicago Reporter
- Chicago Reporter Email Newsletter
- Chicago Reporter Digital Archive (1972-Present)
- Content Republication / Syndication
Quantifiable outcome
- Investigation of racially disparate home mortgage lending sparked $8.7 billion settlement with Countrywide Financial
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Chicago Reporter
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Chicago Reporter technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Chicago Reporter partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Community Renewal SocietycoreThe Chicago Reporter is a publication of the Community Renewal Society, a faith-based organization founded in 1882. The Reporter has been housed at CRS since its founding in 1972.
- Truman CollegeminorPartnership for Student Voices series providing journalism experience to students
- Uptown ExchangeminorPartnership for Student Voices series supporting community journalism
- Illinois Answers ProjectcoreContent partnership with Illinois Answers Project for investigative reporting on Chicago issues including medical debt, workforce development, and community issues
- Catalyst ChicagocoreMerged with Catalyst Chicago in 2016, a publication that focused on school improvement in Chicago for 25 years, allowing Reporter to broaden education coverage
- WBEZminorCollaboration on Prisoncast! radio show with Dixon Performing Arts program for incarcerated individuals
- Public Media Journalists AssociationminorAwarding body for journalism excellence, recognized 'The Story of Violence' play from Dixon Performing Arts program
- NewsBankcoreProvides searchable digital archive platform for The Chicago Reporter's content from 1972 to present
- Institute for Nonprofit NewscoreAdopts INN's standards of editorial independence, maintaining firewall between coverage decisions and revenue sources
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Chicago Reporter competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Chicago Reporter social profiles
Digital presenceThe Chicago Reporter compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Chicago Reporter financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Chicago Reporter leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
The Chicago Reporter subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
The Chicago Reporter funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Chicago Reporter 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 The Chicago Reporter
What does The Chicago Reporter do?
The Chicago Reporter is a nonprofit investigative news organization founded in 1972 that publishes original reporting on race, poverty, and inequality in Chicago and Cook County. It distributes its journalism through a website, a free email newsletter, an extensive searchable archive spanning 50+ years, and content syndication/republication services offered to other news outlets.
Is The Chicago Reporter a public or private company?
The Chicago Reporter is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Chicago Reporter founded?
The Chicago Reporter was founded in 1972. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Chicago Reporter based?
The Chicago Reporter is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Chicago Reporter make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Foundation and Donor Support is the primary driver. The others are donations and advertising.
Does The Chicago Reporter have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Chicago Reporter.
What industry is The Chicago Reporter in?
The Chicago Reporter's product category is Investigative Journalism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJADAF, Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations. Its NAICS code is 513110 and its SIC code is 2711.