Journalism Funding Partners (jfp)

What Journalism Funding Partners (jfp) does

Journalism Funding Partners (JFP) is a Sacramento, California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal sponsor founded on June 18, 2019. Its core function is to act as an intermediary between philanthropic funders and independent newsrooms, providing tax-exempt administrative infrastructure so that foundations can support journalism projects without each project having to secure its own nonprofit status. JFP serves two distinct customer segments: (1) foundation and corporate funders — including Knight Foundation, Freedom Forum, Google News Initiative, 1Earth Fund, and Sacramento Region Community Foundation — that need a trusted intermediary for journalism giving, and (2) newsrooms, journalists, and journalism projects that need fiscal sponsorship to receive tax-deductible contributions.

JFP operates three core service areas: fiscal sponsorship of journalism projects, fundraising guidance and capacity-building for newsrooms, and community giving initiatives. Its programmatic portfolio includes the Chips Quinn Fellowship (assumed from Freedom Forum in 2024), the California Civic Media Program (administered on behalf of Google News Initiative from 2026), the California Local News Fellowship, climate reporter funding, and the California Census 2020 initiative. The organization runs with a lean team of three core staff supported by 14 board volunteers.

JFP's business model is administrative fee-based fiscal sponsorship: it retains a small percentage of grants and contributions it processes to cover operating costs, with the substantial majority of funds passed through to grantees. Since inception, JFP has managed nearly $20 million across more than 50 newsrooms and 20+ foundation partners, with managed contributions reaching $5.6M in 2025 — an 18x increase from 2020 levels. The organization's growth has been recognized by the journalism education community, which awarded JFP the 2023 AEJMC "Journalism That Matters" Award.

Name

Journalism Funding Partners (jfp)

Legal name

Journalism Funding Partners

Website

https://jfp-local.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Journalism Funding Partners is a Sacramento-based 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor that channels philanthropic funding to independent newsrooms, having managed nearly $20M for 50+ outlets across 20+ foundation partnerships since 2019.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Fiscal Sponsorship

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF), National Public Radio Networks & Member Stations (NPR-style) (MPABADAB), Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF)

Keywords

• Fiscal sponsorship services
• Local journalism funding
• Nonprofit fiscal sponsor
• Community giving campaigns
• Newsroom philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fiscal Sponsorship Services: JFP acts as a fiscal sponsor, allowing foundations and individual funders to contribute directly to local news organizations, regardless of their business model. JFP manages funds feeding numerous news initiatives.
2. Donations and Grants: JFP receives grants from foundations (Knight Foundation, Freedom Forum, etc.) and donations from individuals to support local journalism initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Journalism Funding Partners is a nonprofit fiscal sponsor that bridges philanthropic funders (foundations and individual donors) with local news organizations. JFP enables major gifts, grants, and community contributions to flow to both nonprofit and for-profit newsrooms, provides fundraising guidance and training to journalism professionals, and manages dedicated programs such as the Chips Quinn Reporter Fellowship and the California Civic Media Program.

Product overview

Journalism Funding Partners (JFP) is a nonprofit fiscal sponsorship organization that strengthens local journalism by connecting funders with news organizations. The core offerings include: (1) Fiscal Sponsorship—acting as a bridge allowing foundations and individual donors to contribute directly to local news regardless of business model; (2) Fundraising Guidance and Training—providing newsroom-wide training for journalism professionals on philanthropy partnerships; and (3) Community Giving Campaigns—enabling broad community giving to local journalism. JFP also manages numerous funded initiatives including the Chips Quinn Reporter Fellowship for diversity in journalism, Climate Reporter positions (20+ reporters), Equity Desk at The Sacramento Bee, Education and Economic Mobility Desk in California's Central Valley, Miami Herald Investigative Fund, AP Inclusivity and Investigative Funds, and the First Amendment Reporters Initiative in partnership with Freedom Forum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chips Quinn Reporter Fellowship: A mentorship program for early-career journalists providing $10,000 stipends and one-year mentorship from experienced newsroom leaders, continuing the legacy of John C. 'Chips' Quinn Jr. to diversify newsrooms.
• California Civic Media Program

Products and services

• Fiscal Sponsorship JFP acts as a fiscal sponsor, serving as a bridge between funders and journalism organizations. It enables major philanthropic gifts from foundations and individual donors to reach local newsrooms regardless of whether the newsroom is a nonprofit or for-profit entity, while JFP manages grant agreements, fund disbursement, and compliance oversight.
• Fundraising Guidance and Training JFP offers case-by-case fundraising guidance and newsroom-wide training to journalism professionals on effectively working with funders, cultivating major gifts, and running fundraising campaigns.
• Community Giving Campaigns JFP partners with local news organizations to support community giving campaigns, processing all gift types and providing tax-deductible giving infrastructure and direct-appeal fundraising expertise.
• Chips Quinn Reporter Fellowship A one-year mentorship program pairing early-career journalists from underrepresented communities with experienced newsroom leaders and Chips Quinn alumni, providing a $10,000 stipend and career support. JFP took over administration of this program from the Freedom Forum.
• California Civic Media Program Administration JFP serves as third-party administrator for Google's California Civic Media Fund, managing and disbursing grants to support local civic journalism initiatives in California.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly $20 million in grants managed since 2019
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers13 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026JFP selected by Google as Third-Party Administrator for California Civic Media Program, managing funds for civic journalism initiatives.
• Freedom ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership with Freedom Forum to support First Amendment Reporters in Tennessee and Florida. JFP manages funds for these reporter positions as part of the initiative.
• The Miami HeraldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJFP manages Investigative Fund for Miami Herald, supporting Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalism.
• The Sacramento BeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJFP supports Equity Desk and Education/Economic Mobility Desk at Sacramento Bee, with 10 fulltime reporters added through philanthropy.
• Associated PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJFP manages Inclusivity and Investigative funds at AP supporting diversity in journalism.
• Freedom Forum (Chips Quinn)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJFP now runs the Chips Quinn Program for Diversity in Journalism, originally started by Freedom Forum in 1991, supporting 1,400+ journalists with $10,000 stipends each.
• USA Today NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide funds for First Amendment Reporters Initiative and mental health & caregiving reporter.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Journalism Project: A nonprofit venture philanthropy fund that provides funding and capacity-building support to local news startups across the US. Directly comparable to JFP as both serve as philanthropic intermediaries channeling foundation capital into local journalism organizations.
• Lenfest Institute for Journalism: Philanthropy-backed organization that invests in local journalism, primarily supporting The Philadelphia Inquirer and other news initiatives. Comparable to JFP as a major philanthropic funder/convener for local news sustainability.
• Report for America (GroundTruth Project): Places journalists in local newsrooms across the country with subsidized stipends funded through philanthropic and community contributions. Comparable to JFP as both bridge philanthropy and local journalism, though Report for America focuses on reporter placement while JFP focuses on fiscal sponsorship.
• Borealis Philanthropy: A philanthropic intermediary that pools resources from multiple foundations to fund racial equity work including journalism (e.g., URL Media, AP Inclusivity Fund via JFP). Comparable to JFP as both pool and direct philanthropic capital toward journalism initiatives.

Broad incumbents

• Knight Foundation: One of the largest US foundations funding local journalism innovation and sustainability. Comparable to JFP as a funder in the same ecosystem, though Knight Foundation operates as a grantmaker while JFP serves as the intermediary/fiscal sponsor.
• Google News Initiative: Google's philanthropic program funding journalism globally, including the California Civic Media Program for which JFP is Third-Party Administrator. Comparable to JFP as a major funder/infrastructure partner in the journalism sustainability space.

Regional players

• The Miami Foundation: A community foundation in South Florida that runs journalism grant programs and other civic initiatives. Comparable to JFP as both use a community-foundation/fiscal-sponsor model to channel philanthropic dollars into local media.

Others

• Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): A nonprofit membership organization that provides training, resources, and conferences for investigative journalists. Comparable to JFP as both strengthen the infrastructure of investigative and local journalism, though IRE focuses on training rather than funding intermediation.

Emerging players

• Solutions Journalism Network: Nonprofit that trains and supports journalists in producing solutions-oriented reporting, funded largely by philanthropy. Comparable to JFP as both are nonprofits improving the capacity and sustainability of local journalism through foundation support.
• LION Publishers: A membership association of local independent online news publishers that provides advocacy, training, and some fiscal-sponsorship-like services. Comparable to JFP as both serve the local journalism ecosystem with sustainability and funding support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/jfp_local
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/journalism-funding-partners
• Facebookfacebook.com/JournalismFundingPartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Journalism Funding Partners (jfp)