Become a Member
The Institute for Nonprofit News is a highly collaborative network of 500 independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organizations.
INN member newsrooms produce quality journalism that promotes positive civic engagement, provides a forum for diverse views — including those historically underrepresented in media — and holds accountable those in positions of public trust.
For news leaders, INN Membership is about being part of a community of people who are experiencing many of the same joys and struggles that you are, and accessing people and resources that can help you meet your goals. Not every news outlet gets to be an INN Member. By being part of INN you are committing to transparency, independence and community service, and committing to being part of and supportive of a community that believes the same.
When an organization becomes a member, all staff gain access to the network and its benefits. We hope you’ll learn more and consider joining us!
The Value of Membership
Members of INN gain access to resources, training opportunities and tools that develop journalists’ business skills, help them achieve success and sustainability, expand audience reach and build new models for news.
Connection and Collaboration
From our INN Days conference to the Nonprofit News Awards, Rural News Network, annual audience workshop and peer-to-peer communication, INN provides a space for news leaders to learn from and work with each other.
Information and Education
INN’s staff hosts weekly office hours on fundraising and business topics, programs webinars with field leaders and publishes data and insights to keep you on top of the latest trends in nonprofit news.
Member Exclusives
INN has negotiated exclusive discounts for our members and manages partnerships with a range of service providers to support news outlets’ operational, legal and technology needs – and keep your journalists safe.
These are just a few of INN’s benefits—click here to see them all!
Who Can Join INN?
INN is a network of independent newsrooms. Members generally have their own 501(c)(3) designation. If fiscally sponsored, they must have editorial, programmatic and operational independence from their fiscal sponsor (read more about accepted business structures here).
INN membership is open to independent, nonprofit news organizations that:
- Operate as nonprofits (for more details on the organizational structures that INN accepts, please see our membership standards page.)
- Maintain editorial and operational independence
- Are transparent in their sources of funding
- Follow INN’s membership standards for ethics and best practices in nonprofit journalism
- Demonstrate the capacity to regularly publish original reporting of high quality that is investigative or public service by nature, such as expert explanatory reporting or coverage of community, civic and public affairs. INN generally does not accept publications that primarily publish opinion, analysis, arts/cultural/community events, literary writing, reviews or curated collections of third-party material unless they include substantial and regular original news reporting.
- Apply high journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness, including openly correcting errors and prominently labeling opinion, commentary and sponsored content. Maintain editorial and organizational independence. INN members do not advocate or operate in a way that promotes any legislation, policies, government action or outcomes, though policy or legislative changes may be a consequence of their reporting. Members avoid conflicts of interest that could compromise the integrity of the work. They lobby only for freedom of information and freedom of press issues.
- Report for the general public. Religious, campus or student publications generally do not qualify for INN membership unless they are primarily covering general news for a general audience and meet INN’s standards for editorial independence. Student publications covering general news also should have professional editorial staff or be closely partnered with a professional organization to be considered.
Please note that outlets with strong points of view will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. They must produce original reporting that does not misrepresent facts, selectively choose sources or selectively publish stories in an attempt to advance a policy or cause. In other words, they report with impartiality, attempting to achieve fairness in content of distinct points of view with objectivity and dedication to truth.
Application Process
Organizations apply to join INN (link below) and then are vetted by INN staff to ensure they meet standards for ethics, transparency, independence and quality of journalism. All membership applications are reviewed by INN’s membership team and then go to INN’s Board of Directors for decisions. Applications that need further consideration are forwarded to INN’s Membership Task Force, which typically meets one time per application window.
Once accepted, members will be asked to pay dues, which currently range from $150 to $1,500 per year and are based on the organization’s annual revenue. View dues scale. Also upon acceptance, members will be asked to sign the INN Membership Agreement.
You’re also welcome to schedule a one-on-one call with INN’s membership team before submitting your application.
The Institute for Nonprofit News’ staff and board members will be considering membership applications across three cycles in 2026:
- Membership applications received between Jan. 1 and June 30 will hear back from INN by Sept. 18.
- Applications received between July 1 and Sept. 30 will hear back from INN by Dec. 23.
- Applications received between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 will hear back from INN by Feb. 26, 2027. Newsrooms interested in participating in NewsMatch 2027 must submit membership applications no later than this window.
Applicants pay a $250 nonrefundable application fee. If accepted into membership, $150 of this amount will be credited toward your first year’s dues.
Am I ready to apply?
Before you apply, be sure to download a reference copy of the application in English or Spanish or in order to prepare your answers in advance. (The documents are for reference only. Applications must be submitted via the online forms below.)
Please note that the application cannot be saved and come back to later, so please set aside plenty of time to complete it in one sitting.
Organizations will be asked to provide specific links and information in order to qualify for membership. Review the standards thoroughly before submitting an application.
Prospective Member FAQs
What are the benefits of becoming a member of INN?
Becoming a member of INN means joining a community of nonprofit organizations building new models for journalism and sharing common challenges. More than 500 members produce or support journalism in the public interest, and INN is dedicated to growing and supporting the field of nonprofit news media.
Members get access to specialized professional capacity-building and coaching in revenue generation, nonprofit leadership and audience development, guidance on ethical issues and a rich community of mentors, peer advisors and quick advice in this fast-changing field. Members also enjoy a number of cost-saving services offered by INN and fellow members, including access to charity registration discounts, media insurance, and technology support. Check out INN’s Resources section for more information.
The INN Index enables members to benchmark their own practices and performance against industry statistics, and INN partners with many other organizations to provide both editorial and business programs tailored to nonprofit newsrooms.
I’m not sure if my organization qualifies for membership. How can I tell?
First, check out INN’s membership checklist. INN’s membership standards are designed to meet best practices in journalism and support public trust in independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news. The FAQs below also have more information on common questions. If those don’t clear it up, we strongly suggest reaching out to INN’s membership team at membership@inn.org with any questions prior to applying.
We strongly discourage organizations from changing their missions to fit in with INN standards. (Yes, it has happened!) Organization missions should be oriented around the needs in the communities they serve and what the community will support. (Note that INN uses the word “community” to describe a geographic area and also a group of people united by a shared identity or a shared interest.)
Why does INN have standards on editorial independence?
INN requires all members to adopt and prominently publish editorial independence policies.
At a time when news media can play an important role in building common ground in our society, the openness around nonprofit news is an important way to support trust and civic engagement. As public service organizations, INN member news organizations are committed to serving only the public — not funders, contributors or any special interests. Editorial independence means that as a reader, listener or viewer, members of the public know editorial coverage has no goal other than informing them. And funders know up front that while their support is treasured, they don’t get to shape news coverage, story selection or other editorial decisions.
Why does INN have standards on organizational independence? What if my organization has a fiscal sponsor or parent organization?
INN is a network of independent nonprofit newsrooms. Members generally have or are actively seeking their own 501(c)(3) designation. If fiscally sponsored, their entire organization must operate as a nonprofit would and have editorial, programmatic and operational independence from their fiscal sponsor. You can read more about the organizational structures INN accepts here.
That means donations to the news organization and the parent nonprofit must be kept separate; the sponsor cannot have any program oversight of the news organization; and the news organization must have an editorial independence policy that ensures its parent organization has no input on editorial decisions or content. INN requires that fiscally sponsored news projects or newsrooms that are part of a larger parent organization with a non-news mission have their own advisory boards.
INN generally does not accept as members: B Corporations, 501(c)(4) nonprofits (or organizations affiliated with 501(c)(4) nonprofits), or staff publications of any nonprofit that has a mission other than journalism, such as museum magazines, publications produced by think tanks, associations or advocacy organizations.
Our newsroom can’t have any conflict of interest if they don’t know a donor’s identity; why does INN ask members to publicly name major donors?
At a time when news media can play an important role in building common ground in our society, the openness around nonprofit news is an important way to support trust and civic engagement.
Over the last several years, The Trust Project researched what consumers considered when deciding whether to believe a news item or source. The project found that knowing the organization’s funders was an important factor in what consumers saw as part of understanding if a news outlet had an “agenda” and could be trusted. The trust that transparent newsrooms build with the people they serve is one of the greatest benefits and advantages of nonprofit news media, and a best practice that INN believes supports democracy and civic engagement.
INN and its member newsrooms are committed to building public trust by following a best practice guideline that recommends making public the names of all individual and corporate funders of $5,000 and above and ensuring that anonymous donations do not provide a material part of a news site’s revenue. Exceptions are carefully considered. The goals are to ensure journalism remains editorially independent and that the public can trust that nonprofit news sites are not dependent on or shaped by high levels of anonymous funding.
News organizations have flexibility in how they identify donors. Some list all major donors on their sites, some link to IRS 990 tax forms that list a nonprofit’s major donors.
For newsrooms that are part of larger public media corporations or universities that may routinely accept anonymous donors, INN asks these members to affirm that anonymous donations earmarked for news or the news program do not surpass these guidelines even if anonymous funding is accepted for non-news programs.
Are solutions journalism organizations INN members?
Many INN members do reporting that falls under the four principles outlined by the Solutions Journalism Network:
- Can be character-driven, but focuses in-depth on a response to a problem and how the response works in meaningful detail
- Focuses on effectiveness, not good intentions, presenting available evidence of results
- Discusses the limitations of the approach
- Seeks to provide insight that others can use
That said, INN from time to time receives applications from organizations seeking to advocate for, promote or selectively lift public awareness of certain people, organizations or approaches. Sometimes these organizations promote themselves under the mantle of solutions journalism. Those generally do not qualify if they do not demonstrate rigorous reporting, the reporting doesn’t fit into SJN’s guidelines or if they are closer to cause communications than independent reporting. Cause communications intended to promote or advance a certain approach or perspective serve a different purpose and have a mission that generally extends beyond the standards of INN membership.
If my organization is denied, can we apply again?
Yes, you are always welcome to apply again if your organization has updated and meets membership requirements. We talk with virtually all applicants and anyone whose application was declined is notified about the factors considered.
How long does membership last?
INN’s membership year is from July to June each year. Members renew membership every year by paying dues.
I am working to launch a startup. Can I become a member of INN?
INN offers a number of resources for individuals hoping to launch nonprofit news outlets in their communities. Membership is not required to access most startup support. INN encourages prospective publishers to tap into these resources before applying for membership.
Some startup resources you can access without being a member:
- INN’s Startup Guide helps with planning and operational issues during the launch of nonprofit news organizations, and includes a collection of resources, case studies and advice to sustain news nonprofits at any stage.
I just applied. How long will it take to become a member?
All applications go to the INN Board of Directors about three times a year. You usually hear back within 3-4 months of submitting your application. Approvals can take longer if there are questions about your application, or your news organization is not a clear fit for membership.
Do you accept international members?
INN serves North America and is open to news organizations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. If you are in another country and see a need there for INN services, please share your experience with us and let us know what would be useful for you by contacting info@inn.org. That may help us refer you to other resources or look at programming in the future for added regions.
How much does membership cost?
Membership dues are based on an organization’s total annual revenue. Dues range from $150 to $1,500. See our membership dues structure.
I don’t have a 501(c)(3) designation yet but would like to join. What can I do?
Organizations that are not yet 501(c)(3) federally recognized nonprofits can secure fiscal sponsorship with a 501(c)(3) organization in order to ensure that they are operating within the accepted guidelines for nonprofits and in order to accept grants. INN offers fiscal sponsorship to a select number of applicants that do not yet have either their own nonprofit determination letter from the IRS or a fiscal sponsor but which otherwise meet the criteria for membership.