2025 was an especially volatile year for journalism, and nonprofit news in particular. From threats to 501(c)(3) status, increased safety risks for reporters on the ground, funding rescissions, and more demand on philanthropy to cover federal funding gaps across various nonprofit sectors, the latest INN Index gives us a glimpse into how INN members fared in a trying year.
New data from the 2026 INN Index, the ninth annual survey of INN members across North America, is primarily derived from responses from 412 members—a participation rate of 93%.
This year’s findings show signs of a field that is continuing to grow, while the median individual member newsroom approaches a financial plateau. In 2025, the INN Network generated over $750 million in combined revenue, a 14% increase from 2024 and the highest total figure since the INN Index started collecting this data, which demonstrates that the field as a whole is not shrinking. But at the individual newsroom level, median annual revenues dipped slightly from 2024 figures to $525,000. Many newsrooms reported reductions in charitable revenue due to the political climate (a timely topic that was added to this year’s survey), but the data also shows a slight increase in individual donor giving as a share of total revenue, signaling that at least some of the volatility of the past year was temporarily mitigated by increased donor support.
Local outlets and those that cover general news and events are increasingly transforming the profile of INN membership. Local outlets, once a minority of the network, now make up 54% of membership and were the main coverage area focus of all of the nine startup members that began publishing in 2025. A majority of INN members (54%) now cover a broad range of topics; 48% prioritize current news and events, a shift from the early days of nonprofit news that focused more on investigative reporting.
On the audience side, the median web traffic and newsletter subscribers continued to tick upward. A majority of the INN network either increased or maintained their web traffic and newsletter subscriber lists, though the data shows that growth largely concentrated among particular segments of newsrooms rather than a field-wide trend. In 2025, the smallest outlets (with revenue under $2M) and the largest outlets ($5M+ revenue) saw gains in unique monthly visitors, while outlets with revenues between $2M-$5M saw losses. And while the majority of INN member outlets saw growth in newsletter audiences, the losses here were concentrated among the largest outlets (those with $5M+ in revenue).
In addition to field-wide benchmarks, the INN Index survey also examines topics of particular relevance to the field at that moment. In 2025, those topics included the adoption of artificial intelligence in nonprofit newsrooms and the effects of the current political climate on nonprofit news.
AI-based tools are now in use at 81% of nonprofit news organizations, a sharp rise from 63% in 2024 and 34% in 2023, when we first asked this question. Use cases are concentrated in editorial support and operations rather than in writing or editing stories themselves. On the political climate, more than three-quarters of publishers reported experiencing negative impacts in 2025, citing shrinking charitable revenue and a rise in misinformation aimed at their markets as top concerns.
This Index report also includes a dedicated highlight section on INN’s cohort of public media member newsrooms, a segment of the membership that was hit directly when the Corporation for Public Broadcasting shut down due to federal budget cuts. While the crisis led to a surge in individual fundraising for many of our public media members, it appears to have also led to pullbacks in corporate sponsorships.
The 2026 Index points to an increasingly local field that is, as a whole, continuing to grow (albeit at a slower pace). But headwinds on funding and audience fronts persist at the individual newsroom level. There are positive glimmers in the growing share of INN members that report drawing on 4+ revenue streams (now at 49%) and in the small increases we’re seeing in expenses related to revenue generation, which we’re optimistic about, point to acknowledgement of capacity-building as a budget priority. But these areas of strength will require continued support and attention as newsrooms navigate an increasingly challenging landscape.
The INN Index is the most comprehensive dataset on nonprofit news in North America.
The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) has conducted its annual Index survey of INN member news organizations since 2018. Those organizations act as a research consortium by sharing their business and editorial statistics to help each other benchmark their own development. This practice helps INN evaluate and better understand new media business models and operational needs to develop programming that supports newsrooms as they form and grow.
Since 2024, INN has leveraged Index data to produce actionable benchmarking data for member news outlets via INN’s Pods program. The Pods program tailors benchmarks to distinct types of nonprofit news organizations — from small hyperlocal community outlets to larger investigative powerhouses and creates opportunities for members to connect with peers facing similar challenges and opportunities.
As the nonprofit news field rapidly evolves, the INN Index serves as a vital resource for understanding what drives this growth — how it’s funded, who it serves and where it’s headed. By tracking and analyzing these trends, INN provides funders, researchers and newsroom leaders with insights that not only strengthen the work of member organizations but also inform strategies to expand access to high-quality information for the public.
Please contact INN’s communications team with any questions or press inquiries.
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS
INN’s Index is made possible thanks to John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, INN’s individual donors, and general support funders, including Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, DAF Giving360 made possible by the Present Progressive Fund, Democracy Fund, Ford Foundation, Howe Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, and Spear Charitable Trust.
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