NewsMatch is a national campaign to grow funding and fundraising capacity for local newsrooms around the country. From 2017 to 2022, NewsMatch has increased funding for local newsrooms by over $271 million through matching funds, bonuses, and individual contributions.  Through NewsMatch, individual donations to nonprofit news organizations around the country are matched by national and local funders.

The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) is responsible for coordinating the NewsMatch program and providing training resources and support to participating organizations. This includes training on campaign-specific topics such as how to secure local matches and improve the donor user flow as well as learning on other fundraising topics throughout the year. NewsMatch is supported through the Fund for Nonprofit News, an open collaborative fund at The Miami Foundation. The foundation oversees the fiscal administration of NewsMatch funds and oversees the application and reporting process for NewsMatch. News Revenue Hub provides a series of resources and webinars on digital fundraising best practices. This includes topics around audience development, newsletter engagement, and membership conversion. Most notably, News Revenue Hub produces the NewsMatch Campaign Toolkit which includes a library of templated emails, banner ads, and social media assets that participating newsrooms run their year-end campaign.

The NewsMatch matching gift campaign begins on November 1 and ends on December 31. NewsMatch training and learning experiences are made accessible to INN members throughout the year. The deadline to apply for INN membership to participate in NewsMatch 2023 was April 14, 2023 (learn more about membership). NewsMatch applications for 2023 have now closed.

NewsMatch is open to active members of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN). Standards for INN membership can be found here. The deadline to apply for INN membership in time to participate in NewsMatch was April 14, 2023, but apply for membership now to be considered for the 2024 program.

For questions about your member status, please contact membership@inn.org.

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Each year, NewsMatch determines an individual donation cap and campaign match cap.

The individual donation cap is the maximum amount that will be matched of each individual donation made to an organization. NewsMatch will match any donation by an individual up to this individual donation cap amount. The individual match cap was $1,000 per individual in 2022.

The campaign match cap is the maximum amount that a news organization will receive from NewsMatch. The campaign match cap for eligible newsrooms with operating budgets under $1 million was $15,000 in 2022.

The match cap is calculated based on the size of the NewsMatch fund and the number of participating organizations. NewsMatch actively fundraises until the end of the year, and match cap updates will be announced if applicable.

NewsMatch is much more than a dollar-for-dollar match; it’s a nationwide catalyst for supporting nonprofit journalism. As a newsroom with a budget above $1 million, you’ll benefit from the national messaging campaign promoting the value of local journalism. In addition, you’re still eligible to receive partner funds and bonuses (in 2022, the average payout for these newsrooms was about $14,000), and the NewsMatch team will assist in securing local matches that can be leveraged to grow your NewsMatch pool. Through partnerships with News Revenue Hub , NewsMatch also provides a series of resources and webinars on digital fundraising best practices, including topics around audience development, newsletter engagement, and membership conversion. Training is open to all participating members, regardless of size.

If you are a program participant, you should have received information about how to access the NewsMatch support site. If you’re looking for support resources, email hello@newsmatch.org.