Introduction

This chapter examines the creation, funding, and operation of nonprofit accountability news sites in the United States. The central question it addresses is whether philanthropically funded centers are sustainable in the longer term. This is important because these new organizations have demonstrated that they can produce serious journalism that serves or can serve democracy. Of direct relevance are the economic, political, and mainstream media sectors. For nonprofit news organizations, the biggest source of revenue derives from philanthropic grants. These funders – foundations and wealthy individuals – constitute an economic sector. The expansion of the nonprofit accountability reporting sector in the United States coincided with a period when commercial media were under extraordinary financial stress. The 2007–2009 financial crisis was the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. The financial turmoil led to a sharp decline in newspaper and broadcast advertising revenue, leading to widespread job cuts and foreboding about the journalism and democracy.