Gift Acceptance Policy

The American Journalism Project has a gift policy informed by the belief that donors supporting independent journalism are uniquely courageous and visionary philanthropists who understand the urgency of the decline in local news and its impact on our country. Given the market failure in local news, we must rally a broad and diverse base of supporters to both solve the problem over the long-term and ensure revenue diversification and sustainability for our mission. At the same time, journalism efforts supported by philanthropy must safeguard editorial independence, both real and perceived, in order to maintain public trust. 

As a policy, the American Journalism Project welcomes donations that comply with the following guidelines:

  • The American Journalism Project generally accepts unrestricted donations of cash or publicly traded stocks or bonds from individual philanthropists, family foundations, institutional funders, and corporate partners, consistent with this policy.
  • The American Journalism Project declines donations from political parties, elected officials, or candidates actively seeking public office.
  • The American Journalism Project considers restricted donations, when aligned with strategy and priorities.
  • Donors to the American Journalism Project agree to the operational independence of the American Journalism Project and the editorial independence of the local news organizations we support.
  • The American Journalism Project may decline or discontinue donations that do not align with our values, mission, or commitment to editorial and operational independence, or that pose a material reputational risk to the organization or the local news organizations we support.
  • Acceptance of a donation does not constitute endorsement of a donor’s broader business practices or positions, and the American Journalism Project reserves the right to reassess donor relationships as circumstances or information evolve.

In general, the American Journalism Project — in line with INN Membership Standards — publicly names any donors contributing $5,000 or more in a year. In limited circumstances, a donor may request to not be listed publicly on our website; such requests are considered only for unrestricted gifts and only when total anonymous donations do not exceed 15% of our organization’s annual revenue. You can read more about our commitment to transparency in our financial reporting here.