Poynter's Top Funding Sources
Independent journalism demands transparent financial reporting.
Last Updated: Sept. 2021
The Poynter Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit global leader in journalism, serving democracy through the teaching, practice, promotion and advocacy of ethical, independent reporting for all. We are the home of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership as well as three fact-checking enterprises — the International Fact-Checking Network, the Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact and MediaWise.
We rely on support from several funding sources who value the essential role of the free press in our society, including corporate partners, philanthropic foundations, government agencies and individual donors. We prize our reputation for teaching and journalistic excellence, developed over more than four decades. To protect that reputation, we retain complete independent control over our editorial content, and teaching programs. Regardless of the funding model, Poynter’s faculty and staff have final authority over our work, as outlined in our Ethics Policy.
While all gifts, no matter the size, help us fulfill our mission, we consider contributions of $50,000 or more as significant funding sources that should be revealed to the public. Sources are organized by area of support and listed alphabetically.
Gifts help advance and preserve journalism’s role in democracy by supporting relevant programs that set the standards for the industry’s future. Together, we are improving the quality of journalism by investing in our programs that strengthen and sustain local news, elevate diverse voices in newsrooms and connect journalists and the citizens they serve.
- Charles Koch Institute
- Accelerating the careers of emerging journalists across the country through yearlong programs including Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellowship and Poynter College Media Project.
- Craig Newmark Philanthropies
- Elevating discourse and fact-based expression while battling disinformation and bias at The Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership
- Gannett Foundation
- Transforming the careers of hundreds of women in news media and tech through the Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Media
- Gill Foundation
- Providing unrestricted support to make good journalism better
- Institute for War and Peace Reporting
- Expanding fact-checking training worldwide with the International Fact-Checking Network, serving more than 20 countries including Tunisia, Chile, Sri Lanka, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Fiji, Pakistan and Myanmar.
- John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
- Providing local newsrooms with transformational change consulting
- Lumina Foundation
- Helping journalists tell more impactful stories through topical training
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
- Teaching journalists how to improve jails and policing coverage
- Newton & Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust
- Supporting journalistic excellence in a democratic society
- Rays Baseball Foundation
- Providing sponsorship support at our annual gala for innovative programs that strengthen reporting
- Robert R. McCormick Foundation
- Improving diversity and inclusion in news organizations to better serve audiences nationwide
- TEGNA Foundation
- Providing access and resources to our high school journalism programs
- The Washington Post
- Training journalists of color working in digital media to thrive, professionally and personally, through the Leadership Academy for Diversity in Media