FAQ

What kinds of news organizations are you looking for?

We are focused on very small news organizations that target unserved or underserved communities. At this time, we are only accepting U.S.-based news organizations into the Collective.

Do I need journalism experience to found a Tiny News Organization?

We do not require professional journalism experience to be a member of the Collective. We're looking for people who are interested in news and information for communities unserved or underserved by the current news ecosystem. We are especially interested in founders who come from backgrounds historically and systematically shut out of media ownership.

What is Tiny News Collective’s definition of community?

We want to help founders serve a community however you define it. Your geographical footprint may vary depending on where you are and what community you are trying to serve.

What if my organization is already up and running?

In some cases we do accept founders who already have existing sites, and functioning businesses or nonprofits. But our focus is supporting founders who are just getting started, which means the Collective may or may not be the best option for you. If you aren’t sure, feel free to get in touch and we can review our services with you to see if they are relevant to you.

Will I be required to pursue specific revenue streams?

Our technology stack makes it possible for you to pursue multiple kinds of revenue streams such as donations, membership, subscriptions, local advertising or philanthropy. We don’t prescribe what your revenue strategy has to be. We facilitate your ability to experiment and test in order to figure out what works best for your organization and your audience.

How do I sign up?

You can apply when you’re ready. We review applications on a rolling basis.

How much does the Tiny News Collective cost?

We offer different tiers of membership so you can chose the suite of services most relevant to you. Review our tiers for the most up-to-date pricing information.

What are the services the Tiny News Collective is offering?

The Tiny News Collective offers a low-cost, all-inclusive platform for building a news organization from scratch, with training and support to help you design and implement your organization's publishing and business strategy. We offer technology, training, fiscal sponsorship and other services. LION membership is included in the cost, giving founders access to additional training and an entire community to learn from.

Read more about our services →

Is there funding available to founders through the Collective?

We do not provide startup funding to the members of the Collective. Our focus is primarily reducing the costs, risks and time that it takes to get your organization started. We do connect founders with funding opportunities whenever the opportunity arises.

How long can I be in the Collective?

Our goal is to support new founders as they plan, build, test and grow their organization to a point where they are bringing in revenue and have some stability. Sustainability means different things to different people but our hope is that founders can reach a level of sustainability within about two years in the Collective. We define success as founders outgrowing their need for our resources and support. We have no cutoffs or deadlines for your membership. You can stay with TNC for as long as you need.

How easy is it to leave the Collective?

Your organization is yours and you can depart the Collective when you feel it is the right time for you. Our goal is to raise organizations to digital sustainability. Everything you’ve created, from your content to your mailing lists is yours and goes with you when you’re ready.