Trusting News is granted tax-exempt status

Published on September 16, 2024October 24, 2024 by Trusting News | Reading Time: 2 minutes

Trusting News has officially secured 501(c)(3) status and has been recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt nonprofit. The organization became independent and applied for exempt status earlier this year after more than eight years of being co-hosted by two other institutions, the American Press Institute and the Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Nonprofit status will strengthen our ability to fundraise and continue to support newsrooms. We’re so grateful to the people who helped us reach this milestone.

First, thank you to Rusty Coats and Journalism Funding Partners for serving as our fiscal sponsor as we’ve made this transition. Rusty’s guidance, flexibility and support have been instrumental.

Second, thank you for the hours of pro bono advice and support provided by Kay Murray and Audrey Tanenbaum at Lawyers for Reporters. In addition to helping us navigate the legalities of establishing a new organization, they took the guesswork out of the IRS application and set us up for success.

Third, thank you to our inaugural board of directors for being willing to invest in our foundation and pave the way for the future. Joining staff members Joy Mayer and Lynn Walsh on the initial board are Andrew DeVigal, director of the Agora Journalism Center at the University of Oregon, Reuben Stern, director of the Missouri School of Journalism’s New York program, and Richard T. Griffiths, retired head of CNN’s editorial quality control team. 

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The Trusting News team is actively fundraising to support its research and programming. With ideas or questions about funding Trusting News, email joy@TrustingNews.org.