The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Founded in 2009 as the Investigative News Network, INN operates as a consortium and support network for nonprofit journalism organizations. The organization strengthens and supports over 450 independent news organizations across the United States, functioning as an incubator that provides education, business support services, training, and back-office services to its member newsrooms.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$8.7M
+16.6% YoY
Revenue
$15.6M
+83.6% YoY
Net Investment Income
$183K
+34.0% YoY
Expenses
$15.7M
+58.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
INN's mission is to provide education and business support services to nonprofit member organizations and promote the value and benefit of public-service and investigative journalism. The organization aims to further a free democracy by educating citizens and communities through trustworthy, independent news.
Primary program activities include:
- Developing and disseminating resources promoting investigative, public interest, and educational reporting
- Conducting training seminars on best practices and fundraising
- Distributing investigative news content on a global scale
- Facilitating collaborations between member organizations
- Providing fiscal sponsorship services for nonprofit news projects
Grantmaking
INN provides grants and financial support to member newsrooms. In 2024, INN delivered more than $14 million to member newsrooms. Recent grantmaking includes:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
INN supports nonprofit news organizations across the United States, with a national scope. Recent activity includes providing grants to newsrooms in Washington and Alaska for disaster response coverage.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total Assets: $8,704,213
- Total Revenues: $15,597,014
- Total Expenses: $15,663,062
Assets & Revenue (2023):
- Total Assets: $7,463,456
- Total Revenues: $8,495,751
- Total Expenses: $9,894,827
Organization Details:
- EIN: 27-2614911
- Tax-exempt status: Unconditional exemption since March 2012
- Contribution deductibility: Contributions are tax-deductible
- Employees: 28-30 staff members
- Membership: 475 member organizations (2024)
Funding History:
- Grant from Patrick J. McGovern Foundation: $200,000 (December 2023)
- Prior grant: $3.5 million (March 2019)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $8,704,213 | $7,463,456 | $8,590,184 |
| Revenue | $15,597,014 | $8,495,751 | $8,202,036 |
| Expenses | $15,663,062 | $9,894,827 | $6,442,637 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $182,570 | $136,266 | $35,789 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 0 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
134 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Institute for Nonprofit News
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Key executives include:
- Karen Rundlet: Leadership role
- Soraya Membreno: Chief Operating Officer
- Lisa Gardner-springer: Chief Development Officer
- Jonathan Kealing: Chief Network Officer
- Charles Potts: Director of Finance and Operations
- Sharene Azimi: Communications Director
- Chip Potts: Director of Finance (fiscal sponsorship contact)
- Glynnis Melnicove: Research Director
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KAREN RUNDLET | CEO | 40 | $214,828 |
| COURTNEY LEWIS | GROWTH OFFICER | 40 | $161,205 |
| CHARLES POTTS JR | DIR. OF FINANCE | 40 | $157,058 |
| JOHNATHAN KEALING | NETWORK OFFICER | 40 | $141,480 |
| LISA M GARDNER-SPRINGER | CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER | 40 | $138,038 |
| SORAYA MEMBRENO | COO | 40 | $132,090 |
| STEPHANIE SCHENKEL | NETWORK PHILANTHROPY DIRECTOR | 40 | $131,018 |
| SHARENE AZIMI | DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS | 40 | $123,958 |
| EMILY ROSEMAN | INN INDEX DIRECTOR | 40 | $115,043 |
| MARCIA PARKER | Chairman | 10 | — |
| BRUCE THERIAULT | Treasurer | 10 | — |
| RON SMITH | Secretary | 5 | — |
| KINSEY WILSON | Director | 5 | — |
| JOHN ADAMS | Director | 5 | — |
| VALERIA FERNANDEZ | Director | 5 | — |
| LUCAS GRINDLEY | Director | 5 | — |
| MARK HORVIT | Director | 5 | — |
| KYRA KYLES | Director | 5 | — |
| HSIU MEI WONG | Director | 5 | — |
| CARLA MINET | Director | 5 | — |
| GRACIELA MOCHKOSFKY | Director | 5 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
INN delivered more than $14 million to member newsrooms in 2024
INN delivered more than $14 million to member newsrooms in 2024 - INN NewsINN provided grants to newsrooms in Washington and Alaska for natural disaster response coverage
Continued natural disaster response: INN provides grants to newsrooms inThe organization hosts the Nonprofit News Awards, recognizing excellence in nonprofit journalism
Nonprofit News Awards Entry InstructionsINN maintains an active membership network of 475 nonprofit news organizations
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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