Why philanthropy should back creator-model journalism

By Liz Kelly Nelson

November 13, 2025

This resource is part of the Creator Journalism Trust and Credibility Toolkit from the Knight Communities Network, Project C, and Trusting News, which helps funders identify — and fund — creator journalists in their local ecosystem. Find more information here, or reach out to Project C and Trusting News.  

As foundations and civic funders continue to sustain nonprofit newsrooms and invest in the future of public media, there is a parallel opportunity to broaden that commitment: supporting creator-model journalism. 

These independent, audience-rooted, and digitally native voices are already reporting, explaining, and investigating in communities large and small. Philanthropy can play a pivotal role in helping this emerging space thrive, becoming a partner in building out the places where audiences are increasingly turning for trusted news and information

Across newsletters, podcasts, YouTube channels, TikTok feeds, and independent websites, a diverse group of creators is producing reporting, commentary, investigations, and public-service journalism. Independent creator journalists like Bryan Vance in Portland and Amber Sherman in Memphis are reaching audiences in ways that legacy institutions often cannot, bringing news and analysis directly into spaces where people already spend their time.

Yet for all their creativity and reach, these journalism creators are navigating precarious financial terrain – especially at the local level. Too often, their livelihoods are dependent on platform algorithms, one-off sponsorships, or small but loyal subscriber bases. Without intentional investment, many of these voices risk fading just as they are beginning to prove their value to the wider information ecosystem.

Philanthropy has a rare opportunity: to support innovation, not just preservation. To invest upstream in the next generation of journalism – not only as an experiment, but as a pathway to sustainable, diversified media ecosystems.

Why creator journalists deserve philanthropic support

• They deepen local and niche coverage – Creator journalists often specialize in under-covered beats, diaspora communities, or niche verticals. They can swoop into places legacy outlets can’t. Supporting them expands the total coverage footprint rather than competing for the same slices.

• They build trust and accountability from the ground up – Many creators grow audience trust through transparency, direct relationship with readers, leveraging community feedback, and rooting themselves in place. Funding them amplifies trust-centric models.

• They push media innovation – From newsletters to vertical video to collaborative licensing, many creator journalists prototype formats and revenue models more agilely than institutions. Philanthropic investment accelerates experimentation and reduces risk for individual creators.

• They offer high leverage and scalability – Supporting a creator often costs less (in overhead and fixed cost) than scaling a newsroom with rent, infrastructure, and staff. Growth can come via partnerships, syndication, or platform support, magnifying impact.

• They diversify the journalistic ecosystem – Relying only on nonprofits and institutional media creates gatekeeping risks and homogeneity in coverage. Creator funding helps pluralism by enabling independent voices to flourish.

How to fund with intention

One common question we hear from funders is how they can legally support creator-journalists when most operate as for-profit businesses. The answer is straightforward: fiscal sponsorship. Through a nonprofit sponsor, grants can flow to for-profit creators while still meeting tax and compliance requirements. It’s a familiar mechanism used across journalism and civic tech, and it allows funders to back creators’ projects without requiring them to establish their own 501(c)(3).

For more detail on how this works, I wrote a step-by-step explainer earlier this year: So You Want to Fund Creator-Model Journalism but Don’t Know Where to Start?

To make philanthropic bets that matter, foundations and donors should consider these approaches:

• Open micro-grants and matching funds: Small grants give creators runway to experiment with paywalls, sponsorship models, or audience growth.
• Partnership support, not parachutes: Back creators with resources or training (tech, legal, editorial) rather than just capital, helping them scale sustainably.
• Revenue-bridge funds: Provide matching or advance funding to help creators transition from launch to sustainability.
• Flexible multi-year support: Creator ecosystems mature unevenly. One-year grants rarely suffice.
• Technical & infrastructure investment: Support shared tools or pre-existing organizations helping creator journalists with things like training, licensing, audience analytics, legal services, and discoverability platforms creators need.

Success signals already emerging

We’re already seeing encouraging signs that creator-model journalism is gaining traction. Independent ventures – whether newsletters, video platforms, or podcasts – are reaching six- and seven-figure revenue milestones, proving that sustainable businesses can be built outside traditional structures. 

Legacy publishers are taking notice as well, experimenting with “creator collab” programs that signal growing institutional confidence in creator-led content. Platforms themselves are fueling the trend by rolling out new monetization tools such as tipping, memberships, and revenue-sharing programs designed with creators in mind. 

At the same time, funders are beginning to experiment with pilot grants for creator-storytellers. These efforts may be modest or symbolic for now, but they represent important early investments in what is fast becoming a central pillar of the news ecosystem.

What philanthropic leaders can do next:

• Pilot creator journalism grant programs in your region or issue area.
• Incentivize collaboration between nonprofits, local newsrooms, and creators (co-publishing, licensing).
• Commission research to map creator ecosystems and audience flows.
• Build convener roles that bring creators, institutions, and funders into regular dialogue.

If you want to seed a next wave of journalism infrastructure, supporting creator journalists is not a diversion – it is the future.