Become a Host Newsroom

We help you bring accountability journalism to community news gaps you’ve long wanted to fill—but haven’t had the resources.

Report for America strengthens local newsrooms across the country by providing talent, funding and fundraising support. To date, Report for America has partnered with more than 450+ newsrooms across the U.S. in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C. and Guam.  

Our Impact Since 2017

JOURNALISTS PLACED IN NEWSROOMS
0
NEWSROOM PARTNERS SUPPORTED
0
RAISED LOCALLY FOR NEWSROOMS
$ 0 M

As a Report for America host newsroom, you will join a growing network of newsrooms who have received transformative assistance from our program.  We’re here to help you grow, too.

  • We’ll recruit a slate of journalists passionate about the beat you’ve designated as a coverage need.
  • We’ll help show you new ways to raise money locally. Since 2017, our  partner newsrooms have raised $59.9 million from institutions, individuals, major donors and corporations to cover their portion of their corps members’ salaries and benefits.  Read more about our local news sustainability work here.
  • We pay half the journalist’s salary the first year, a third of the salary the second year and 20% the optional third year.
  • You gain access to a network of over 100+ like-minded host newsrooms to collaborate with and use as a resource.
  • Through our partnership, your newsroom will ultimately expand and grow more sustainable.
Interested in learning more? Our recruitment team hosts regular information sessions. Sign up for a time slot below!
register for an info session

Meet the Report for America recruitment team, and ask questions about becoming a host newsroom. Register now.

Meet the Report for America recruitment team, and ask questions about becoming a host newsroom. Register now.

Meet the Report for America recruitment team, and ask questions about becoming a host newsroom. Register now.

Meet the Report for America recruitment team, and ask questions about becoming a host newsroom. Register now.

Interested in becoming a Report for America newsroom? Sign up for our mailing list to receive updates.

Sign up now

Our Model

We pre-screen early career journalists who meet your needs, and you choose your hire. We pay half their salary, up to $25,000 (our cap is $30,000 for very experienced journalists) and provide them with ongoing training and support while they work for you. Meanwhile, we provide your newsroom with curriculum and coaching to help you fundraise for your share of the salary. 

Our Newsroom Partners

Participating newsroom partners include nonprofit and for-profit organizations, daily and weekly newspapers, digital only newsrooms, TV and radio stations. They’ve been in every state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and Guam.

Learn more

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the main criteria:

  • Is there an important need? (Are there under-covered topics, communities or geographic areas?)
  • What is the beat you’ll create to deploy RFA corps members to help fill your news gap?
  • Can you provide the local match? (see below)
  • Do you provide good editing and mentoring?

Other factors include having the following:

  • A way to distribute the content for maximum impact
  • A good plan for assessing success

Any news organization that is committed to providing objective, civically important local journalism.  That could include public radio and TV stations, newspapers, digital sites, commercial radio and TV stations, wire services, or journalism schools providing direct journalism. The organization can be nonprofit or commercial.

The window to apply for consideration as a host newsroom opens September 15 and the deadline to apply is October 20.  Report for America reviewers will assess applications through November and schedule virtual interviews via Zoom for finalists in December and January. We’ll announce winning host newsrooms in January 2026, and open the corps member application cycle for journalists to apply for the positions.  Host newsrooms will select among a slate of candidates we provide, and they’ll start in your newsroom in July 2026.

 

This term refers to the money you raise in the community to support this reporting position. One of the goals of this program is to encourage local philanthropy to support journalism in a bigger way. We also believe that successful news organizations will have to build stronger community support in general whether its through membership, subscriptions, events or philanthropy. So we strongly encourage news organizations to involve the community to support the RFA corps member.

View all FAQs

Transformative reporting across the nation

Corps members’ stories hold public officials accountable and reveal the complexity and richness of communities.

Reporters’ work
what our partners have to say
“Report for America had an immediate impact, allowing us to reopen a bureau shuttered 7 years ago in an economically tattered corner of America.”​
JOHN STAMPER , Deputy Editor, Lexington Herald-Leader
In Their Words