LION Sustainability Audits - LION Publishers

LION Sustainability Audit

The LION Sustainability Audit offers a low-lift opportunity for LION members to identify and respond constructively to sustainability roadblocks within their organizations. As of June 2025, it's now accessible to all LION members at any time.

TAKE THE AUDIT

You must be a LION member to qualify for a Sustainability Audit.* You can apply to become a LION member here. If you need to renew your membership or don't know your membership status, email membership@lionpublishers.com.

*Unless your organization is in partnership with LION. (See below)

Audit Process

The Audit includes a thorough assessment of your news business, with recommendations and resources to enhance organizational sustainability across all three of LION's sustainability pillars. The process consists of:

A questionnaire to define the current state of your organization in terms of operational, financial, and journalistic metrics
- Most publishers complete this in less than 90 minutes
An immediately available Audit report, containing:
- Level-setting stage assignments to assess your progress toward key markers of sustainability
- Benchmarks offering comparisons against peers in the field
- Recommendations for action with guided resources to enhance organizational sustainability, tailored to your news business
- A summary of your selections for future reference

Audit Research

Read our latest report, a “Roadmap for Local News Sustainability,” which summarizes the most actionable findings from over 450 Sustainability Audits conducted over three years. The newest version of the Audit is the result of 354 Audits, 96 Audit Boosters (progress reports), 450 funding requests, nearly 4,000 hours of expert coaching, and feedback from hundreds of independent news publishers.

READ THE REPORT

Partner with LION

LION often partners with philanthropic and journalism support organizations to provide Sustainability Audits to non-LION members. This allows our partners to assess industry-wide strengths and needs while monitoring progress over time, and offers participating newsrooms the benefits of the evaluation and its associated resources. If you're interested in learning how the LION Sustainability Audit can support the news organizations you work with, please contact Andrew Rockway at andrewrockway@lionpublishers.com.

The LION Sustainability Audits are made possible with generous support from Knight Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Google News Initiative.

FAQ

Who is eligible to participate in the Sustainability Audit?

How can I access the Sustainability Audit?

How much does the Sustainability Audit cost? Is it free?

How often can I take the Sustainability Audit?

Does the Sustainability Audit include direct funding to participating news businesses, like it did in 2022-2024?

What does the Sustainability Audit process entail? How long does it take? And what do I need to complete it?

The Audit questionnaire should take about an hour to complete.

The questionnaire consists of Yes/No, single select, and quantitative questions focused on your news business's operations, finances, revenue, audience, products, and journalism. We recommend that the questionnaire be completed by the organization's senior leader(s), in conjunction with other staff as needed, to answer each question accurately.

You’ll need the following information to complete the Audit questionnaire:

Information about your organization's staff (number of full-time, part-time, contractors, and volunteers)
Information about the technology you use to run your organization
Key processes relating to staffing, management, and daily operations
Your organization’s financial processes and policies, including how you approach accounting and revenue generation
Key financial metrics, if available, including: annual revenue, annual expenses, cash on hand, and revenue from different revenue streams
Key audience metrics and audience processes, if available, including: average monthly users, total members/subscribers, and total newsletter subscribers

After completing the questionnaire, you will receive an Audit report via download and email, containing insights and recommendations tailored to your news business.

When and how will I receive my results and report from the Sustainability Audit?

After completing the questionnaire, your Audit report and a copy of your questionnaire response will be available for immediate download. You will also receive both documents via email to the address you provided in your questionnaire response, sent within 10 minutes of completing your questionnaire. If you have questions about your results or difficulty accessing your report, email Andrew Rockway at andrewrockway@lionpublishers.com.

Who will have access to the data collected from the Sustainability Audits?

Participant Experience

Nearly 350 LION members participated in the Sustainability Audit program in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Ninety-three percent of participating organizations said the Audit has had or will have a positive impact on making their news business more sustainable. Here’s what some of the participating organizations have said:

"Stepping back to look at the health of our organization is important for telling funders about our strengths and potential, building trust with our audience, and working with our team to do effective strategic planning for the future. We appreciate the thoughtful questions and thorough interview to document our pain points, successes, and opportunities now that they are spelled out. We'll be sharing this resource with staff and stakeholders."

Katherine Ann Rowlands

Bay City News / Local News Matters

"I was scared when I first signed up for the Audit, but it turned out to be a truly nurturing process. The questionnaire takes time and a lot of self-compassion, but it's SO WORTH IT when you get the list of recommendations. I left the experience feeling grateful to have experts in the field help me on the path to sustainability with a practical guide."

Camille Padilla Dalmau

9 Millones

"Some of the analysis is hard to swallow because it makes one confront shortcomings or the true cost of lack of resources, but overall, it's like going to therapy or having an honest annual health check-up. It doesn't mean you have to take the doctor's advice, but in your heart, you know that if you want to live long or, in this case, grow sustainably and prosper, there are best practices. Asking for help is the hardest step, and I appreciate LION reaching out to me to make this happen."

Carol Robidoux

Manchester Ink Link

“This was a phenomenal process. It's a wonderful way to gauge my progress and prepare for my future.”

Travers Johnson

Queerency

“This was a unique opportunity for us to get an objective look at our organizational sustainability, and benchmark us with our peers. What a gift!”

Kelsey Ryan

The Beacon

“I found it to be very helpful and gave me great ideas to strengthen our community engagement. I look forward to exploring the ideas and advice I received.”

Shannon Shaw Duty

Osage News

"This Audit was spot on. I feel more confident in growing my business. My toolbox is full, and I can't wait to implement these changes. I'm also looking forward to sleeping well and not working a bazillion hours a day wondering why I thought it was a good idea to start my business."

Denise Lockwood

Racine County Eye