LION seeks 40 nonprofit local publishers who need HR and financial management support

The independent publishing industry is diverse, but there’s one thing that LION Publishers hears most often from local news leaders – there’s not enough time to take care of the business side of their operations.

That’s why we are now scaling our model of providing expert guidance and tactical support for newsrooms that want to strengthen their HR or financial systems. Over the past 18 months, we’ve found that combining training with dedicated hours from experienced consultants is a winning combination to help publishers more effectively fundraise, hire new staff, and grow their businesses.

In 2026, LION invites our nonprofit members and members of other national journalism support organizations such as the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) and AAN to apply to receive HR or financial management consulting with Big Change Consulting (BCC). We selected BCC as our partner for this program because of their deep experience with nonprofits, particularly local organizations across the country that share many of the same challenges as local publishers.

This program is made possible through the generous support of a Press Forward Infrastructure grant. In 2027, LION will convene a cohort of 40 for-profit newsrooms to receive similar services.

Nonprofit newsrooms selected for this program in 2026 will receive:

• A LION Sustainability Audit and follow-up Audit after the program, which tracks activities in three pillars of sustainability: operational resilience, financial health, and journalistic impact 
• Individual assessment and recommendations from BCC to determine priority projects to be completed
• Up to five deliverables, such as an employee handbook or setting up a system to track restricted vs. unrestricted funding, will be completed virtually with you by HR or financial consultants 
• Group virtual training, resources, and templates to help you deepen your understanding of best practices in financial management and human resources 
• An invitation to join BCC and other members of the cohort for in-person learning at the 2026 Independent News Sustainability Summit in San Diego, CA

Selected newsrooms will spend six months working with a consultant on either HR or finance deliverables with BCC between March and September 2026.

Eligibility

Newsrooms must…

• Have 501c3 status or be working to become an independent 501c3 this year 
• Be an active member of LION, INN, or AAN 
• Have at least two FTE positions on your team 
• Have annual revenue of at least $75k in the previous fiscal year

Program Requirements

• This program is designed for organizational leaders, and participating staff must have oversight and decision-making authority in finance or HR processes and systems 
• Participants must be able to commit to 3-5 hours a week for six months to this program
• Participants must commit to sharing financial and/or HR documentation with the consultants
• Participants must complete a LION Sustainability Audit at the start of the program and a follow-up Audit one year later (LION members that completed the latest version of the Audit in 2024 will not be required to complete a new Audit for onboarding)

Application

UPDATE: The application should take 20 minutes or less to complete, and the deadline to apply is 8 p.m. PT on Friday, February 6, 2026.

If you have any questions about this program, reach out to LION’s Director of Programs, Sarah Gustavus Lim (sarahlim@lionpublisher.com). 

Note: The consulting hours and Sustainability Audits are fully covered, but there is no additional funding associated with this program.