LION, Press Forward partner for grantee sustainability program

Press Forward, a national network working to strengthen local news, and LION Publishers are teaming up for a program that offers targeted business coaching at scale to the 205 news providers that received Closing Coverage Gaps grants in 2024.

Each news organization has identified clear opportunities for growth through LION’s Sustainability Audits, our signature product to evaluate the health of a news business, as well as its position on LION’s Maturity Model for digital news organizations. Since the launch of the Sustainability Audit program in June 2025, more than 400 organizations have received an Audit.

“These local newsrooms are the heartbeat of their communities. They’re telling the stories that connect neighbors, hold institutions accountable, and celebrate what makes each place unique. But good journalism can only thrive when the business behind it is healthy. By partnering with LION to provide Audits and coaching, we’re helping these outlets solidify that foundation, so vital local news continues for the coming generations,” said Dale Anglin, executive director of Press Forward.

Eighty-five organizations in the Closing Coverage Gaps cohort were LION members at the time of their grants; the remaining 120 organizations will also get Audits and coaching through the program. So for the first time, a LION program will serve more non-members than members.

“LION was excited to see Press Forward prioritize small independent news organizations for its first grant,” said Chris Krewson, executive director at LION Publishers. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring our expertise and tools to all 205 of these news outlets.”

LION has partnered with Blue Engine Collaborative, a coaching organization that has worked globally with more than 1,800 news organizations, to deliver coaching that supports each organization’s goal. Participating organizations will take a final Sustainability Audit in late 2026 to measure their progress in key areas like revenue growth, audience development, and operations. Press Forward will also receive a custom dashboard that will display key sustainability indicators for their cohort of news organizations.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to roll up our sleeves alongside this group of local news leaders to help them build on the commitment that Press Forward and LION have made to strengthen local news for the long run,” said Tim Griggs, founder and CEO of Blue Engine. “We love working with organizations that know sustainability does not come easy – but rather through one deliberate step at a time, and often with the help of others.”

What we’re seeing in the first set of Audit data

Over half of the Press Forward grantees already define, track, and use journalistic impact metrics to inform their revenue and product strategy, showing a healthy engagement with key organizational data. Moving forward, the biggest opportunities are centered around building the business engine behind the journalism. Here are a few ways organizations can do that:

1. Hire or dedicate someone to focus on revenue 
2. Share leadership to prevent burnout
3. Produce or refresh a one- or three-year plan
4. Strengthen systems and workflows through standardization and documentation
5. Use audience data to inform decisions 

A glimpse at the grantees

Press Forward’s grantees are in all 50 states, with 40 percent of grantees headed by Black, Indigenous, and other leaders of color, and 25 percent of recipients serving rural communities.

Here is more that we’ve discovered from the first round of Sustainability Audits.

The tax status distribution of the organizations leans slightly more toward non-profits or fiscally sponsored organizations than what we see across LION’s membership, with roughly half of the organizations falling into those categories.

A majority of grantees fall into the small but mighty category, with nearly three in four organizations reporting five or fewer full-time employees.

The usual news products, originally reported articles and newsletters, feature heavily in this cohort’s strategies, supplemented by events and video, which are present for three out of four organizations. Fifty percent of organizations also produce print products.

Roughly half of the organizations reported reader revenue from either memberships or subscriptions, and about a third of organizations that host events utilize them for revenue generation. 

Ninety percent of organizations reported revenue from three or more streams, showing signs of the foundations needed to develop healthy revenue mixes. The work to be done focuses on more evenly distributing revenue across those streams, with 35 percent of organizations reporting a single stream accounting for 80 percent or more of their revenue, and another 30 percent reporting a single stream accounting for more than 60 percent of annual revenue.  

By 2026, each participating newsroom will have measurable data on its progress and a roadmap to continue building financial strength and audience trust. That kind of evidence-based growth will not only benefit these 205 outlets but will also inform the next generation of initiatives aimed at reimagining how local news survives and succeeds in a rapidly changing world.

About Press Forward

Press Forward is a network with chapters nationwide, working to strengthen local news so communities stay informed, connected, and engaged. With more than 40 place-based chapters and over $400 million invested, we support sustainable models, close coverage gaps, and cultivate the local news champions that help ensure everyone has access to reliable information. Together, we can write a new story for local news. Learn more at pressforward.news.

Learn more about LION here.

If you’re a funder interested in learning more about LION’s work, contact us at hello@lionpublishers.com.