Washington, D.C. · Nonprofit
ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION
ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION (Washington, D.C.) receives grants from 37 organizations whose IRS filings report $7,987,631 to it, the largest being Democracy Fund Inc ($1,565,000). 15 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $3.8M
- Funders on record
- 37
- Grants received
- $8.0M
- Net assets
- $1.7M
What Online News Association does
Mission
To inspire and support innovation and excellence in digital journalism. Our vision is for the journalism community to boldly innovate to better engage and inform the public.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Conferences and meetings - ona's annual conference brings together journalists from around the country to participate in interactive panel discussions, networking activities, and hands-on workshops aimed at developing innovative strategies for incorporating technology in newsgathering and distribution.regional organizers host professional development events for journalists and technology innovators with a focus on the issues and opportunities unique to each region. Local events are also held virtually, allowing a wider range of ona members to take part in the event. Webinars and other virtual learning events: throughout the year, ona offers multiple virtual trainings on a variety of topics aimed at developing specific skills for digital journalists.
$983,083 spentof which $600 as grants$478,863 earned by the program41% of program spendingPivot program - as a fiscal sponsor for the pivot fund, ona provides administrative support to the pivot program, which is dedicated to helping bipoc-led community news organizations through funding, capacity building, skills-based trainings, and networking opportunities.
$625,100 spentof which $625,100 as grants$45,900 earned by the program26% of program spendingKnowledge sharing - ona's website (www.journalists.org), and e-newsletters nurture online communities through content and database sharing, allowing ona's members to exchange information, find assistance and expertise, raise questions, and engage in digital media issues. Ona provides social media networking to specific demographics through its growing facebook, x (formerly, twitter), linkedin and various membership groups. Ona offers frequent member surveys on online issues and houses free and discounted access to outside webinars, seminars and conferences, as well as free member access to the latest reports, studies, and research on digital journalism issues.
$427,196 spent18% of program spendingAwards - the online journalism awards, launched in may, 2000, are the only comprehensive set of journalism prizes honoring achievements in digital journalism around the world. The awards identify and publicly honor models of excellence in the industry.
$205,231 spentof which $57,000 as grants$165,970 earned by the program9% of program spendingFellowships and outreach - ona focuses on cultivating inclusive newsroom leadership, culture, and diversity. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are incorporated into all areas of ona's work and programming. The programs that include a specific focus on equity and inclusion include the women's leadership accelerator, the digital women leaders, and the hbcu digital media fellowship.
$141,332 spent6% of program spending
The 5 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $2,381,942.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2021 to 2022, from $2.6M to $2.0M (−23%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2020 7% · 2021 12%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
77% of ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION’s revenue is contributions — more donation-reliant than the typical peer (48% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 5 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 5 funders to 14 funders, grant income rose $467k → $1.8M.
10 of 37 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 10% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 37 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 20% of grant income, and it takes 4 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 4 funders to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 52% · 2018 48% · 2019 61% · 2020 64% · 2021 65% · 2022 22% · 2023 22% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
36% of ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 41% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION draws 78% of its grant income from funders outside Washington, D.C., across 11 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $835k arriving through sponsors registered in 8 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION runs a healthier operating margin than half of the 11,752 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 11,752 education nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2024
Organizations like ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Washington, D.C.
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
72% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
63%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 28 states
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION?
- ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION (Washington, D.C.) receives grants from 37 organizations whose IRS filings report $7,987,631 to it, the largest being Democracy Fund Inc ($1,565,000). 15 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION have?
- IRS filings report 37 organizations giving $7,987,631 in grants to ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION, 15 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION?
- Democracy Fund Inc is the largest funder on record, with $1,565,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like ONLINE NEWS ASSOCIATION find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Washington, D.C.. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 37 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing