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CAPITAL B NEWS INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 853905902 · Form 990 · FY2023 · NTEE A33 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Medium ($1M-$10M) · capitalbnews.org
revenue
$4.6M
expenses
$4.6M
net assets
$7.8M
employees
33
volunteers
4
program ratio
66%
mission · from form 990

CAPITAL B IS A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND LOCAL AND NATIONAL NONPROFIT NEWS ORGANIZATION REPORTING FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. OUR MISSION IS TO COMBAT INEQUALITY AND BUILD MORE INFORMED BLACK COMMUNITIES THROUGH ACCESSIBLE, TRANSPARENT AND EXCEPTIONAL JOURNALISM.

profile · synthesized from sources

Capital B News is a nonprofit journalism organization focused on reporting for Black communities across the United States. It produces local and national news coverage to combat inequality and strengthen informed civic engagement. The organization operates in cities including Atlanta and Gary, with a team of reporters, editors, and audience engagement specialists.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $1.04M
    CAPITAL B EXPANDED THE NATIONAL TEAM WITH THE HIRING OF A NATIONAL EDITOR AND POLITICS REPORTER, AND CONTINUED TO PRODUCE UNIQUE, IMPACTFUL COVERAGE.
  2. #2 $889K
    CAPITAL B CONTINUED TO EXPAND OUR AUDIENCE REACH THROUGH AUDIENCE SURVEYS, INCREASING OUR SOCIAL MEDIA REACH, AND HIRING A NEWSLETTER EDITOR TO LEAD OUR NEWSLETTER STRATEGY.
named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Community Engagement
Hosts events and fosters audience interaction to connect journalism with community dialogue and civic participation
Local News Reporting
Produces state and local politics reporting in cities like Atlanta and Gary, focusing on issues impacting Black communities
National Editorial Coverage
Expands national news coverage through a national editor and politics reporter, delivering impactful journalism on systemic inequality
Newsletter Strategy
Develops and distributes newsletters to increase audience reach and deliver curated news to subscribers
activities · 3 groups

What they do

  • Nonprofit Investigative & Community Journalism 3 activities
    • Operates local newsrooms in Atlanta and Gary producing civic and accountability journalism
      Operates local newsrooms in Atlanta and Gary, Indiana, where locally hired journalists report on community-specific issues such as affordable housing, benefits access, voting, education, and criminal justice. These newsrooms publish civic journalism and accountability reporting relevant to local audiences.
    • Produces and distributes free journalism through digital newsletters
      Produces and distributes multiple newsletters, including a national newsletter highlighting key issues in Black American communities, a biweekly analysis of political power dynamics, weekly local newsletters for Atlanta and Gary, and a monthly members-only update with behind-the-scenes insights. These newsletters incorporate experimental storytelling formats and data reporting.
    • Produces national investigative and enterprise journalism on issues affecting Black communities
      Produces in-depth national journalism on topics including politics, health, criminal justice, the environment, and rural issues affecting Black communities. The organization employs a national news team with journalists across the country to produce unique, impactful reporting.
  • Civic Engagement and Voter Mobilization 1 activity
    • Organizes community-centered live events and civic engagement initiatives
      Organizes live events in Atlanta that connect audiences with journalism and local leaders, and conducts civic engagement efforts in Gary, including leadership in local elections through the nonprofit BLACK, to strengthen community participation and democratic engagement.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Advocacy partnership to promote journalism and democracy
      Partnered with Herbert Lowe to publicize the 50th anniversary of the National Association of Black Journalists and highlight its contributions to journalism and democratic discourse.
    • Expands audience reach and engagement through digital strategy
      Expanded audience reach by conducting audience surveys, increasing social media presence, and hiring a newsletter editor to lead strategy, improving public access to and engagement with its journalism.
financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$4.63M
Contributions & grants$4.58M99%
Program service revenue$49K1%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$4.65M
Program expenses66%
Admin / overhead20%
Fundraising14%
Salaries & benefits$3.56M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$7.90M
Cash$6.23M
Investments$0
Liabilities$77K
Net assets$7.82M
Liquid reserves16.1 mo
3 years on record · 2021–2023 · YoY revenue -29.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023

Who runs it

paid leadership · 8
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
LAUREN WILLIAMS PRESIDENT & CEO 60 $276K
AKOTO OFORI-ATTA TREASURER/SECRETARY/CAO 60 $253K
GILLIAN WHITE CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER OF REVENUE & PLANNING 40 $242K
SIMONE SEBASTIAN EDITORIAL DIRECTOR 40 $176K
MICHELLE WILLIAMS GROWTH & PARTNERSHIPS DIRE 40 $143K
DALILA PAUL NATIONAL EDITOR 40 $134K
CHARITY SCOTT AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT EDITOR 40 $131K
CHRISTINA CARREGA NATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE REPORTER 40 $117K
board members · 4
  • MARSHA COOKE — DIRECTOR
  • MATT THOMPSON — DIRECTOR
  • MAURISSE JOHNSON — DIRECTOR
  • SARABETH BERMAN — DIRECTOR
relationships · 8

Who they work with

  • Akoto Ofori-Atta Partner — Cofounded Capital B News Inc in 2021
  • American Journalism Project Funder — Sarabeth Berman, CEO of American Journalism Project, serves on Capital B's board.
  • Building Leaders Advancing Community Knowledge (BLACK) Partner — Collaborates with Capital B through community engagement editor Derreka Rollins, who is a founding member and led civic engagement efforts for local elections.
  • ESPN Films Partner — Marsha Cooke, vice president and executive producer at ESPN Films, serves on Capital B's board.
  • Herbert Lowe Partner — Collaborated on a special project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National Association of Black Journalists.
  • Lauren Williams Partner — Cofounded Capital B News Inc in 2021
  • New York Times Partner — Matt Thompson, Editor of Headway at the New York Times, serves on Capital B's board.
  • Solutions Journalism Network Partner — Maurisse Johnson, CFO of Solutions Journalism Network, serves on Capital B's board.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Amplification of Untold Stories
    methodology: untold_stories
    By focusing on uncovering stories from Black communities that are overlooked by mainstream media, we challenge information inequities, because surfacing hidden narratives strengthens collective understanding and democratic participation.
  • Black-Led, Community-Centered Storytelling
    methodology: independent_black_led_journalism
    By producing independent journalism that centers Black voices and supports community-led storytelling, we increase trust and representation in media, because narratives rooted in lived experience lead to more authentic and accountable reporting.
  • Community-Engaged Journalism
    methodology: community-engaged_journalism
    By centering community listening and engagement in the reporting process, we produce more relevant and impactful journalism on civic issues and accountability, because involving communities directly ensures coverage reflects their lived experiences and priorities.