Welcome to new NNA Allied Member, The Lenfest Institute
Oct 15, 2025
The Lenfest Institute was founded in 2016 by the late cable TV entrepreneur H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest. Lenfest donated his ownership of The Philadelphia Inquirer and gifted to the Institute an initial endowment of $20 million, which has since been supplemented by other donors, for investment in innovative news initiatives, new technology and new models for sustainable journalism.
The Institute’s guiding mission is that every community needs and deserves a great news organization. Today, the Institute helps organizations across the U.S. build sustainable business models and serve their communities with reliable journalism.
CORE AREAS OF FOCUS
- Digital transformation and business solutions for sustainable local news coverage, supporting news organizations as they build digital products and develop solutions-oriented coverage that helps communities flourish.
- Equitably meeting the news and information needs of diverse communities by defining different pathways to sustainability for publishers to ensure they are reflective of the communities they’re serving.
- Creating national support networks for news professionals. Recognizing that one news solution cannot solve every challenge, the Institute offers strategic advisory services and builds Communities of Practice for news professionals to collaborate and share best practices.
Among the Institute’s other core programs and resources are Beyond Print, Fiscal Sponsorships, Lenfest AI Collaborative and Fellowship Program, Lenfest Local News Infrastructure Fund and Lenfest Advisory Programs.
