24 of us already own this. We're inviting 50 more — about $1,250/month, or $15,000/year in sustainable recurring support.

What Does Ownership Look Like?

In two years, AfroLA has become one of the most award-winning newsrooms in Los Angeles - owned by the community, not corporations.

🏆 12 LA Press Club awards — more than newsrooms with 10x our budget
📰 240,000+ readers for our Water & Power investigation in a single day — No. 1 on The Guardian within hours
🎓 More than 20 student reporters trained since we launched
🗺️ 150+ Black businesses in our soon-to-relaunch Buy Black LA directory
🗒️ 47+ stories in 2025 on justice, housing, education, and community — stories no one else is telling

This happened because 24 people decided to own it. Now we're inviting 50 more.

Why Ownership Matters

The L.A. Times is owned by a billionaire. LAist is owned by public radio.

AfroLA is owned by Black Los Angeles.

When you become an owner, you're not giving charity — you're sustaining community-owned media that answers to us. Your support keeps this work free, independent, and accountable to Black LA.

What Your Ownership Funds

Every tier sustains the same mission — fair-wage Black journalism, free for everyone. The more you give, the more it powers.

$10/month — Owner Sustains fair-wage reporting, supports paid student training, and keeps AfroLA free with no paywall.

$25/month — Sustaining Owner Everything above, plus solutions journalism and interactive storytelling tools — maps down to your neighborhood, accountability trackers, quality-of-life dashboards.

$50/month — Founding Owner Everything above, plus sustainable reporter wages and expanded student programs: high school partnerships and college fellowships.

You can adjust or cancel anytime.

The Math

50 new monthly owners at an average of $25/month = $1,250/month — $15,000/year in recurring revenue.

Together, that funds:

🔍 500+ hours of investigative reporting
🎓 20+ student reporters, paid fairly
🗺️ 150+ new businesses added to Buy Black LA
📊 Quarterly impact reports to every owner
🎤 4+ community listening sessions across South LA

If 50 of us own this, we build something that lasts.

Who's Already Owning This?

“I support AfroLA because we cannot rely on mainstream media to consistently cover the cultural, historical, and political impact of the Black community in Los Angeles. I value journalism that stays close to the community, makes space for voices that deserve to be heard, and brings forward perspectives that are often overlooked. Supporting AfroLA means supporting a more honest and complete representation of Los Angeles.”

— Liz, Long Beach, donor since January 2025

24 owners got us here. 50 more will take us into the future.

What Owners Get

✅ Quarterly impact reports — see exactly what your dollars funded
✅ Owners-only updates — behind-the-scenes on investigations in progress
✅ Recognition — your name in our 2026 Annual Report (optional)
✅ Community access — invitations to listening sessions and newsroom events
✅ The knowledge that you own a piece of Black media that can't be bought or silenced

3 Ways to Own This

1. Monthly Owner — $10 to $50/month (recommended) Predictable, recurring support lets us plan long-term investigations and train student journalists for full semesters, not single stories. $10/month = $120/year of steady impact. Adjust or cancel anytime.

2. Founding Owner — $250+ one-time A larger one-time investment for immediate needs — equipment, training, events. Tax-deductible, and recognized as a Founding Owner in our Annual Report.

3. Start Small — $25 to $100 one-time See our work before committing monthly. Every dollar matters, and you can upgrade to monthly anytime.

Ownership means:

We answer to the community, not shareholders
Your dollars fund Black reporters, not corporate executives
We tell stories mainstream outlets won't touch
This platform lasts beyond grant cycles and foundation whims

FAQs

Is this tax-deductible? Yes. AfroLA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. You'll receive a receipt for tax purposes.

Can I cancel? Anytime, from your donor portal. No questions asked.

Where does my money go? 60% to reporting (investigations, student training, storytelling tools), 25% to community programs (Buy Black LA, listening sessions, events), 15% to operations. We publish detailed financials in our Annual Report.

What if I can't afford $10/month? Even $5/month makes a difference — or share this campaign with someone who can give.

How is this different from the L.A. Times or LAist? L.A. Times is corporate-owned and paywalled. LAist is public-radio-owned. AfroLA is community-owned, free forever, and accountable to Black LA.

Can I give more than $50/month? Yes — email dana@afrolanews.org to discuss major ownership opportunities.

What does "ownership" mean? Monthly owners sustain AfroLA through recurring support. You don't receive legal equity or voting rights — AfroLA is a nonprofit, not a company — but you do get quarterly impact reports, recognition in our Annual Report, and invitations to community events. Think of it like owning a piece of public radio through membership.

This is your invitation — not to donate, not to "support," but to own.

Black Los Angeles deserves media we control. Media that can't be bought. Media that lasts.

We Own This. Will you?

AfroLA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 88-2517496
All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

We Own This: Black L.A. owns this. Not a billionaire.

Community-powered journalism for Black Los Angeles — owned by us, not a billionaire, not a corporation. Become a monthly owner from $10.