LION-GNI Sustainability Audits
The LION-GNI Sustainability Audits and Funding program offers a comprehensive process for LION members to identify and respond constructively to roadblocks to sustainability within their organizations. LION’s goal is to complete 100 audits by the end of 2022.
The program includes a thorough assessment of a local, independent news business, with recommendations and resources to help enhance organizational sustainability. The audit process consists of:
- A questionnaire to define the current state of the organization in terms of operational, financial, and journalism metrics
- An interview with an expert analyst to dive deeper into the questionnaire responses
- An audit report compiled by the analyst and LION staff summarizing organizational strengths and recommendations for action to enhance organizational sustainability
The program, open to all LION members, also offers up to $6,000 in funding to participants who implement a minimum of three action recommendations. You can apply to become a LION member here. If you are not a LION member, please complete your membership application at least three weeks prior to the upcoming audit cycle deadline to be considered for that cycle. Membership applications must be submitted by May 23 to be considered for the July-August Audit cycle.
Apply to participate in the LION-GNI Sustainability Audits and Funding program by completing the application form below. We will accept applications on a rolling basis throughout 2022. To be considered for the July-August Audit cycle, please complete the application by June 13.
One last note: We’ve received many inquiries from funders, researchers and other journalism-support organizations about our Audit. If you’d like to see a copy of the Audit and learn more about our process, reach out to Andrew Rockway at [email protected]. We’re more than happy to share and hear your feedback.
Testimonials
We audited 55 organizations in 2021 as we refined our audit and process. Those early adopters rated the audit’s overall usefulness at a 4.3 out of 5, and reported that it’s been immensely helpful as a way to gain perspective and guidance on their news businesses. Since then, we’ve made even more improvements to prioritize the usefulness of the audit and beta tested it with a handful of publishers earlier this year. Here’s what some of those organizations have said: