How Civic Media Is Funded
We ask the public to scrutinize the institutions we cover, so we hold ourselves to the same standard. This page lays out where our money comes from, what it can and cannot do to our journalism, and what we are able to disclose. It is a companion to our Editorial Policy and News Ethics and Standards.
The short version
Outside money does not buy our coverage. No advertiser, sponsor, or grant funder decides what we report or what we conclude, sees our work before it runs, or is promised anything about it. Our content does carry a point of view, shaped by our values and our leadership, openly and by design, but that point of view is never for sale. Our Editorial Policy explains how we hold that line.
Who owns Civic Media
The bulk of our funding comes from our founder and CEO, Sage Weil, our majority investor. Sage also holds final editorial authority over our content. We state that plainly: the person who funds most of this work also directs it, and we would rather you know that than infer a separation we do not claim.
We also have minority investors. They have no role in our coverage, no managerial or directorial control over the company, and, like investors in most privately held companies, they are not named publicly.
Grants and fiscal sponsors
We receive grant funding through 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsors. We disclose our sponsors as we are cleared to name them:
- Lexington Observer, doing business as Local News Hub
The individual donors behind these grants are generally confidential under the terms of the grants themselves, and are not ours to publish.
Underwriting specific coverage
Sometimes a funder supports coverage of a particular subject, like environmental reporting, local elections, or public health. When we accept that kind of support:
- Our editors, not the funder, decide what we pursue and what we find.
- The funder does not review or approve coverage before it runs.
- We name the underwriter on the coverage their support makes possible.
Current beat underwriters: none. If that changes, they will appear here, and on the coverage their support makes possible.
What we don’t publish, and why
To be straight about the limits: we do not publish a complete list of everyone who funds us. Minority investors are not named by default, and most grant donors are confidential by the terms under which we receive their support. Outside money does not touch our editorial decisions, a commitment spelled out in our Editorial Policy.
Questions
If you have a question about how we are funded or how we keep funding separate from coverage, contact us at info@civicmedia.us.
Last updated: July 6, 2026
