How We’re Funded

CalMatters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. As our journalism calls for increased transparency across government for residents, we also believe in being transparent about our work.

We are funded through foundations, sponsorships, major donors, sponsorships and members. We spend the majority of our funding directly on reporters, editors, photographers, researchers and on people who support our journalism efforts. Our federal tax ID number is 47-2474086.

Reports and Financials

At CalMatters, we believe in transparency. Here you will find our financial information as required by the Institute for Nonprofit News and federal law.

CalMatters 2022 Budget

Please help us create a brighter future for California by supporting award-winning journalism that educates and empowers the public and holds decision-makers accountable. We’re grateful for your commitment to quality reporting about state policy and politics and fulfilling the California promise as a place where all people can thrive.  If you have any questions about donating, please email gifts@calmatters.org or contact Kate Looby, Chief Development Officer, at kate@calmatters.org.

CalMatters is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, Federal Tax ID #47-2474086. Your gift is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. No goods or services are provided in exchange for your contribution.

We do not share or sell the personal information of our donors nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations.

Donate Online

Make your secure contribution online now. 

Mail a Check

Make it out to CalMatters and send it to:
CalMatters
1017 L Street #261
Sacramento CA 95814

Matching Gifts

Many employers will donate to the charities you select. Check with your employer, and if they have a matching gift program that we can assist you with, please email gifts@calmatters.org.

Use Your Donor-Advised Fund

If you donate through Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, or BNY Mellon, make your recommendation through the DAF Direct website. If you have another donor-advised fund, please make the recommendation to your fund and give them the address above and our federal tax ID number: 47-2474086.

Donate Shares of Stock

Donating appreciated stock is easy and may have significant tax benefits for you. Please check with your tax advisor. When you’re ready, ask your broker to transfer the shares to the CalMatters brokerage account at Fidelity. The account number is Z47943429 and the Depository Trust Company (DTC) code for Fidelity is 0226. Stock transfers often arrive without the donor’s contact information, so please send an email to gifts@calmatters.org to notify us and share your contact information so we may promptly send an acknowledgment and a tax receipt.

Donate from your IRA

A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) from your Individual Retirement Account can be a great, tax-advantaged way to support CalMatters. Contact us at gifts@calmatters.org for help with this process. 

Transfer with Wire Funds

Sending a gift from your bank directly to ours is easy and safe. Please contact us for the banking information required to make a transfer at gifts@calmatters.org.

Include Us in Your Estate Plan

What will be your legacy? Please consider leaving a gift to CalMatters through your estate plans to pass your appreciation of an informed and engaged public forward. To learn more about planned gifts contact Kate Looby, Chief Development Officer at kate@calmatters.org.  If you add us to your estate plan, please let us know so we can recognize your generous intent and keep you informed about the impact of our work.

We rely on the support of our readers, major donors and institutional members who underwrite our work comprehensively covering, deciphering and analyzing California’s politics and policies.

Millions of Californians read our work across our website, all of the state’s major newspapers, the leading public radio stations, mobile news apps and dozens of online publications.

Our institutional members and sponsors support CalMatters because they understand informed Californians contribute to a better California. They also understand that they do not influence our coverage.

We invite associations, corporations, nonprofits and other groups to show their support for politically-informed and active Californians – and for nonprofit and nonpartisan journalism. Institutional supporters are featured on our website and can sponsor a variety of our high-quality editorial products including our newsletters, explainers, Gimme Shelter podcast, Glass House legislative tracker, election guides, events and others. 

For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Lanita Pace, Director of Foundation Development and Institutional Partnerships, at lanita@calmatters.org.

CalMatters’ membership program empowers residents to protect and expand the work that we do for everyone in California.

Our active members are people who have given within the past year. Sustaining members are people who set up recurring monthly or annual donations. This enables us to have predictable revenue allowing us to plan ahead and bring on more journalists over time.

Members receive a monthly inside look at the work they empower in an exclusive membership newsletter. Members also receive free inside invitations to unique in-person and virtual events.Please join us as a member today with a tax-deductible donation. Please direct all questions to Membership Manager Sonya Quick at membership@calmatters.org.

Publisher’s Circle

We offer special thanks to our Publisher’s Circle members. These contributors have supported CalMatters with gifts or grants of $10,000 or more in the past year.

• AKT Communities Fund
• Alicia and Philip Hammarskjold 
• Allan and Terry Thygesen 
• American Endowment Foundation
• Amy Rao* 
• Ann and John Doerr* 
• Anne Bakar 
• Anthony Bernhardt and Lynn Feintech* 
• Arthur Rock and Toni Rembe
• Baker Street Foundation
• Battery Powered
• BCW Corporate Affairs
• Becky Morgan 
• Beryl Golden
• Beth and Russell Siegelman 
• Bill Younger 
• Blue Shield of CA Foundation
• California Endowment
• California Environmental Voters
• California Health Care Foundation
• California Water Service
• California Wellness Foundation
• Catchlight Foundation
• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
• Chris and Michael Boskin* 
• Chris Redlich 
• Christina Kenrick 
• Cohn Family Fund
• College Futures Foundation
• Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
• Dairy Cares
• David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• David Singer 
• Dennis Levitt and Jane Gordon
• Diana Walsh and John Kent Walker 
• Eileen Donahoe 
• Emerson Collective*
• Fiona Hutton & Associates
• First 5 LA
• FThree Foundation
• Fund for Nonprofit News at The Miami Foundation
• Gene Sykes 
• George H & Estelle M Sands Foundation
• Gina Maya and Richard Capelouto 
• Ginn Family Foundation
• Greg and Anne Avis* 
• Greg and Judi Stefflre
• Gruber Family Foundation
• Harrington Family Foundation
• Hellman Foundation
• Hema Sareen Mohan 
• Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
• James Scopa and Anne Kenner
• Jan McAdoo
• Janie Lorber 
• Jeffrey and Christina Bird* 
• Jesse and Mindy Rogers 
• Jim and Patricia White
• Jim Heerwagen and Hilary Schneider 
• John Boland and James Carroll
• John Buoymaster
• John Dawson 
• Judy Koch 
• Kenneth and Jackie Broad
• Kerfuffle Fund at Fidelity Charitable
• Koret Foundation
• Leif Wellington Haase 
• Len and Mary Anne Baker* 
• Lodestar Foundation
• Marcia Pade 
• Mark and Mary Stevens
• Mary Speiser* 
• Matt and Janice Barger 
• Michael Brownrigg and Marty Burchell
• Michelle K. Mercer and Bruce Golden 
• Nancy and Gregory Serrurier* 
• New California Coalition
• Pacific Library Partnership
• Paschal Roth Public Affairs
• Paul Haaga 
• Paula Rantz 
• R.B. “Buzz” Woolley, Jr* 
• Rachael Bowman
• Rick and Carol Tinsley 
• Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation
• Rosenthal Family Foundation
• Sand Hill Foundation*
• Schmidt Family Foundation
• Shawn and Brook Byers 
• Signe Ostby and Scott D. Cook 
• Simone Otus Coxe*
• Southern California Gas
• Stafford Multimedia
• Steve Silberstein
• Stuart Foundation
• Tad and Dianne Taube 
• The Enlight Foundation
• The John Pritzker Family Fund
• The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
• The Walter S. Johnson Foundation
• Tim Dattels and Kristine Johnson* 
• Tom and Barbara Stephenson* 
• West Coast Advisors
• Wild Thyme Fund

 * Annual support at Publisher’s Circle level since our founding.

These categories represent total all time giving amounts.