About Traveling Press Fund
The Traveling Press Fund concentrates its giving on supporting independent journalism and freelance reporters, channeling funds mainly to small media companies, individual journalist expense accounts, and protections for reporters. Grants are often paid to LLCs and production entities, suggesting support for project-based reporting ventures, newsroom startups, and direct journalist costs rather than institutional general operating support. The foundation appears mission-focused on sustaining reporting capacity and safety for journalists rather than broad civic or educational causes.
Focus Areas
Direct expense support for freelance journalists and reportersSeed and operational funding for independent news startups and media production companies (LLC-structured)Journalist safety and legal/protection servicesFunding for investigative and project-based reporting ventures
Who They Fund
journalistsfreelance writersindependent reporters
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated: a very small number of large grants account for most dollars (notably multiple large awards to Level Three Labs). Funding is project- and person-focused, routed through LLCs and service entities, with repeat grantees and few small, one-off awards.
About Traveling Press Fund
The Traveling Press Fund Inc. stands out for directing multimillion-dollar support to journalist and freelance writer expenses, with repeated large awards to the same media entities across multiple years. Its biggest recent grant was $4,074,231 in 2025 to Level Three Labs LLC in New York for journalist and freelance writer expenses, following $2,618,500 in 2024 and $1,938,950 in 2023 to the same recipient. That recurring pattern suggests a funder that backs sustained reporting capacity rather than one-off awards. The foundation also supports other reporting-related entities such as Sixpoint Inc in New York and Finchley Road Media LLC in St. Petersburg. Grants in the recent list are frequently made to LLCs and production companies, which aligns with project-based journalism, newsroom operations, and direct support for reporting work. A separate grant to Journalistic Protection LLC indicates attention to journalist safety and protection services. With annual grants of $11,150,306 and total assets of $1,260,015, the fund runs a high-volume grantmaking program relative to its asset base, centered on keeping independent reporting work funded.
What Traveling Press Fund Funds
A core theme in the recent grants is direct expense support for reporting work. The foundation gave $4,074,231 to Level Three Labs LLC for journalist and freelance writer expenses, and $1,219,125 to Sixpoint Inc for the same purpose. Another large award went to Finchley Road Media LLC in St. Petersburg, which received $1,050,000 for journalist and freelance writer expenses in 2023. Safety and protection also appear in the grant list. In 2024, the foundation awarded $100,000 to Journalistic Protection LLC in Pittsburgh for journalist and freelance writer expenses, linking its funding to support structures around reporting. Smaller grants reinforce the same pattern: Cole S Aronson LLC in Bethesda received $18,000, and Blue Engine Collaborative in Austin received $14,500, both for journalist and freelance writer expenses.
How Traveling Press Fund Gives
Grant sizes are wide-ranging, with a p25 of $79,500, a median of $578,500, and a p75 of $1,399,081. The recent record shows repeated support to the same recipient across 2023 to 2025, especially Level Three Labs LLC, which points to ongoing rather than one-time funding. The foundation does not make program-related investments and does not fund individuals directly; instead, the grants are structured through LLCs and similar entities. The recent list also suggests a project-based approach, with awards tied to journalist and freelance writer expenses rather than broad unrestricted support.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$4.1M
Total Assets
$1.3M
Total Revenue
$4.4M
Total Expenses
$4.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $80K and $1.4M, with a median of $579K.
25th Percentile
$80K
Median
$579K
75th Percentile
$1.4M
Geographic Reach
National5 states funded
About 30% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
ALEXANDER R BERGER
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