GroundLens is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom (EIN: 42-2478433). This page explains, plainly, how we are funded today, what that funding pays for, and how we keep editorial decisions independent of who is paying the bills.
How We Are Funded Today
GroundLens is currently a small, founder-funded newsroom. At this stage, funding supports one reporter, engaged as an independent consultant rather than a staff employee, who carries out the on-the-ground research and writing behind our published stories. Reader donations made through our Donate page go toward this same reporting work.
What the Funding Pays For
The funding exists to make firsthand reporting possible rather than to pay for overhead. It supports the practical costs of ground-level journalism: time to research government documents and data, travel to meet farmers, officials, patients, workers, and other people affected by the stories we cover, and the verification work needed to confirm facts before publication.
The goal is straightforward: give a reporter the resources to go find out what is actually happening, rather than reworking press releases from a desk, so that readers in the West get an accurate, human-level picture of developments in India and, over time, across Asia — including stories that mainstream outlets in the West often have too little on-the-ground capacity to cover in depth.
Editorial Independence
Funding a reporter's work is not the same as funding a story's conclusion. Whoever is funding GroundLens at any given time — today, that is primarily its founder — does not choose which stories run, approve articles before publication, or direct a story's angle or findings. Our full Editorial Standards describe how sourcing, verification, and corrections work; this page is about who pays, and why that does not change what gets published.
Currently disclosed relationship: Our reporter, Pradipta Mukherjee, is engaged as an independent consultant rather than a GroundLens employee, and is funded to research and write the articles published under that byline. We disclose this openly because we believe readers are owed clarity about who is being paid to report, not just who is being covered.
Where We Want This to Go
GroundLens is small by design right now, not by ambition. As our subscriber base and donor support grow, the plan is to fund additional reporters and expand the range of voices and regions we cover — rather than to grow overhead. Every subscriber who reads and shares our reporting makes the case for funding the next reporter a little stronger.
Transparency Commitments
- We do not run advertising or accept sponsored content.
- We do not sell or share subscriber data (see our Privacy Policy).
- Reporting engagements and any material conflicts of interest are disclosed to readers, as described in our Editorial Standards.
- As GroundLens grows, we intend to publish a fuller financial breakdown on this page.
Questions
If you have questions about how GroundLens is funded or how a specific story was reported, reach us through our Contact page or email [email protected].