IndigiNews is now a registered charity!
Our new status means we can issue official donation receipts to our Firekeepers
IndigiNews is proud to announce that we’re now a registered charity in “Canada.”
This milestone marks an important step forward in our mission to uplift independent, Indigenous-led journalism.
When we separated from our former parent company, we launched as a non-profit. We did this because we are completely reliant on grants and donations for our journalism.
We’ve never had a firewall, and we’ve never hosted ads on our site. The journalism industry has been in a freefall for a while now — we knew there wasn’t much of a business case for it anymore, so we decided to lean into the donations.
It took us a year of hard work to recieve charitable status.
At present, IndigiNews has 638 monthly supporters, who donate small amounts — usually between $5 and $25 — every month. We call them our Firekeepers, because they feed the fire that allows us to do the work we do.
Because our charitable status is retroactive, anyone who’s donated to us in 2026 will receive a tax receipt at tax time.
Charitable status gives IndigiNews a stronger foundation to build permanent Indigenous media infrastructure in “Canada.” We now qualify for grants from philanthropic organizations across the country, without the need for an intermediary to receive the funds on our behalf.
We are now a “qualified donee,” the status necessary to receive grants from private and community foundations. We are closer to creating stability for our journalism and our training programs.
A ‘sacred space’ for Indigenous values and voices
IndigiNews is a Storytelling Lodge, a sacred space grounded in Indigenous values and voices. Our journalists and our readers gather in a digital community to share knowledge, truth, and lived experiences.
The IndigiNews Storytelling Lodge is a place of care and cultural responsibility guided by the belief that storytelling is a sacred fire.
A sacred fire connects us to our ancestors, grounds us in the present, and lights the way for future generations.
As IndigiNews continues to grow, our intention remains clear — to produce responsible, community-driven journalism that reflects the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples.
READ MORE: Will you help us tend to the fire?
Becoming a registered charity allows us to deepen our work and provides access to a wider range of philanthropic and community support that align with our values of transparency in the long term.
We carry our registered charity status to our Firekeeper program — a circle of dedicated monthly donors.
Our Firekeepers play a vital role in sustaining IndigiNews by directly supporting Indigenous-led journalism, and protecting the integrity of our work.
We invite you to join us as we step into our new role as a registered charity.
We invite you with gratitude and a commitment to storytelling that informs, uplifts, and connects.
Author
We live in a media ecosystem that thrives on misinformation. Big Tech and AI companies are consuming the work of real human beings and Canadian news has been banned on Facebook and Instagram.
And yet, I have hope for journalism because of the work we’re doing at IndigiNews.
At IndigiNews, we embody tâpwêwin — the Cree value of integrity and responsibility in truth-telling. We are committed to our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom rooted in community, accountability, and relationality. We believe storytelling is a sacred fire that connects our pasts, presents, and futures through the storytellers in our Storytelling Lodge. IndigiNews creates space for Indigenous journalists, storytellers, Knowledge Keepers, and communities to gather, learn, and share stories that matter.
As a registered charity, we are building a fire that allows our work not just to ignite but to thrive. Rather than relying on advertising or corporate acquisition, IndigiNews is sustained by people like you who believe Indigenous stories are important for the future of our communities.
Your support is making a real difference.
Our community of supporters, our Firekeepers, make it possible to grow our newsroom, publish award-winning journalism, train emerging Indigenous journalists through initiatives like the ReFocus Photojournalism Fellowship, and publish trustworthy stories that serve our communities across the country. Every story we publish helps fill in gaps left by mainstream media and ensures Indigenous perspectives are represented with care, accuracy and respect.
But there is still more work to do.
As the media landscape becomes more and more uncertain, community support is as necessary and essential as it’s ever been. Every new Firekeeper helps protect the independence of our newsroom and strengthens journalism that is accountable to our many and varied communities over corporations.
That’s why we’re inviting you to become a Firekeeper.
Firekeepers tend to and protect the sacred fire. Your monthly contributions directly support IndigiNews’s Storytelling Lodge, helps sustain our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom, and ensures future generations of Indigenous storytellers have the resources they need to do the work.
As a registered Canadian charity, all eligible donations receive a charitable tax receipt.
If you believe Indigenous stories matter, if you value independent journalism, and if you want to help build a strong future for Indigenous media, we invite you to join our circle of Firekeepers today.
Together, we can keep the fire burning.
— Eden Fineday, Publisher, IndigiNews
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