Grist Magazine, Inc.

Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Our goals are to use the power of storytelling to illuminate the way toward a better world, inspire millions of people to walk that path with us, and show that the time for action is now. When Grist was founded back in 1999, only about 33% of Americans believed climate change was real and caused by humans. We worked hard to raise awareness on climate issues, and now that number is up to about 73%. But a new challenge has emerged: only about 30% of Americans believe climate is a social justice issue, and about 20% believe we can stop climate change. That's why Grist now focuses on what we call the solutions gap and the justice gap. We believe that if more Americans believe that a just sustainable future is possible, we can create the enabling environment to bring forth real, lasting change.

Grist strategies and top line metrics for each are as follows:

1. Lead the conversation on climate progress
Metric: Total audience per month, currently 2M
Metric: Qualitative examples of influence on policy and culture

2. Shift the narrative from doom and gloom to solutions and justice
Metric: Total syndications in major media, currently 500 annually
Metric: Percent of readers who report taking action based on Grist content, currently 65%

3. Change the face of environmental storytelling
Metric: Total number of journalist of color members in the Uproot Project, currently 289
Metric: Placement rate of Fellowship Program graduates who land writing positions after leaving Grist, currently 65%

At Grist, we combine the power of storytelling, network building, and talent development to shift culture and advance equitable solutions to the climate crisis. Our strategic focus has evolved from sounding the alarm bells of climate change — people understand the climate is changing! — to telling the story of a better future that works for everyone, and elevating the leaders and ideas that will make it a reality. With a 20-year history as a digital media pioneer, Grist is deeply committed to ensuring issues of climate change, environmental justice, and climate solutions are accessible to the public — ultimately to inspire and mobilize people to act.

We accomplish this through three main programs: (1) through our Editorial program, we enable action and combat the doom and gloom narrative by telling the story of solutions and justice; (2) through our solutions lab Fix, we elevate and connect diverse, emerging leaders — Fixers — who are the protagonists of that story; and (3) through our Representation and Talent program, we support environmental journalists of color and address racial representation and racial justice in environmental media.

We reach about 2 million people every month, and we are a growing team of nearly 60 writers, editors, creative storytellers, producers, engagement specialists, web designers, and more. Grist was recognized as the best small newsroom in the country by the Online News Association (2021) and by the Radio Television and Digital News Association (2022), among dozens of other awards and nominations.

At Grist, we track our progress based on three objectives: (1) attract a broad audience; (2) deepen reader knowledge and commitment to the issues; and (3) drive the national conversation.

Attracting a broad audience

Grist continues to reach a large audience of over 2,000,000 monthly readers across Grist platforms and via distribution partnerships. Our work was syndicated 45+ times per month by outlets like The Guardian, Apple News, Slate, WIRED, Mother Jones, Salon, Texas Observer, National Observer, Atmos, ORION Magazine, and many more. We also reached thousands through in-person and virtual events.

Deepening reader engagement and commitment

Several of Grist’s reader engagement metrics have been trending up in the past year. For example, we surpassed our goal for total engaged minutes per month by averaging more than 257,000 minutes. In addition, we engaged our audience in content creation through new initiatives like our popular climate fiction contest, and new projects like “Postcards from a World Worth Saving,” which invited readers to submit digital postcards about their connections to the outdoors that we then shared on Instagram. Finally, based on on-site surveys, over 65% of Grist readers report taking action based on our content, from voting differently to changing consumption habits to talking to friends and family about climate action.

Driving the conversation

In the past year, Grist articles were shared by policymakers like Sen Tammy Duckworth, Sen Sheldon Whitehouse, Gov Jay Inslee, and many others; institutions like the EPA, NOAA, the U.S. Forest Service, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform; advocacy groups like Sierra Club, 350.org, and NRDC; journalism organizations Pulitzer Center, Solutions Journalism Network, and Institute for Nonprofit News; and multiple universities, think tanks, businesses, trade groups, and more.