The Walton Family Foundation is the lead funder of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk. The foundation is a major funder of environmental journalism across the United States, including coastal reporting in Louisiana and coverage of Western water issues as well as the Society of Environmental Journalists and the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources.
Our most recent Walton Family Foundation grant supports the Ag & Water Desk through 2027.
Other donors include:
- Paul W. Berning
- Howard P. Colhoun Family Foundation
- Robert Maxwell, Ph.D.
- Reynolds Journalism Institute
- Russell G. Smith II
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
- Press Forward
- Google News Initiative
- Institute for Nonprofit News (INN)
The Missouri School of Journalism welcomes interest from additional funders. Click here to donate to the Ag & Water Desk.
The University of Missouri’s most recent IRS Form 990 can be viewed here. For more information, contact us at info@agwaterdesk.org.
Financial transparency
We are committed to transparency in our funding. Accepting financial support does not mean we endorse donors or their products, services or opinions. We include a funding disclosure with each of our stories and require that our newsroom partners retain this language in order to republish our work.
We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations to help with our general operations, coverage of specific topics and special projects. Our news judgments are made independently – not based on or influenced by donors or any revenue source. We do not give supporters the right to assign, review or edit content.
We make public all revenue sources and donors who give $5,000 or more per year. We avoid accepting charitable donations from political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office. We will not accept donations from sources who compromise our independence.
We will accept anonymous donations for general support only if it is clear that sufficient safeguards have been put into place that the expenditure of that donation is made independently by our organization and in compliance with Institute of Nonprofit News Membership Standards.
Learn more about the Ag & Water Desk’s editorial independence policies.
Last updated Dec. 27, 2023.