The Kyiv Independent is reporting that its newsroom is funded by readers and sustained by a community of roughly 36,000 members, with no reliance on paywalls, governments or wealthy owners. It said its journalism remains free for everyone to read.
The outlet said its members are mostly based outside Ukraine, with only about 1% located in the country. It said it now has members in more than 100 countries across every continent except Antarctica.
The Kyiv Independent said it created an interactive community map where members can add a pin showing where they support the outlet from. It said members support its work from more than 100 countries and more than 1,000 cities, towns and villages, with the United States holding the most pins, followed by the United Kingdom and Canada.
It said Sweden holds the record for the highest number of members per capita, with Denmark and Norway close behind. The outlet said it also has a couple of pins in Russia, though it said it cannot verify whether those members are currently there.
The Kyiv Independent said each new member helps strengthen its newsroom, expand its reporting and keep its journalism free. It said membership is available at several monthly tiers and in multiple currencies, and can be canceled at any time.