eShe Donor Independence & Financial Transparency Policy

1. Commitment to transparency

eShe is committed to transparency in every aspect of funding our organization. Accepting financial support does not constitute an endorsement of donors, their products, services or opinions.

2. Funding sources

eShe may accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals, organizations and foundations to support with our general operations, coverage of specific topics and special projects

eShe is fiscally sponsored by Tiny News Collective (EIN 85-3963369), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Funding may be received through the fiscal sponsor, and all funds will be managed in accordance with nonprofit best practices.

3. Editorial independence from donors

Our news judgments are made independently – not based on or influenced by donors or any revenue source. We do not give supporters the rights to assign, review or edit content.

4. Donor disclosure

eShe will publicly disclose all revenue sources and donors who give US $5,000 or more per year. Disclosure includes: Donor name, contribution amount or range, and purpose of support (general or project-based). Donor information will be updated regularly and made accessible on our website.

5. Anonymous donations and restricted sources

As a nonprofit-oriented organization, eShe avoids accepting donations from accepting charitable donations from anonymous sources, government entities, political parties, elected officials or candidates seeking public office. We will not accept donations from sources who, deemed by our board of directors, present a conflict of interest with our work or compromise our independence.

6. Prohibited funding

eShe reserves the right to decline funding from any source that seeks to influence editorial content, conflicts with eShe’s mission or values, or poses a real or perceived conflict of interest, as determined by our advisory council or leadership.

7. Public accessibility

This policy, along with a future list of major donors, will be published on the eShe website and updated regularly.

eShe Editorial Independence Policy

We subscribe to standards of editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News:

1. Commitment to independence

eShe is an independent digital media organization committed to producing journalism that is accurate, ethical and free from undue influence.

eShe is fiscally sponsored by Tiny News Collective (EIN 85-3963369), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. We operate in accordance with nonprofit best practices for editorial independence, transparency and public-service journalism.

2. Editorial control

eShe retains full and final authority over all editorial content. We maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of all revenue. No funder, advertiser, sponsor, partner, board member, or external stakeholder may:

Preview editorial content prior to publication for the purpose of influence
Direct coverage or suppress stories
Influence editorial judgments in any form

Editorial decisions are guided by relevance to our audience, accuracy, fairness and the public interest, not by commercial considerations.

3. Financial support and transparency

eShe may accept grants, donations, sponsorships and partnerships to support its mission and operations. However:

Financial contributions do not influence editorial decisions or coverage.
Acceptance of funding does not constitute endorsement of any donor, organization or viewpoint.

eShe will make public all donors who give a total of $5,000 or more per year. We will accept anonymous donations for general support only with safeguards to ensure independent use and compliance with INN Membership Standards.

4. Conflicts of interest and ethical conduct

eShe requires all editorial staff, contributors and freelancers to:

Disclose any personal, financial, or professional relationships that could present a conflict of interest
Avoid covering subjects where such conflicts could compromise objectivity

We prohibit the use of our platform for personal, financial, or political gain by staff and contributors.

5. Separation of editorial and business functions

eShe maintains a clear division between editorial and revenue-generating activities:

Editorial staff are not involved in advertising sales or sponsorship negotiations.
Business and marketing teams do not influence editorial decisions.

This separation ensures that revenue considerations do not affect editorial judgment.

6. Implementation and accountability

This policy applies to all employees, contractors, freelancers and contributors associated with eShe. Any attempt by external parties to influence editorial content will be refused, documented internally, and disclosed publicly when appropriate.

7. Public access

This Editorial Independence Policy will be published on our website and made easily accessible to readers, partners and stakeholders.