Sponsorship Opportunities
Member-supported. Independent. Fiercely Nebraska.
The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraska’s first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter. In a polarized era, the Flatwater Free Press maintains a strict, nonpartisan, transparent model that has earned respect across the political spectrum in Nebraska.
Flatwater Free Press stories were republished more than 2,400 times in 2025 by news organizations across the state, reaching an audience of close to 400,000 people. Our award-winning work has changed laws and lives, and celebrates the best of the state we call home.
Why it is important to support a free press.
Nebraska has lost over half its journalists in the last 20 years.
The Nebraska Journalism Trust and the Flatwater Free Press are working hard to fill the gap left in a shrinking news ecosystem. We need additional funding and support to increase news coverage across the state and reach more Nebraskans on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
By partnering with the Flatwater Free Press, you will support our growing team of award- winning investigative journalists and create events and programs that inform and educate Nebraska citizens across the state. With your sponsorship, you will be associated with one of the fastest-growing, most respected nonprofit news organizations in the country.
In addition, you will receive extraordinary recognition with an active, loyal, responsive readership interested in supporting the Trust and its sponsors. The strength of this association will drive brand awareness and revenue for your organization.
Sponsorship Options
Why use the Flatwater Free Press as a sales generation tool?
Website impressions
- Flatwater readers are a lucrative, responsive audience who want to support the businesses that support our newsroom.
- Businesses can reach a large audience for a small budget.
- Ads placed near high-quality editorial content get better viewability.
- Placements on the Flatwater website are clickable. If a viewer doesn’t click, it still helps build brand awareness.
- Frequent impressions throughout the year allow a business to maintain “top-of-mind” awareness.
Newsletters
- Newsletter impressions have become the “beachfront property” of marketing.
- Readers of newsletters have opted in to receive this content, creating a halo effect of trust for the advertisers featured in it.
- Flatwater newsletter open rates hover between 45 percent and 60 percent. (The national average for newsletter open rates is between 20 percent and 35 percent.)
- Traditional advertisements compete with other posts. Flatwater features only one sponsor per newsletter.
Sponsored Content
- Sponsored content, especially in the form of educational articles, positions you as an expert.
- Sponsored content bypasses the “noise” of traditional advertising and the restrictive algorithms of organic social media.
- Today’s shopper completes an average of 80 percent of their buying process before speaking to a salesperson. Sponsored content provides the “meat” for research, ensuring your brand is the one they seek first.
Event Sponsorships
- Sponsoring Flatwater events aligns your organization with one of Nebraska’s most influential and rapidly growing civic institutions.
- Sponsoring Flatwater events signals that your business is invested in more than just its own bottom line.
- Customers are more likely to stay loyal to brands that support causes they care about.
- Sponsoring an event with Flatwater creates “halo branding,” where the prestige and excitement of the event rub off on your business.
- Your sponsorship dollars allow Flatwater to convene local leaders, policymakers, and reporters for “journalism on stage” conversations.
Get started today
Email our Sponsorships Manager, John Costello, or fill out this contact form and we’ll be in touch.
John Costello
Sponsorships Manager
Nebraska Journalism Trust
Support provided by
From Our Sponsors
Sponsored stories allow our partners to reach the Flatwater Free Press audience through brand messaging in the form of written articles. For more information, contact Sponsorships Manager John Costello.
