Winners of the 2026 Nonprofit News Awards (INNYs) represent innovation, transformational leadership and impactful reporting despite a tough year for the industry marked by political tension and major funding cuts to public media outlets.

Almost a quarter of the winners did this work while focusing on an ongoing issue that’s urgent and complex for the communities they cover and, in some cases, themselves: the federal immigration crackdown.

Those winners highlighted the impact of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. They exposed financial schemes targeting immigrant families. They explained how new policies might shrink undocumented immigrants’ healthcare options.

One winning story wasn’t about immigration, but it explained the precarious status of American Samoans, who are U.S. nationals and not citizens.

The Institute for Nonprofit News announced INNYs winners — 26 awards across 11 categories — on June 16 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This year, the awards ceremony coincided with INN Days, the organization’s annual conference.

The INNYs honor excellence in journalism, leadership, innovation and public service across the field of nonprofit news, often showcasing stories of people and places not featured in traditional news reporting.

Overall, the winners covered topics ranging from abuse of students at a Jacksonville, Fla., high school to tips and explanations of how survivors of the 2025 Los Angeles-area wildfires could reclaim their property and rebuild their lives. The awards recognized powerful collaborations among news organizations, innovative audience engagement efforts, and dynamic leaders who have steered news organizations for years or decades.

Service Award Honors Nonprofit News Pioneer

INN awarded the Service to Nonprofit News Award to Norberto Santana, Jr., the founder of 17-year-old Voice of OC, for his lasting contributions to the field. INN CEO Karen Rundlet called Santana a pioneer of the nonprofit news movement and an accomplished investigative reporter and leader.

“Engage Norberto in a conversation, and you’ll quickly discover his commitment to independent journalism, diverse staffing and coverage,” Rundlet said. “Make no mistake, though. Norberto also knows this work takes sound business practices. The entire field is better because Norberto is part of it.”

Read the full article about the 2026 Nonprofit News Awards at Institute for Nonprofit News.