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Outlet profile

Minnesota Reformer

U.S. left-leaning

Owned byOwned and operated under States Newsroom, a national nonprofit news network based in Chapel Hill, NC, and Washington, D.C.
FundingNonprofit, donor-funded model with no advertising and no subscriptions. Approximately 85% of funding flows from parent organization States Newsroom, which is backed by foundations and undisclosed donors; 15% comes from local Minnesota fundraising. States Newsroom was originally launched in 2019 as a project of the Hopewell Fund, a nonprofit managed by the liberal consulting firm Arabella Advisors.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Minnesota Reformer launched in mid-January 2020 as a digital-only, nonprofit news outlet focused on Minnesota state politics, the legislature, and public policy. It was founded by J. Patrick Coolican, a former Star Tribune political reporter, and was the 15th state affiliate to join the States Newsroom network. At launch, the outlet operated under fiscal sponsorship from the Hopewell Fund — a nonprofit in the Arabella Advisors network, which critics describe as a vehicle for liberal 'dark money' philanthropy — before obtaining its own IRS 501(c)(3) status and severing that relationship. States Newsroom itself grew out of the Hopewell Fund and has been characterized by its own past job postings as a 'progressive political journalism startup,' though it formally presents as nonpartisan. The Reformer carries no advertising and charges no subscriptions, relying almost entirely on philanthropic grants funneled through States Newsroom, whose specific donors are not publicly disclosed. Media watchdogs at AllSides rate it Left, and Media Bias/Fact Check rates it Left Bias, citing story selection and editorial commentary that favor progressive viewpoints even when straight news reporting aims for factual accuracy. Since January 2025, the outlet's coverage of the Trump administration's second term has concentrated on negative impacts to Minnesota, including cancelled federal grants, Medicaid funding disputes, energy policy conflicts, and immigration enforcement — consistent with a critical editorial posture toward the administration.

Sources

  1. The Minnesota Reformer has launched. So what the hell is the Minnesota Reformer? — MinnPost
  2. Minnesota Reformer — Bias and Credibility — Media Bias/Fact Check
  3. Minnesota Reformer Media Bias — AllSides
  4. Minnesota Reformer — InfluenceWatch
  5. States Newsroom (Newsroom Network) — InfluenceWatch
  6. States Newsroom: A Tip of the 'Dark Money' Iceberg — Capital Research Center
  7. Minnesota Reformer marks 5 years covering state legislature, politics, policy — States Newsroom
  8. About — Minnesota Reformer

Profile compiled 2026-08-11; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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