Revenue Streams & Finance

In 2022, Dublin Inquirer operated with a total budget of €180,000. Founder Lois Kapila notes that this budget suffices to cover expenses primarily because the entire team, including themselves as founders, receive comparatively modest salaries of €30,000 per year.

While experimenting with various revenue streams in the past, such as membership, partnerships with local shops, and advertising, the majority of revenue, nearly 80%, now comes from subscriptions. By 2024, they had amassed 1,900 subscribers, generating a monthly revenue of €12,400.

The subscription model offers three tiers:

1. Digital Subscription (€6/month): Grants access to all online articles.

2. Digital Patron Subscription (€8/month): Offers the same access as the Digital Subscription, with an additional €2 contribution to support Dublin Inquirer.

3. Digital and Print Subscription (€9/month): Includes access to all online articles plus a monthly print edition.

Although the subscription model places core content behind a paywall, Lois Kapila describes it as a "leaky paywall" because individuals who cannot afford a subscription can access articles for free.

The remaining revenue primarily stems from smaller grants for specific projects. Dublin Inquirer received its first grant from the European Journalism Centre just before the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, followed by several smaller grants from the Google News Initiative.

In 2023, Dublin Inquirer secured €31,000 from the Dutch foundation Journalismfund Europe for a project focused on covering a rural county north of Dublin, which was at risk of becoming a news desert. Subsequently, in 2024, they received a grant from the EU to initiate a youth journalism training program in collaboration with several other organizations.

In the past, Dublin Inquirer has also received modest philanthropic support from its readers, for instance, to finance the development of a new website.

Sponsorships at events occasionally contribute to Dublin Inquirer's finances, albeit making up a small fraction of the total budget. However, Lois Kapila emphasizes that events and personal interactions are not primarily viewed as revenue streams but rather as crucial means for converting participants into subscribers.