Why We're Launching Commoner Company, a Cross-sector Approach to Building the Civic Society of our Dreams

Written By Commoner Team

The gap between civic institutions and the communities they serve has never been wider. But in that gap, we see opportunity. Today, we're launching Commoner Company—bringing together two decades of experience in local news innovation and cross-sector organizing to make civic life more accessible, actionable and inspired.

A Shared Vision

It's no coincidence that Commoner Company's partners—Anika Anand and Darryl Holliday—cofounded two organizations with aligned missions eight years ago. We sensed journalism wasn’t meeting the needs of the communities it served—a realization solidified by the 2016 election, a pandemic fueled by misinformation, and growing political divides.

Though working in different cities, The Evergrey and City Bureau shared a fundamental vision: democratizing local journalism by making it more accessible, participatory, and deeply connected to community needs.

Anika Anand and Darryl Holliday. Photo illustration: Manifesto Design Lab

Since then we’ve helped build and lead organizations like LION Publishers and News Futures; shared ideas on how to grow the field with resources like the Roadmap for Local News and a news business sustainability framework; and we’ve stayed active in our own local and online communities—because we believe that reliable local information is power; and necessary for a joyful, healthy civic life.

We see a new civic alliance emerging in the U.S., one that recognizes the power of reliable, high-quality information in a healthy democracy. So we’ve created spaces for open dialogue and action with people working across civil society to bridge the gaps between news and information, policymaking, emerging technologies and community networks. Over a decade of wins, losses and learnings, we’ve helped nurture a growing network of newsmakers, organizers, technologists, and philanthropists dedicated to strengthening civic life.

A Civic Media Lab for Hire

Now, we're taking those lessons further. We're forming a small shop for big plans. Over the last six months, we've worked with Press Forward, Democracy Fund, Civic News Company, the National Conference on Citizenship and the Listening Post Collective, testing new ideas and building a nimble model that lets us work with various sectors looking to build a healthier civic ecosystem.

These are some ways we've helped those organizations transform ambitious ideas into actionable impact:

Commoner Company uses research, design, facilitation, and strategic communications to help make sense of complex civic challenges. We serve as builders, trusted brokers, and thought-partners to journalism and civic institutions because we believe an intersectional approach is crucial to building the civic society of our dreams.

Why "Commoner"?

The name reflects our fundamental belief: Our work is in service to people and all we have in common. We work to make "the commons" accessible and beneficial to everyone, not just a select few.

The local news industry faces unprecedented challenges, but we see this moment as an opportunity for ambitious revival and reimagining. As civic institutions adapt to meet communities' evolving needs, we're here to help bridge the gaps, foster innovation, and build stronger connections between local information, people and the institutions that serve them.

We’re currently scheduling 2025 clients.

Commoner Team