Our crowdfunded model
The Sprawl is a trailblazer of crowdfunded independent journalism in Canada. Since launching in 2017, The Sprawl has proven that readers and listeners will pay for in-depth local journalism—not because they have to, because they want to. We do not paywall our stories. Instead, we invite our readers and listeners to support our work if they value it.
In the past, we have augmented crowdfunding with additional grants. Since The Sprawl's inception, we have received funding from the Meta Journalism Project (this ended in 2023), along with federal grants from the Canada Periodical Fund in 2020 ($30,258), 2023 ($32,803) 2024 ($15,240) and 2025 ($14,261).
In 2026, The Sprawl is no longer pursuing or receiving federal funding. Instead, we are fully reliant on the Calgarians we serve with our journalism.
The Sprawl is a member of the National NewsMedia Council, a voluntary self-regulatory organization that deals with ethical and journalistic practices in gathering and reporting the news (see mediacouncil.ca for more information).
The Sprawl is also a member of Press Forward, Canada’s association for independent media, along with the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association.
The Sprawl is registered in the province of Alberta as Sprawl Media Ltd. and is owned by founder and editor-in-chief Jeremy Klaszus.
