''The Contributor'' is a bi-weekly street newspaper published in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, United States. The publication's content focuses on primarily social justice issues as they are framed by politics, music, art, culture, sports,

homelessness Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

and

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

. It is written by local journalists as well as people experiencing homelessness or working within the homeless community. The magazine's editors are Amanda Haggard and Linda Bailey. As an organization, The Contributor is a nonprofit social enterprise providing economic opportunity with dignity to people experiencing or who have experienced homelessness and poverty. Every two weeks, a new issue of The Contributor is published and sold by over 150 vendors in Middle Tennessee. By signing a contract and attending training, Contributor vendors become independent micro-business men and women who invest in their own micro-businesses by purchasing papers for $.50 and selling them for $2.00 plus tips to the public. They become Contributors to the economy, to their own quality of life, and to the community. The organization's executive director is Cathy Jennings.

History

''The Contributor'' was established as a newspaper in 2007 by a core group of volunteers. The first issue was published in November of that year and had a circulation of about 800 copies. The paper publishes consistently on a twice monthly basis and expanded its circulation and vendor network to become the one of the highest-circulating street newspaper of its kind in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

In 2010, ''The Contributor'' received

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

status, becoming an independent

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. One of the founders of ''The Contributor,'' Tasha French, received the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

Community Quarterback award for their volunteer efforts with the paper. The award came with a $10,000 grant. Since 2009, more than 3,200 different vendors have purchased $2,300,000 worth of The Contributor and sold over 6 million copies, generating over $15,000,000 in legitimate income for themselves. With verified paper purchases, income can be extrapolated to apply for subsidized or traditional housing. As a result, over 70% of the vendors who have vended with us for six months or more have obtained housing. ''The Contributor'' is one of many street publications in the United States. Others include

Real Change ''Real Change'' is a weekly progressive street newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, USA written by professional staff and sold by self-employed vendors, many of whom are homeless. The paper provides them with an alternative to panhandling ...

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

and

Spare Change News ''Spare Change News'' (SCN) is a street newspaper founded in 1992 in Boston, Massachusetts for the Greater Boston Area and published out of the editorial offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts through the efforts of the Homeless Empowerment Projec ...

in Boston, Massachusetts. Many of these vendors have moved onto other more traditional employment.

Affiliations

''The Contributor'' is a member of the

North American Street Newspaper Association The North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA) was an organization of street newspapers that provided employment opportunities, community and a voice to homeless and other economically vulnerable people who existed between 2007 and 2013. ...

and the

International Network of Street Papers The International Network of Street Papers (INSP) is a Glasgow, Scotland, based trade organization founded in 1994 for over 100 street newspapers from 35 countries. INSP organises a yearly conference and provides technical assistance and a wire ...

References

External links

The Contributor home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Contributor, The Street newspapers Newspapers published in Tennessee Publications established in 2007 Mass media in Nashville, Tennessee

History

Affiliations

See also

References

External links