Economic Hardship Reporting Project

The Economic Hardship Reporting Project (EHRP) is a nonprofit journalism organization founded in 2012 by writer and activist Barbara Ehrenreich. Created in the aftermath of the Great Recession, the project was designed to address a persistent gap in American media coverage: sustained, nuanced reporting on poverty, economic insecurity, and class. Rather than operating as a traditional newsroom that publishes daily content, EHRP funds and supports journalists, helping them produce in-depth stories that are often co-published in major national outlets.

EHRP’s model is distinctive. It provides grants, editorial guidance, and institutional backing to reporters—particularly those with lived experience of economic hardship—to develop stories that might otherwise go untold. Its work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and other prominent media platforms. By partnering with established outlets, the organization ensures that reporting on inequality reaches broad audiences while maintaining editorial independence.

The organization operates with a small core staff and a wide network of freelance writers and fellows. Its mission centers on reshaping public narratives about poverty and economic struggle, moving beyond stereotypes to highlight systemic causes and structural inequities. EHRP emphasizes storytelling that foregrounds dignity, lived experience, and investigative rigor, positioning journalism as a tool for both understanding and addressing economic injustice.

Through its grantmaking and co-publishing approach, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project represents an alternative infrastructure for public-interest journalism—one that strengthens coverage of inequality without building a traditional media brand around itself.