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The Xylom

We grow science with words. The only Asian American-serving science newsroom: independent, nonprofit, run by Gen-Z! *Please note that we are transitioning to a new donor management system, and our budget numbers do not reflect recent major gifts

Today's Balance
$4,018.42
Estimated Annual Budget
$35,777
Meet our FY2025 budget!
$148,760
per year

Contribute


Become a financial contributor.

Financial Contributions

Goal

The Xylom will run out of funding in July if we don't secure $7,500 by the end of the month. Can we count on you to sustain nonprofit, nonpartisan ... Read more

$995 USD of $7,500 USD raised (13%)

Starts at
$1 USD

Latest activity by


+ 6
Goal
"I'd rather pay $8/month to nonprofit news than to a billionaire"

The Xylom is one of the first news outlets to move beyond X, formerly known as Twitter: we now have seven times as many followers on Bluesky as on ... Read more

$257.60 USD of $1,200 USD / month raised (21%)

Starts at
$8 USD / month

Latest activity by


+ 34
Goal

Reporting from Nairobi, Kenya, Editor-at-large Kang-Chun Cheng produces 3 to 4 photo features about climate justice and the Global South annually. ... Read more

$146.25 USD of $300 USD / month raised (49%)

Starts at
$30 USD / month

Latest activity by


+ 2

Top financial contributors

Organizations

1
Alternative Newsweekly Foundation

$52,965.94 USD since Apr 2024

2
Local Independent Online News Publishers Inc.

$20,000 USD since Mar 2024

3
Google News Equity Fund

$11,000 USD since Dec 2022

4
McGraw Hill LLC

$7,187 USD since Feb 2024

5
The Miami Foundation

$4,680 USD since Mar 2023

6
LION Publishers

$850 USD since Jul 2023

7
MEDIA LITERACY RESEARCH CENTER

$450 USD since Dec 2023

8
University of Southern California

$250 USD since Sep 2023

9
Institute for Nonprofit News

$200 USD since Mar 2023

10
Civic Science Media Lab

$180 USD since Mar 2025

Individuals

1
Alex Ip

$6,746.6 USD since Jun 2022

2
Doris Wong

$3,500 USD since Dec 2024

3
Kim cobb

$900 USD since Jul 2023

4
C. Y. and S. F. Cheng

$624 USD since Nov 2024

5
Christy

$500 USD since Dec 2024

6
Guest

$500 USD since Jun 2025

7
Christina

$360 USD since Aug 2024

8
Jenny

$300 USD since Jun 2025

9
Siri Carpenter

$290 USD since Dec 2024

10
Max Barnhart

$280 USD since Jul 2022

Budget


Transparent and open finances.

Expenses

All time

Expenses paid

196

Amount disbursed

$109,522.48

Tags# of ExpensesAmount
no tag
26$50,073.42
honorarium
77$25,993.12
employment
26$12,664.08
travel
7$5,016.15
fees
30$4,959.86
editor at large
4$3,250.00
Others Combined
26$9,061.85

View all paid expenses

Contributions

All time

Contributions received

213

Amount collected

$119,295.79

Tiers# of ContributionsAmount
one-time
157$115,010.79
recurring
56$4,285.00

View all contributions

Connect


Let’s get the ball rolling!

News from The Xylom

Updates on our activities and progress.

Important Update: We're Sunsetting Our Open Collective Presence!

Contribute to The Xylom to see this Update
Published on June 28, 2025 by Alex Ip

Crowdfunding is Nigeria’s Newest ‘Health Insurance’ Scheme

NEW: It's not just GoFundMe: Like Americans, Nigerians are als...
Read more
Published on June 20, 2025 by Alex Ip

No Bull: Nepal’s Biogas Revolution Reaches a Turning Point

NEW: As Nepal’s biogas systems become obsolete after decades of widespread adoption efforts, communities...
Read more
Published on June 9, 2025 by Alex Ip

About


HERE AT THE XYLOM, WE GROW SCIENCE WITH WORDS.

Founded in 2018, and based in Atlanta, The Xylom is the only Asian American-run news outlet dedicated to science, climate, and environmental coverage. 
We seek to bring you clarity and complicate the narrative on three questions:
  1. ​"How can science look more like us?"
  2. "How are scientists shaped by what happens outside of the lab?"
  3. "How do people respond to the changing world through science?"

We do so by pairing an award-winning collection of essays with multilingual, multimedia, and culturally competent reporting that is accountability-, solutions-, and data-driven. 
You might've heard of us when:

Here's what our readers say about us:
A lot of you have asked me how I’ve been able to learn so much about "Cop City", it’s because of people like [...]  (Editor-in-Chief Alex Ip) [...] Give them a follow for really insightful coverage.
Rep. Ruwa Romman, the first Muslim woman to be elected to the Georgia State House of Representatives, on Twitter
...Tan creates a rich tapestry that connects science and history, localized personal memories and science of worldwide importance, effectively expanding both the reader's access to what is described and the reader's understanding of the much larger contexts they are exploring. Exquisite, sobering, accessible writing.
In the few months that I've become aware of the ["Cop City"] issue, your exceptionally detailed and factual reporting is the first time things have been put in perspective for me. 
- Reader Albert Conway, in an email conversation with Editor-in-Chief Alex Ip
I was talking with my cofounder of 3484 earlier this week...we both fully agreed your journalism even as a student has been some of the best and most impactful in Atlanta, especially about "Cop City".
- Sam Baskin, Founder and former Creative Director of 3484 Magazine, Georgia Tech’s official student news magazine

We are 100% supported by readers and grants. We will never have a paywall, nor do we sell ads or do sponsored content. We do believe in an open, real-time budget accurate to the cent that allows you to see exactly how your donations are making an impact.  

Let's grow science with words, together. #xforxylom

The Xylom is a member newsroom of Covering Climate Now, the INN Network (including its Rural News Network), LION Publishers, and OptOut News. We are fiscally sponsored by the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation, a 501(c)(3) registered in the District of Columbia. 


Our team

Alex Ip

Admin

Betsy Ladyzhets

Core Contributor

Paola Rosa Aq...

Core Contributor

Tyler Jones

Core Contributor

Kang-Chun Cheng

Core Contributor