Foundation-funded science publication Hakai Magazine to shutter in 2024

Author Gabe Oatley

Hakai Magazine, a digital science and environmental publication covering Canada’s west coast, will cease to publish at the end of 2024 without new funding.

Since its launch in 2015, the publication had received ongoing funding from the Tula Foundation. However, according to Krista Langlois, the publication’s editor, that funding has dried up, causing the magazine to close.

Since 2008, more than 500 local media outlets have shuttered nationwide amidst a dramatic decline in revenue from advertisement sales. Resulting job losses have made it challenging for journalists to provide sufficient coverage of just about every aspect of civic life.

To spur the creation of new outlets and keep existing media properties alive, some have called on foundations to boost media funding.

The Local, a Toronto-focused digital publication, has received ongoing support from the Atkinson Foundation, Metcalf Foundation, and Toronto Foundation, among others. The Narwhal, a digital environmental news outlet, has also received hundreds of thousands in support from several foundations.

But news of Hakai Magazine’s closure, suggests philanthropic support is not without risk.

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  • Gabe Oatley

    Gabe Oatley is Future of Good’s reporter on transforming funding models. He’s a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Masters of Journalism and his work has been published by the CBC, the National Observer, and The Nation. You can reach Gabe at gabe@futureofgood.co.

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