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Support fiercely independent coverage of culture and politics in Madison.
We answer to our readers, and only to our readers. Your donations are our most crucial source of income, providing direct support for journalists in Madison.
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Minimum amount of $5Why do you need donations?
We depend on small reader donations throughout the year to keep the lights on at Tone Madison. As we documented in our 2024 annual report, reader donations make up almost half of our income. In addition to donations, Tone Madison brings in some money through advertising, grants, events, music compilations, and merch sales. Each of these revenue sources has its ups and downs; if you rely too much on any given one, the ups and downs can make life really difficult. Our work will be more sustainable in the long run if we can pay for it through multiple sources of revenue.
The year, 2025, really drove this point home. We saw a significant decrease in advertising revenue, probably due to ::gestures widely::. We are doing our best to adapt, but we are relying on your donations now more than ever.
We also believe that journalism as a whole is stronger when the people who value it help to pay for it. But just as importantly, we see our membership program as a way for readers to feel more involved and invested in the work we do.
How is this money used?
As we outlined in our 2024 annual report, 73% of the revenue Tone Madison brings in goes toward paying our staff wages (and taxes on those wages), as well as our freelance writers and illustrators. We believe journalists and artists should be paid for their work. When you donate, you’re helping that happen. We have some basic costs to cover in the form of web hosting, but all in all, we’re a very lean organization and do not take on wasteful overhead.
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A message from Christina Lieffring, Managing Editor
We can’t do what we do at Tone Madison without support from our readers—nor do we want to. We publish hard-hitting investigations, deep dives into Madison’s arts scene, essays on cultural curiosities, gripes about local politics, and original art from Madison-based artists because that work is valued and funded by you, our readers. We don’t take that lightly and will continue to funnel the vast majority of those funds towards the editors, writers, and illustrators who make the quality Tone Madison content you deserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my donation tax-deductible?
It can be! As of 2025, donations through this page are not treated as tax-deductible. To make a tax-deductible donation to Tone Madison, please follow this link to donate to our fiscal sponsor, MadWorC.
What if I want to give more than $1,000?
If you are interested in making a bigger gift (in excess of $1,000), please reach out directly to christina@tonemadison.com.
Is your website secure?
All payments are processed through Stripe. Stripe is a PCI Service Provider Level 1 which is the highest grade of payment processing security. All credit card information is encrypted, sent directly to Stripe and is never sent to our website server. This means that we are PCI compliant and any breach of our website won’t result in stolen credit card information. Learn more here.
What if I have a different question?
Get in touch by selecting “Customer Service” on our contact page.
Illustration credit: Rachal Duggan