Being an independent nonprofit journalism organization gives our team tremendous freedom in how we tell stories and how we operate. Driven by our shared vision and mission, we adhere to guiding principles in every aspect of our work, from our reporting to our long-term strategic planning.
Our history
Threshold is produced by Auricle Productions, a nonprofit organization founded by Amy Martin, the creator and executive producer of Threshold. Auricle Productions was incorporated in Montana in 2019 and became an IRS designated 501(c)(3) in 2020. Prior to that, we were a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas.
To learn more about our work, our organization, and our funding, see our 2023 Annual Report.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
At Threshold, our mission is to deepen understanding of human relationships with each other and the natural world. We cannot explore this interconnectedness without acknowledging the diversity of human experiences and the systems of oppression that have and continue to impact these experiences.
Therefore, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are key to our mission and it is essential that we operate with DEI embedded into the core of our work.
In our storytelling, this means:
Interrogating our role and the power we hold as storytellers
Paying keen attention to whose voices are being heard and why
Thinking critically about the dominant narratives about the issues we cover
In our organization, this means:
Creating a culture that acknowledges, welcomes, and meets the needs of team members with different identities
Codifying our diversity, equity, and inclusion values in our organization’s practices and policies, including in our compensation practices
Regularly dedicating time together to interrogate our own biases and expand our understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion
Our funding model
Our funding model is driven by philanthropy—individual and foundation giving—with modest annual projections for earned revenue, like distribution partnerships on public radio.
Since the first season of Threshold, we have been committed to making our content available to listeners for free. We believe that quality journalism should be accessible to everyone, so we don’t put our content behind a paywall or make exclusive content that’s only available to paid subscribers.
Producing an in-depth narrative show like ours is expensive: the research, reporting, scripting, editing, and sound mixing are extremely time-intensive. This is one of the reasons the typical podcast funding model—driven by advertising revenue—isn't a realistic one for us.
Advertisers value content that is produced with a quick turnaround, released on a weekly or even daily schedule. This runs completely counter to the ethos that powers Threshold: our approach prioritizes quality over quantity, and we invest significant time and energy producing content that remains relevant long after its release date.
Not having corporate sponsors or paid ads on our shows removes a source of revenue, but it also allows us to be completely independent: we aren’t beholden to advertising contracts and we have the freedom to produce our show how and when we think is best. It also means that we’re able to create an ad-free listening experience. In short, we think it makes Threshold a better show.
It is important to us that our listeners and supporters understand our commitment to editorial independence and funding transparency. A full list of our donors is included on pages 41 - 45 of our Annual Report. Copies of our most recent Forms 990 can be found below:
Our approach gives us total journalistic freedom, but it also means we need the people who value our work to pitch in. Visit our donate page to make a one-time or monthly gift.