Your community. Your platform.
We’re reaching a lot of new people this year, so here’s a re-introduction to what we’re about. The Newsmast Foundation is a non-profit, public-interest organisation building open, ethical digital infrastructure for media, institutions and communities. We support digital sovereignty, independence, and long-term public value.
In Europe and worldwide, people are recognising that news publishers, progressive content creators, non-profits and civic society rely on platforms that don’t share our values. Platforms which optimise algorithms for surveillance, outrage and profit. At the Newsmast Foundation, we’re challenging this Big Social dominance with a programme delivering easy-to-use, affordable apps and platforms for communities worldwide.
Apps for Change
We’ve been building the technology behind this for a few years. Now we’re rolling out pilots in Europe and across the world, working with partners in five areas:
News. Our app for the Bristol Cable, a UK-news co-op, was the first to combine news with a local social community, and global connections. We’re following up this Wordpress integration with an app for the Leicester Gazette built on Ghost.
Combining news with community offers a powerful way to rebuild and strengthen trust in journalism, in a world where facts are increasingly under threat.
Content creators. Creators have incredible reach, but their followers all set on oligarch owned platforms. Creator apps and platforms offer a way to turn followers into a engaged community, outside Big Social.
We’re piloting our first creator app with progressive podcasting venture Find Out Media, in the US.
Professional networks. The enshittification of social media has led many groups and networks to use messaging platforms to connect. Our network apps take this spirit and bring it together in a community-owned platform where professionals can collaborate, connect, and make things happen.
We’re working with museums in Brazil, and scientists in Africa to pioneer this new kind of networking app.
Hyper-local. We’ve been approached by two very different local communities - a town in Devon, UK, and a science and innovation campus in Germany - to work through what a local app and platform would look like. Mixing engaging content with a what’s on directory.
Communities. Lastly, we’re working with new and established communities on the open social web to offer a community-branded app which offers an easy-to-use gateway for new users, and a satisfying way for more established members to engage.
We started with an app to bring in newcomers - Mo-Me - and are about to launch apps with Qlub in Quebec and Tŵt for Welsh people in Wales and around the world.
How it Works
There's a lot going on behind the scenes to make this come together.
Tech stack. Our apps sit on top of an independent tech stack, running mobile and web apps, curated content feeds, and a safe, moderated community hub. All powered by open-source, decentralized software. We’re working with Mastodon and Bonfire for the social community software, Wordpress and Ghost for content, and now Lauti for events.
Content. Our apps support short-form text, long-form blogging and news articles, podcasts and short-form video. Plus events calendars, maps, member directories and other community resources.
Community Ownership. We’ll manage the apps and platform for you, or you can take on some or all of it as required. All the software is open-source, which means that ultimately it won’t go away, and you can run it yourselves.
Affordability. At Newsmast, we put mission before margin. So there’s a minimal set-up cost and a low monthly fee based on how big your organisation is.
Own-branded. Our apps are designed and branded for your community. From the logo to the colours and fonts. We’ll help you put them onto the app stores in the community’s name.
Multi-language. Our apps, and the content inside, can come in any language - and each app can display as many languages as you need. We’ve built apps in French and Welsh, and we’re now building in German, Brazilian Portuguese and Arabic.
Lite-platform. With our science partners we're working to develop a lite version of our app, which will work in areas of the Global South with low connectivity
Community, engagement and social networks
This is different from social media. Our social networking platform isn't an alternative running alongside the big-tech platforms like Instagram, Facebook and X. We’re not looking to extend reach. We’re want to deepen engagement. Our app and platform sit underneath Big Social platforms, bringing audiences to a home where they become people in a community, connecting with the organisation, each other, and people on the open social web worldwide.
We're working to create a network of thousands of independent apps and platforms — run by broadcasters, newsrooms, creators, educators and communities — all connected through open standards. A decentralised ecosystem rooted in civic values.
We're currently working on ten community apps across our five flavours, with more on the way. We’d love to talk to you about joining them as we grow throughout 2026.
