Efforts to create the Pittsburgh Media Partnership began in late 2019 and by January 2020 the organization launched with 20 founding partners representing a diverse range of audiences. The early buy-in brought together competitors in a local market to work on a shared enterprise project together. Some editors who had worked in the city for decades met each other for the first time and began sharing information and discussing the impact of their coverage on Pittsburgh.

The Partnership has received significant financial contributions from two sources — the Hillman Foundation and The Heinz Endowments. Since its inception in 2020, the Partnership has consistently had at least 20 members, even as some organizations have left and others have replaced them: Several original outlets left because they said they did not have the resources for collaborative work; other new ones have joined such as the Butler Eagle, the Kittanning Leader Times, New Castle News, Indiana Gazette, and Latrobe Bulletin.

We currently have 33 active partners that include large organizations such as Trib Total Media and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, as well as community outlets such as the Mon Valley Independent and The Valley Mirror. We have expanded our geographical footprint to include publications in Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Indiana counties. Our partners serve audiences that are diverse by race, ethnicity, religion, geography, sexual orientation and sexual identity.