As of May 20, 2022, the Jackson Free Press news operation is part of the nonprofit Mississippi Journalism and Education Group's suite of journalism projects, alongside the Mississippi Free Press and the Mississippi Youth Media Project. Referred to often as simply "JFP," the newspaper/website started in 2002 as an alternative weekly newspaper in Jackson, Miss. Co-funders were Mississippi native journalism Donna Ladd, author and technology expert Todd Stauffer and a group of young Jacksonians wanting in inclusive, solutions-focused voice in the state. It won many awards in its first 19.5 years of publication before the nonprofit acquisition.