ANF is dedicated to the promotion and support of independent journalism.

As part of its affiliation with the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN), ANF supports the growth, education, and professional development of future journalists while connecting younger journalists with mentors.

The foundation has three main objectives:

• To work side by side with AAN to support the core principles of the alternative press: Speaking truth to power, telling stories other publications won’t, and giving voice to those who would otherwise go unheard.
• To serve as a fiscal sponsor to independent entities that are in the business of building local news and information infrastructure and initiatives that ultimately serve their communities.
• To engage and collaborate with National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP), representing more than 500 Black and Latino-owned news outlets, local alternative publications, and online news sites, to advance the mission behind the Fund For Equity In Local News.