InDepthNH.org won a Nonprofit News Award called an INNY Wednesday night at the awards ceremony at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.

The award honors an Institute for Nonprofit News member organization that made a significant contribution to the well-being of its community through a journalism-centered project or service.

The award judges singled out Ani Freedman in the Community Champion micro-division for her investigative reporting regarding “forever chemicals” in Merrimack. Freedman has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and lived in Nashua while reporting for InDepthNH.org.

“I am beyond grateful to have been honored with this award from the Institute for Nonprofit News. To the people of Merrimack who entrusted me with their stories and came along for the journey of PFAS accountability amid environmental and health injustice, I thank you deeply. I could not have done it without you. And thank you, Nancy West and everyone at InDepthNH for believing in me, supporting me, and simply giving me a chance. 

“Currently I’m a fellow for Fortune Magazine doing health and wellness reporting,” Freedman said. 

West congratulated Freedman saying, “InDepthNH.org is thrilled for you, Ani, and grateful for all the work you did on so many different issues, especially forever chemicals, while reporting for us in New Hampshire, and your representation of InDepthNH.org at Institute for Nonprofit News Days in San Diego.

“The New Hampshire Press Association was 100 percent correct naming you ‘Rookie of the Year’ when you were getting started here. It is wonderful that talented people like you have chosen journalism at a time when we need more hard-working, honest and ethical reporters in the field. Reporters like you, Ani. We hope you will return to InDepthNH.org someday. In the meantime, we will be following your reporting for Fortune at https://fortune.com/author/ani-freedman,” West said.

The judges praised Freedman for investigating the impact of ‘forever chemicals polluting groundwater, soil and surface water in Merrimack and their ties to Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics.

“That sort of reporting is not easy, one judge said. The science can be hard to explain. Corporations responsible for the pollution won’t talk or tell the truth. And, it’s essential to tell the personal stories of impact, to humanize the issue,” the judge wrote.

 “But, Ani Freedman does a good job getting to the bottom of this complex story. It’s a good example of the kind of accountability journalism that gets lost when newspapers shutter and the kind of reporting that nonprofit news organizations can do to enable residents to tell their stories and speak truth to power.”

The Nonprofit News Awards (or INNYs) honor excellence in journalism, leadership and community service across the field of nonprofit news. In 2024, the Institute for Nonprofit News received 626 entries — the largest so far, and gave out 29 awards across 11 categories. A total of 75 judges, including nationally recognized journalists from across the INN Network and many other news organizations, formed panels to evaluate the entries.

Read the Winning Work

Saint-Gobain’s Controversial Air Permit Approved by NHDES

State Rep: Saint-Gobain Leaves, But Health Impacts of PFAS Are Here to Stay

Saint-Gobain Denies NHDES Requests for More Sampling of PFAS-Contaminated Sites