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Nonprofiteer
← AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FOUNDATION

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FOUNDATION.

Totals

Total revenue
$58,642,994
Total expenses
$52,360,305
Contributions and grants received
$58,709,188
Grants paid
$33,390,000
Program service revenue
$0
Investment income
-$66,194
Other revenue
$0
Total assets, end of year
$13,457,553
Total liabilities, end of year
$309,336
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$13,148,217
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$49,972,523
Management and general expenses
$624,817
Fundraising expenses
$1,762,965
Program service expenses (Part III)
$49,972,523

Program services were 95.4% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $58,709,188

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $4,426,009

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $94 · excluded $94

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $4,359,721

  • 7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

    securities $4,426,009

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities -$66,288

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total -$66,288 · excluded -$66,288

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $33,340,000 · program services $33,340,000

  • 3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

    total $50,000 · program services $50,000

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $160,667 · program services $101,167 · management and general $59,500

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $1,865,137 · program services $1,590,470 · management and general $274,667

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $40,205 · program services $40,068 · management and general $137

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $205,577 · program services $176,008 · management and general $29,569

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $167,306 · program services $134,174 · management and general $33,132

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $162,144 · program services $134,907 · management and general $27,157 · fundraising $80

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $24,955 · program services $20,769 · management and general $4,186

  • 11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

    total $1,500,000 · fundraising $1,500,000

  • 11f · Fees: investment management

    total $22,275 · management and general $22,275

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $1,836,355 · program services $1,672,859 · management and general $98,496 · fundraising $65,000

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $86,294 · program services $59,786 · management and general $17,928 · fundraising $8,580

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $59,295 · program services $49,349 · management and general $9,946

  • 17 · Travel

    total $402,989 · program services $206,071 · management and general $11,641 · fundraising $185,277

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $22,522 · program services $18,744 · management and general $3,778

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $126,718 · program services $105,463 · management and general $21,255

  • 24a · Other expenses: MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION

    total $12,214,318 · program services $12,214,318

  • 24b · Other expenses: DUES & SUBSCRIPTIONS

    total $59,516 · program services $49,760 · management and general $9,366 · fundraising $390

  • 24c · Other expenses: ALL OTHER EXPENSES

    total $4,818 · program services $200 · management and general $980 · fundraising $3,638

  • 24d · Other expenses: PAYROLL FEES

    total $4,792 · program services $3,988 · management and general $804

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $4,422 · program services $4,422

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $7,549,972 · end of year $12,453,534

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $421,739 · end of year $170,229

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $18,000 · end of year $14,422

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $570,000

  • 14 · Intangible assets

    beginning of year $125,000 · end of year $232,694

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $13,156 · end of year $16,674

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $1,262,339 · end of year $309,336

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $2,985,166 · end of year $12,960,807

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $3,880,362 · end of year $187,410

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION IS TO FOSTER STRONG, INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM THAT HELPS CREATE POSITIVE SOCIETAL CHANGE THROUGH INCREASED PUBLIC AWARENESS OF PROGRESSIVE ISSUES.

Activities or mission (Part I)

SEE PART III, LINE 1.

  • THE ORGANIZATION FUNDS FACTUAL JOURNALISM THAT ARMS THE PUBLIC WITH THE TRUTHS NEEDED TO HOLD INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS ACCOUNTABLE FOR ACTIONS OR POLICIES THAT RUN COUNTER TO PROGRESSIVE VALUES.

    Expenses $49,972,523 · Grants $33,390,000

As filed on the 2024 return.

Listed in Part VII

  • David Bennahum

    CHAIR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Ankit Desai

    TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Victoria Hopper

    SECRETARY

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • David Jolly

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Carlos Marroquin

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Nicco Mele

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Jill Aper

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Pilar Martinez

    DIRECTOR, CFO

    Total calculated
    $59,500
    From this org
    $59,500
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    5

  • Joe Conason

    PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $101,167
    From this org
    $101,167
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

  • Dhanya Addanki

    EXECUTIVE EDITOR

    Total calculated
    $152,626
    From this org
    $140,400
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $12,226
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $140,400
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $4,212
    Nontaxable benefits
    $8,014
    Filer's total
    $152,626

  • Jessica Standafer Bolles

    DIGITAL DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $143,189
    From this org
    $131,172
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $12,017
    Hours/week
    40

  • Emily Singer

    SENIOR REPORTER

    Total calculated
    $126,595
    From this org
    $108,365
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $18,230
    Hours/week
    40

  • Daniel J Camacho

    SENIOR EDITOR

    Total calculated
    $112,992
    From this org
    $101,920
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $11,072
    Hours/week
    40

  • Karen L Freund

    EDITOR

    Total calculated
    $125,248
    From this org
    $101,764
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $23,484
    Hours/week
    40

  • Joshua E Israel

    SENIOR WRITER

    Total calculated
    $116,648
    From this org
    $101,764
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $14,884
    Hours/week
    40

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

  • 3 · Compensation survey or study
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee

Answered no

  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
14 October 2025
IRS schema version
2024v5.2
Source object
202522879349301317

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