Skip to content
Nonprofiteer
← AMERICAN OVERSIGHT INC

Form 990 for tax year 2022

Filed by AMERICAN OVERSIGHT INC.

Totals

Total revenue
$7,956,031
Total expenses
$6,230,637
Contributions and grants received
$7,736,212
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$191,203
Investment income
$28,616
Other revenue
$0
Total assets, end of year
$6,487,590
Total liabilities, end of year
$1,502,475
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$4,985,115
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$5,284,369
Management and general expenses
$767,306
Fundraising expenses
$178,962
Program service expenses (Part III)
$5,284,369

Program services were 84.8% 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

    $7,736,212

  • 2a · Program service revenue: LEGAL ACT./SETTLEMENTS

    total $191,203 · related or exempt $191,203

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $28,616 · excluded $28,616

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $202,039 · program services $178,011 · management and general $20,072 · fundraising $3,956

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $3,334,175 · program services $2,987,254 · management and general $280,931 · fundraising $65,990

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $94,872 · management and general $94,872

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $275,241 · program services $245,011 · management and general $24,816 · fundraising $5,414

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $287,777 · program services $256,254 · management and general $25,860 · fundraising $5,663

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $641,703 · program services $641,703

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $111,659 · program services $22,193 · management and general $88,976 · fundraising $490

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $584,926 · program services $386,656 · management and general $111,270 · fundraising $87,000

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $72,676 · program services $61,527 · management and general $9,760 · fundraising $1,389

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $110,450 · program services $98,390 · management and general $9,894 · fundraising $2,166

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $267,412 · program services $238,120 · management and general $24,030 · fundraising $5,262

  • 17 · Travel

    total $43,393 · program services $4,025 · management and general $39,368

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $12,953 · program services $362 · management and general $12,591

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $2,667 · management and general $2,667

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $47,404 · program services $31,742 · management and general $15,551 · fundraising $111

  • 24a · Other expenses: SUBSCRIPTIONS

    total $74,088 · program services $70,386 · management and general $2,181 · fundraising $1,521

  • 24b · Other expenses: COURT/OPEN RECORD FEES

    total $53,107 · program services $53,107

  • 24c · Other expenses: LICENSES & REGISTRATION

    total $13,795 · program services $9,628 · management and general $4,167

  • 24d · Other expenses: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP.

    total $300 · management and general $300

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $140,467 · end of year $279,523

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $2,003,348 · end of year $3,263,282

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    end of year $560,000

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $40,925 · end of year $30,248

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $29,079

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $22,199

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $4,387 · end of year $6,880

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $1,259,708 · end of year $1,252,945

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $83,149 · end of year $1,094,712

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $246,818 · end of year $247,457

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $1,255,018

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $3,285,166 · end of year $4,385,115

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    end of year $600,000

Mission and programs · 2022

Mission

AMERICAN OVERSIGHT ADVANCES TRUTH, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND DEMOCRACY BY ENFORCING THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO GOVERNMENT RECORDS.

Activities or mission (Part I)

SEE FORM 990, PART III, LINE 1.

  • LEGAL & RESEARCH: AMERICAN OVERSIGHT CONDUCTS RESEARCH INTO GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, FILES OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS TO OBTAIN INFORMATION FROM THE GOVERNMENT, AND LITIGATES TO ENFORCE THOSE OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS. THE ORGANIZATION HAS FILED MORE THAN 10,500 OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS SINCE 2017 AND OBTAINED MORE THAN 2,500,000 PAGES OF PUBLIC RECORDS.

    Expenses $3,965,362 · Revenue $191,203

  • EDUCATION & OUTREACH: AMERICAN OVERSIGHT EDUCATES THE PUBLIC ABOUT OUR INVESTIGATIONS AND FINDINGS BY ENGAGING WITH THE NEWS MEDIA, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, AND DIRECTLY VIA OUR WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. THE ORGANIZATION MAINTAINS AN EXTENSIVE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ONLINE LIBRARY OF DOCUMENTS OBTAINED VIA OUR OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS AND LITIGATION.

    Expenses $1,319,007

As filed on the 2022 return.

Listed in Part VII

  • Dominique Bravo

    PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Kathleen Clark

    SECRETARY

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Caroline Fredrickson

    TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Kyle Herring

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Esosa Oso

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1
  • Heather Sawyer

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (FROM 7/2022)

    Total calculated
    $155,900
    From this org
    $145,860
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $10,040
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $145,860
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $2,500
    Nontaxable benefits
    $7,540
    Filer's total
    $155,900
  • Austin Evers

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (UNTIL 1/2022)

    Total calculated
    $46,139
    From this org
    $43,655
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $2,484
    Hours/week
    40
  • Daniel Schwager

    CHIEF COUNSEL (FROM 2/2022)

    Total calculated
    $238,958
    From this org
    $206,718
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $32,240
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $204,718
    Bonus
    $2,000
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $5,830
    Nontaxable benefits
    $26,410
    Filer's total
    $238,958
  • Clark Pettig

    COMMUNICATIONS DIR. (UNTIL 11/2022)

    Total calculated
    $166,371
    From this org
    $152,178
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $14,193
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $152,178
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $6,014
    Nontaxable benefits
    $8,179
    Filer's total
    $166,371
  • Katherine Anthony

    SENIOR LITIGATION COUNSEL

    Total calculated
    $148,169
    From this org
    $134,911
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $13,258
    Hours/week
    40
  • Sarah Columbo

    COUNSEL

    Total calculated
    $140,317
    From this org
    $127,386
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $12,931
    Hours/week
    40
  • Alissa Ellis

    STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $129,453
    From this org
    $121,218
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $8,235
    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 · Form 990 of other organizations
  • 3 · Compensation survey or study
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments

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
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

The filer's explanations (Part III)

PART I, LINE 7
THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS RECEIVED BONUSES IN 2022: DANIEL SCHWAGER $2,000 KATHERINE ANTHONY $2,000 SARAH COLUMBO $2,000 ALISSA ELLIS $2,000

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

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2022
Filed
24 October 2023
IRS schema version
2022v5.0
Source object
202332979349300218

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

The source document this was parsed from is served over the API, which is where bulk and document access live.