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← ESSENTIAL INFORMATION INC

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by ESSENTIAL INFORMATION INC.

Totals

Total revenue
$899,391
Total expenses
$910,669
Contributions and grants received
$767,534
Grants paid
$35,727
Program service revenue
$118,302
Investment income
$9,374
Other revenue
$4,181
Total assets, end of year
$253,625
Total liabilities, end of year
$41,303
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$212,322
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$862,242
Management and general expenses
$31,026
Fundraising expenses
$17,401
Program service expenses (Part III)
$862,242

Program services were 94.7% 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.

  • 1a · Federated campaigns

    $0

  • 1b · Membership dues

    $0

  • 1c · Fundraising events

    $0

  • 1d · Related organizations

    $0

  • 1e · Government grants (contributions)

    $0

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $767,534

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $0

  • 2a · Program service revenue: Contractual Fees

    total $105,299 · related or exempt $105,299 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 2b · Program service revenue: Settlement Fees

    total $13,003 · related or exempt $13,003 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 2f · All other program service revenue

    total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $9,382 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $9,382

  • 4 · Income from investment of tax-exempt bond proceeds

    total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 5 · Royalties

    total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 6a · Gross rents

    real property $0 · personal property $0

  • 6b · Less rental expenses

    real property $0 · personal property $0

  • 6c · Rental income or loss

    real property $0 · personal property $0

  • 6d · Net rental income or loss

    total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $18 · other assets $0

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

    securities $26 · other assets $0

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities -$8 · other assets $0

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total -$8 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded -$8

  • 8a · Fundraising events: gross income

    $0

  • 8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

    $0

  • 8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

    $0

  • 8c · Net income from fundraising events

    total $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 9a · Gaming: gross income

    $0

  • 9b · Gaming: direct expenses

    $0

  • 9c · Net income from gaming

    total $0 · related or exempt $0 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 10a · Gross sales of inventory

    $4,181

  • 10b · Cost of goods sold

    $0

  • 10c · Net income from sales of inventory

    total $4,181 · related or exempt $4,181 · unrelated business $0 · excluded $0

  • 11e · Other revenue, total

    $0

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $35,727 · program services $35,727

  • 2 · Grants to domestic individuals

    total $0 · program services $0

  • 3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

    total $0 · program services $0

  • 4 · Benefits paid to or for members

    total $0 · program services $0

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 6 · Compensation of disqualified persons

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $347,048 · program services $325,798 · management and general $8,500 · fundraising $12,750

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $26,793 · program services $25,148 · management and general $658 · fundraising $987

  • 11a · Fees: management

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $3,817 · program services $817 · management and general $3,000 · fundraising $0

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $8,467 · program services $0 · management and general $8,467 · fundraising $0

  • 11d · Fees: lobbying

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

    total $0 · fundraising $0

  • 11f · Fees: investment management

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $392,077 · program services $391,317 · management and general $760 · fundraising $0

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $250 · program services $250 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $5,456 · program services $1,677 · management and general $3,779 · fundraising $0

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $21,724 · program services $19,604 · management and general $0 · fundraising $2,120

  • 15 · Royalties

    total $54,000 · program services $54,000 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $400 · program services $0 · management and general $400 · fundraising $0

  • 17 · Travel

    total $3,516 · program services $3,516 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 18 · Travel or entertainment for public officials

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $851 · program services $851 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 20 · Interest

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 21 · Payments to affiliates

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $1,032 · program services $0 · management and general $1,032 · fundraising $0

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $3,417 · program services $0 · management and general $3,417 · fundraising $0

  • 24a · Other expenses: Bank Charges

    total $2,055 · program services $0 · management and general $987 · fundraising $1,068

  • 24b · Other expenses: Reference Materials

    total $4,039 · program services $3,537 · management and general $26 · fundraising $476

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $0 · program services $0 · management and general $0 · fundraising $0

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $31,945 · end of year $27,235

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $90,657 · end of year $206,877

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $70,080 · end of year $12,136

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $55,317 · end of year $5,687

  • 5 · Loans and receivables from officers and key people

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 6 · Loans and receivables from disqualified persons

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 7 · Other notes and loans receivable

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 8 · Inventories for sale or use

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $1,029 · end of year $0

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

    $11,803

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

    $10,172

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $2,016 · end of year $1,631

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $9,948 · end of year $59

  • 12 · Investments: other securities

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 13 · Investments: program-related

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 14 · Intangible assets

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $37,388 · end of year $41,303

  • 18 · Grants payable

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 19 · Deferred revenue

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 20 · Tax-exempt bond liabilities

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 21 · Escrow or custodial account liability

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 22 · Loans and payables to officers and key people

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 23 · Secured mortgages and notes payable

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 24 · Unsecured notes and loans payable

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $0

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $15,946 · end of year $98,228

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $207,658 · end of year $114,094

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

Essential Information educates the public on topics neglected by the media and policy-makers.

  • HUMAN RIGHTS: The project has involved work overseas in areas of severe repression involving the collection and distribution of human rights information, encouraging peaceful political solutions to violent conflicts, and facilitating local community work on issues of poverty, security and justice. The Human Rights and Justice Project posts information on a free,web-based clearinghouse, updated throughout the day, on political, social and economic developments overseas that may be of interest to academics, journalists, activists and the general public. Materials circulated include scholarly official and NGO studies, foreign press reports and translations of pertinent foreign-language materials. Major topics include political change, health, the environment, popular movements, and economic trends.

    Expenses $60,610

  • INVENTIVE INITIATIVES: Essential Information has started more than a dozen projects in recent years. The Organization's primary criteria is: Does it promote innovation in the public interest? With quiet determination and sophistication, project leaders identify the fulcrums of power that invariably lie in the shadows, envision new pathways of change that entrenched organizations, overlook and develops new strategies that, over time, profoundly alter the terms of the debate for a given issue. Essential Information projects are designed to be flexible and evolutionary as circumstances warrant. The ascent is on experimentation to develop effective new models of citizen action. In addition, this project has funded dozens of articles on critical issues -- ranging from worker exposure to deadly toxics to illegal U.S. efforts to supply the repressive Guatemalan military -- that have been overlooked or neglected by the mass media.

    Expenses $729,572 · Grants $35,727 · Revenue $118,302

  • UnKoch My Campus (UKMC), a nonprofit project dedicated to fighting the undue donor influence that seeks to manipulate higher education to serve corporate interests. UKMC investigates improper relationships between wealthy donors, corporations, and educational institutions. Believing that transparency is the key to accountability, UKMC obtains and publicizes donor agreements in order to expose ways in which gifts from the Koch Foundation undermine academic freedom and faculty governance at academic institutions across the country.

    Expenses $72,060

As filed on the 2024 return.

Listed in Part VII

  • Allison Kole

    Staff Attorney

    Total calculated
    $107,026
    From this org
    $107,026
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

  • Zehava Robbins

    Staff Attorney

    Total calculated
    $100,872
    From this org
    $100,872
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

  • John Richard

    President

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    5

  • Amy Allina

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Cynthia Renfro

    Director

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Robert Weissman

    Secretary/Treasurer

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

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.

Grants on this return

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
30 September 2025
IRS schema version
2024v5.0
Source object
202513049349303106

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