Totals
- Total revenue
- $8,404,441
- Total expenses
- $6,760,878
- Contributions and grants received
- $6,555,455
- Grants paid
- $568,500
- Program service revenue
- $1,833,000
- Investment income
- $15,986
- Other revenue
- $0
- Total assets, end of year
- $16,142,188
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $1,597,243
- Net assets or fund balances, end of year
- $14,544,945
- Program services expenses (Part IX)
- $5,238,728
- Management and general expenses
- $1,239,124
- Fundraising expenses
- $283,026
- Program service expenses (Part III)
- $5,238,728
Program services were 77.5% 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.
-
1e · Government grants (contributions)
$549,766
-
1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants
$6,005,689
-
2a · Program service revenue: ARTIST PROGRAM/GREAVES
total $1,833,000 · related or exempt $1,833,000
-
3 · Investment income
total $15,986 · excluded $15,986
Functional expenses
Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.
-
1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments
total $382,500 · program services $382,500
-
2 · Grants to domestic individuals
total $48,000 · program services $48,000
-
3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals
total $138,000 · program services $138,000
-
5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
total $673,510 · program services $373,125 · management and general $252,623 · fundraising $47,762
-
7 · Other salaries and wages
total $1,388,234 · program services $1,071,167 · management and general $207,136 · fundraising $109,931
-
8 · Pension plan contributions
total $210,210 · program services $148,172 · management and general $44,812 · fundraising $17,226
-
9 · Other employee benefits
total $317,914 · program services $223,789 · management and general $69,656 · fundraising $24,469
-
10 · Payroll taxes
total $172,294 · program services $120,828 · management and general $38,201 · fundraising $13,265
-
11b · Fees: legal
total $89,071 · program services $83,737 · management and general $5,334
-
11c · Fees: accounting
total $140,803 · management and general $140,803
-
11g · Fees: other
total $583,263 · program services $357,606 · management and general $220,072 · fundraising $5,585
-
12 · Advertising and promotion
total $10,818 · program services $7,587 · management and general $2,398 · fundraising $833
-
13 · Office expenses
total $48,396 · program services $33,940 · management and general $10,730 · fundraising $3,726
-
14 · Information technology
total $56,702 · program services $30,507 · management and general $22,846 · fundraising $3,349
-
16 · Occupancy
total $220,752 · program services $154,811 · management and general $48,946 · fundraising $16,995
-
17 · Travel
total $265,014 · program services $185,852 · management and general $58,759 · fundraising $20,403
-
19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings
total $239,636 · program services $158,193 · management and general $64,077 · fundraising $17,366
-
22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization
total $4,014 · management and general $4,014
-
23 · Insurance
total $42,622 · management and general $42,622
-
24a · Other expenses: PROGRAMMING
total $1,701,637 · program services $1,701,637
-
24b · Other expenses: REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE
total $27,488 · program services $19,277 · management and general $6,095 · fundraising $2,116
Balance sheet
Part X, book values.
-
1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing
beginning of year $9,432,742 · end of year $5,938,218
-
2 · Savings and temporary cash investments
beginning of year $703,289 · end of year $2,719,264
-
3 · Pledges and grants receivable
beginning of year $4,450,278 · end of year $5,292,383
-
9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges
beginning of year $34,771 · end of year $61,929
-
10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis
$228,121
-
10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation
$223,769
-
10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net
beginning of year $8,366 · end of year $4,352
-
11 · Investments: publicly traded securities
beginning of year $0 · end of year $1,449,592
-
15 · Other assets
beginning of year $277,052 · end of year $676,450
-
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses
beginning of year $878,472 · end of year $705,398
-
25 · Other liabilities
beginning of year $1,160,645 · end of year $891,845
-
27 · Net assets without donor restrictions
beginning of year $6,626,523 · end of year $7,655,679
-
28 · Net assets with donor restrictions
beginning of year $6,240,858 · end of year $6,889,266
Mission and programs · 2023
Mission
FIRELIGHT MEDIA'S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE FILMMAKERS MENTORSHIP, FUNDING, AND CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT TO SUPPORT THE CREATION, DISTRIBUTION, AND IMPACT OF DOCUMENTARY MEDIA BY AND ABOUT COMMUNITIES OF COLOR IN ALL OUR VIBRANCE AND COMPLEXITY.
Activities or mission (Part I)
SEE PART III, LINE 1.
-
SINCE ITS INCEPTION, FIRELIGHT MEDIA HAS SUPPORTED 250+ DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS THROUGH OUR FELLOWSHIP AND GRANT PROGRAMS, 100+ DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS HAVE BEEN FUNDED THROUGH OUR DOCUMENTARY LAB, 40+ DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCED, AND 15 DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS HAVE BEEN CO-PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED FOR PUBLIC MEDIA IN RECENT YEARS.
Expenses $5,238,728 · Grants $568,500 · Revenue $1,833,000
As filed on the 2023 return.
Listed in Part VII
-
Marcia SmithMARCIA SMITH
PRESIDENT
- Total calculated
- $404,344
- From this org
- $299,346
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $104,998
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $299,346
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $87,780
- Nontaxable benefits
- $17,218
- Filer's total
- $404,344
-
Anne CantyANNE CANTY
BOARD CHAIR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Tani TakagiTANI TAKAGI
BOARD TREASURER
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Claire AguilarCLAIRE AGUILAR
BOARD SECRETARY
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Maurine KnightonMAURINE KNIGHTON
BOARD MEMBER
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Rashid ShabazzRASHID SHABAZZ
BOARD MEMBER
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Rafiah VitalisRAFIAH VITALIS
SR. DIRECTOR, FINANCE & OPS
- Total calculated
- $201,151
- From this org
- $151,787
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $49,364
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $151,787
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $21,271
- Nontaxable benefits
- $28,093
- Filer's total
- $201,151
-
Stanley NelsonSTANLEY NELSON
LEAD MENTOR
- Total calculated
- $234,393
- From this org
- $173,314
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $61,079
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $173,314
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $52,017
- Nontaxable benefits
- $9,062
- Filer's total
- $234,393
-
Monika NavarroMONIKA NAVARRO
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $182,761
- From this org
- $152,453
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $30,308
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $152,453
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $21,246
- Nontaxable benefits
- $9,062
- Filer's total
- $182,761
-
Justin SherwoodJUSTIN SHERWOOD
SR. DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS
- Total calculated
- $174,524
- From this org
- $127,512
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $47,012
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $127,512
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $18,919
- Nontaxable benefits
- $28,093
- Filer's total
- $174,524
-
Chloe Walters-WallaceCHLOE WALTERS-WALLACE
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $153,083
- From this org
- $125,741
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $27,342
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $125,741
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $18,280
- Nontaxable benefits
- $9,062
- Filer's total
- $153,083
-
Lucy MukerjeeLUCY MUKERJEE
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $129,439
- From this org
- $116,178
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $13,261
- 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 · 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
-
WILLIAM GREAVES PRODUCTIONS
$96,000
GENERAL SUPPORT
-
ABSTRACT NOMADIC MEDIA FVFK LLC
$30,000
IMPACT GRANT
-
AFTER SPRING
$30,000
IMPACT GRANT
-
THEINBETWEENFILM
$30,000
IMPACT GRANT
-
UNSEEN DOCUMENTARY
$30,000
IMPACT GRANT
-
IMPACT GRANT
-
LIFE LIFE
$30,000
IMPACT GRANT
-
HOUSE OF THE YOUNG ENTERTAINMENT
$22,500
R&D GRANT
-
$22,500
R&D GRANT
-
ALLENSWORTH FILM
$22,500
R&D GRANT
The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.
Provenance
- Return type
- form_990
- Tax year
- 2023
- Filed
- 15 August 2025
- IRS schema version
- 2023v6.0
- Source object
- 202512279349303011
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.