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Nonprofiteer
← OHIO LOCAL INFORMATION INITIATIVE INC

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by OHIO LOCAL INFORMATION INITIATIVE INC.

Totals

Total revenue
$5,162,623
Total expenses
$4,741,157
Contributions and grants received
$5,095,257
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$0
Investment income
$47,211
Other revenue
$20,155
Total assets, end of year
$4,042,267
Total liabilities, end of year
$1,452,529
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$2,589,738
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$3,301,282
Management and general expenses
$1,439,875
Fundraising expenses
$0
Program service expenses (Part III)
$3,301,282

Program services were 69.6% 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

    $5,095,257

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $47,211 · excluded $47,211

  • 11a · Other revenue: ADVERTISING INCOME

    total $20,155 · related or exempt $20,155

  • 11e · Other revenue, total

    $20,155

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $240,884 · program services $181,614 · management and general $59,270

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $2,599,774 · program services $2,027,158 · management and general $572,616

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $323,111 · program services $251,237 · management and general $71,874

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $211,280 · program services $164,282 · management and general $46,998

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $27,691 · program services $4,141 · management and general $23,550

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $159,069 · program services $23,787 · management and general $135,282

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $179,821 · program services $26,890 · management and general $152,931

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $15,750 · management and general $15,750

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $50,072 · program services $36,713 · management and general $13,359

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $175,830 · program services $77,343 · management and general $98,487

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $113,878 · program services $99,303 · management and general $14,575

  • 17 · Travel

    total $70,217 · program services $18,594 · management and general $51,623

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $4,314 · program services $4,314

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $26,575 · management and general $26,575

  • 24a · Other expenses: EDITORIAL SERVICES

    total $309,471 · program services $309,378 · management and general $93

  • 24b · Other expenses: BAD DEBT

    total $100,000 · management and general $100,000

  • 24c · Other expenses: EVENTS

    total $64,303 · program services $58,220 · management and general $6,083

  • 24d · Other expenses: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMEN

    total $52,276 · program services $4,402 · management and general $47,874

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $16,841 · program services $13,906 · management and general $2,935

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $2,802,864 · end of year $2,829,652

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $881,150 · end of year $1,028,145

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $24,439 · end of year $36,123

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

    $43,141

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

    $6,426

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $41,029 · end of year $36,715

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $150,434 · end of year $111,632

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $228,392 · end of year $98,443

  • 19 · Deferred revenue

    beginning of year $1,363,064 · end of year $1,239,752

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $140,188 · end of year $114,334

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $1,757,021 · end of year $1,839,738

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $411,251 · end of year $750,000

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

TO PROVIDE PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM TO PEOPLE IN OHIO.

  • SIGNAL OHIO, FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE OHIO LOCAL NEWS INITIATIVE, IS A NETWORK OF INDEPENDENT, COMMUNITY-LED, NONPROFIT NEWSROOMS BACKED BY A COALITION OF OHIO ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITY LEADERS AND THE AMERICAN JOURNALISM PROJECT. IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST LOCAL NONPROFIT NEWSSTARTUPS IN THE COUNTRY, WITH NEWSROOMS IN CLEVELAND AND AKRON.THE NEWSROOMS PRODUCE HIGH-QUALITY ACCOUNTABILITY JOURNALISM WHILE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH RESIDENTS TO PRODUCE AND DISTRIBUTE COMMUNITY REPORTING THAT IS FREE TO ACCESS AND AVAILABLE FOR REPUBLISHING.

    Expenses $3,301,282

As filed on the 2024 return.

Listed in Part VII

  • Doug Ulman

    BOARD CHAIR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Michael Ouimette

    TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Dale Anglin

    MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Henry J Gomez

    MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Delores Hargrove-Young

    MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Michael Curtain

    MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Larry James

    MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Julie McNeil Danish

    CEO

    Total calculated
    $230,640
    From this org
    $220,396
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $10,244
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $220,396
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $10,244
    Nontaxable benefits
    $0
    Filer's total
    $230,640

  • Lila Mills

    EDITOR IN CHIEF

    Total calculated
    $157,582
    From this org
    $150,138
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $7,444
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $150,138
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $7,444
    Nontaxable benefits
    $0
    Filer's total
    $157,582

  • Mark Naymik

    MANAGING EDITOR, NEWSROOM

    Total calculated
    $122,758
    From this org
    $122,758
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

  • Lawrence Caswell

    EDITOR, DOCUMENTERS

    Total calculated
    $115,223
    From this org
    $115,223
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

  • Susan Zake

    EDITOR IN CHIEF

    Total calculated
    $120,681
    From this org
    $120,681
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

  • Michelle Everhart-Sullivan

    CHIEF AUDIENCE OFFICER

    Total calculated
    $141,649
    From this org
    $141,649
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

  • Helen Maynard

    COMMUNITY JOURNALISM DIRECTO

    Total calculated
    $105,490
    From this org
    $105,490
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    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

None.

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

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
14 November 2025
IRS schema version
2024v5.2
Source object
202533219349309443

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