RELIGION NEWS FOUNDATION Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

RELIGION NEWS FOUNDATION

EIN 31-1650883 · Single Organization Support (X11)

What they do

to ADVANCE THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING of RELIGION and THE DEVELOPMENT of RELIGION JOURNALISM.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $74.60 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders19 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

35.33%of revenue went to mission work74.6% of expenses · Program services

3.26%of revenue went to fundraising6.9% of expenses

$47.39spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

8.80%of revenue went to management and office costs18.6% of expenses

$2.05in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

95.6%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $203,877 for DEBORAH CALDWELL (CEO AND PUBLISHER). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$9,440,759

Mission workProgram services$3,335,51235.33% of revenue74.6% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$830,4878.80% of revenue18.6% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$307,9383.26% of revenue6.9% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$4,966,82252.61% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$4,473,93747.39% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 74.6% mission · 18.6% management · 6.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 47.39% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 80.3% mission · 14.3% management · 5.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 272.97% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 80.5% mission · 11.9% management · 7.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 45.51% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 76.1% mission · 14.8% management · 9.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 109.39% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 85.1% mission · 11.7% management · 3.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 93.98% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 87.5% mission · 7.2% management · 5.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 301.34% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 70.2% mission · 21.6% management · 8.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 42.21% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 68.7% mission · 26.3% management · 5.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 452.83% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$9,440,759

Expenses$4,473,937

Annual surplus $4,966,822 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$3,335,512 · 74.6% of expenses

Management and office costs$830,487 · 18.6% of expenses

Fundraising$307,938 · 6.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$9,440,759

Expenses$4,473,937

Assets$9,164,947

Income$9,503,840

Contributions$9,029,426

Mission work (program services)$3,335,512

Fundraising$307,938

Grants given$6,632

Average grant$6,632

Management and general$830,487

Executive compensation (total)$197,626

Accounting fees$91,731

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

DEBORAH CALDWELLCEO AND PUBLISHER · 40 hrs/week $203,877Base $192,500 · Other $11,377

PAUL ODONNELLEDITOR-IN-CHIEF · 40 hrs/week $177,784Base $135,965 · Other $41,819

TYLER BORCHERSOPERATIONS DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $154,474Base $140,875 · Other $13,599

ROBERT SMIETANANATIONAL REPORTER · 40 hrs/week $146,437Base $115,068 · Other $31,369

ROXANNE STONEMANAGING EDITOR · 40 hrs/week $135,320Base $120,080 · Other $15,240

PATRICIA TERRELLCHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER · 40 hrs/week $105,139Base $93,750 · Other $11,389

LAURA WILSONFINANCE DIRECTOR · 20 hrs/week $87,086Base $81,631 · Other $5,455

KEN CHITWOODPAST VICE CHAIR · 2 hrs/week $7,200

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (19)

DEBORAH CALDWELLCEO AND PUBLISHER

PAUL ODONNELLEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

TYLER BORCHERSOPERATIONS DIRECTOR

ROBERT SMIETANANATIONAL REPORTER

ROXANNE STONEMANAGING EDITOR

PATRICIA TERRELLCHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

LAURA WILSONFINANCE DIRECTOR

KEN CHITWOODPAST VICE CHAIR

WON KIMBOARD MEMBER

BETSY SHIRLEYBOARD MEMBER

THOMAS LEVINSONBOARD MEMBER

STEVE WALDMANBOARD MEMBER

SHAHED AMANULLAHVICE CHAIR

SEAN COUGHLINTREASURER

ROBYN TOMLINSECRETARY

JU-DON MARSHALLBOARD MEMBER

JOHN TERRILLPAST BOARD CHAIR

ELAINE JUSTICEBOARD MEMBER

DAVE ROBERSONCHAIR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2017
Location: PO BOX 1808, COLUMBIA, MO 65205
County: Boone
In care of: DEBORAH CALDWELL
Primary officer: DEBORAH CALDWELL, CEO/PRESIDENT

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(844) 767-6397

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: WILLIAMS-KEEPERS LLC
NTEE classification: Single Organization Support (X11)
IRS tax category: Single Organization Support
Grant-giving organization: Yes