American Coalition for Public Radio

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
821246245
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2025132000
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Culture, and Humanities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$592,719
Expenses
$592,719
Assets
$489
Liabilities
$489

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GEMMA HOOLEY (DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT)
  • MARTA MCLELLAN ROSS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL SMITH (DIR., SEC. & TREAS. (END 03/25)): $497,211 total reported compensation
  • GEMMA HOOLEY (DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT): $393,196 total reported compensation
  • MARTA MCLELLAN ROSS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $316,329 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The american coalition for public radio supports the educational mission of publicly funded, noncommercial radio stations, networks, and systems (collectively, "public radio").

What it reported doing in 2024

The american coalition for public radio (acpr) solicits and disseminates information about public radio through grassroots campaigns and social media. Acpr also operates the noncommusic alliance, the alliance of rural public media, and, until september 30, 2025, protectmypublicmedia.org. The noncommusic alliance is a group of public radio music stations, musicians, and other organizations. It highlights the role of public radio as an essential component of music discovery, performance, and community, and helps public radio music stations serve their listeners. It disseminates information through noncommusic.org. The alliance of rural public media is a group of public radio stations serving rural audiences. It seeks to inform lawmakers and the public about the critical work of these stations nationwide, to secure federal funding, and to promote public policies that allow rural stations to continue providing indispensable local news, emergency services, and preservation of local culture through music and other programming. It disseminates information through ruralpublic.org. Protectmypublicmedia.org encouraged the public to share their views about public radio. Acpr co-managed the site with apts action, inc., an organization affiliated with america's public television stations (apts). Acpr is not affiliated with either apts or apts action, inc. In may 2025, acpr launched the grassroots campaign goacpr.org, giving public radio supporters an additional channel for voicing their opinions to their elected state and federal representatives.

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 61
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.8%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 96.8%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.9%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 19.9% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 22.1% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 96.8% of revenue deployed · 96.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 3 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $574K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $497K · 5 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 4 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 33/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.