Arthur F Burns Fellowship Program Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
541629976
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2027373700
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Exchange, N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$221,990
Expenses
$210,630
Assets
$169,221
Liabilities
$117,051

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

Leadership & pay

34 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • FRANK-DIETER FREILING (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • FRANK-DIETER FREILING (PRESIDENT)
  • MARCUS W BRAUCHLI (CHAIRMAN)
  • CHRISTIANA RILEY (CO-VICE CHAIRMAN)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Each year, outstanding media professionals from the united states, canada and germany are awarded an opportunity to report from and travel in each other's countries as part of the arthur f. Burns fellowship program. The program offers young print and broadcast journalists from each country the opportunity to share professional expertise with their colleagues across the atlantic while working as "foreign correspondents" for their hometown news organizations.

What it reported doing in 2024

Fellows are expected to work at their host organizations, learning more about the country and its media. They also have the opportunity to make arrangements to spend part of the program covering news for their employers at home, in effect serving as foreign correspondents. For broadcast journalists, the fellowship does not guarantee the availability of technical crews and equipment. However, fellows are encouraged to make private arrangements whenever possible. In most cases, participants have the opportunity to travel throughout germany and the united states/canada. This competitive program is open to u.s., canadian and german journalists between the age of 21-40, who are employed by a newspaper, news magazine, broadcast station, news agency or who work freelance and/or online. Applicants must have demonstrated journalistic talent and a strong interest in north american-european affairs. German language proficiency is not required, but it is encouraged.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 73% for direct work, and 27% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.7%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 69.2%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: $16.8 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.1%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.8; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.69; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 21.5% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.7% of revenue deployed · 69.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 34 of 34 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $146K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 34 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 26 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
  • Filing history: 2 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: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 35/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.