Center for Media and Democracy Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
391777402
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Madison, WI, USA
Phone
6082609713
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Printing, Publishing

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,063,259
Expenses
$1,033,822
Assets
$2,590,489
Liabilities
$50,769

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LISA GRAVES (PRESIDENT)
  • ARN PEARSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • ERIC WITTSTEIN (DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS): $239,727 total reported compensation
  • ARN PEARSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $212,743 total reported compensation
  • DAVID ARMIAK (RESEARCH DIRECTOR): $118,633 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Center for media and democracy, inc. (cmd) is an independent, non-partisan organization dedicated to investigating and publicizing the hidden influence of powerful special interests on america's media and democracy, and its impact on public opinion, public policy, law, and elections.

What it reported doing in 2025

The center for media and democracy (cmd) is a nationally recognized watchdog that leads in-depth, award-winning investigations into the corruption that undermines our democracy, environment, and economic prosperity. The center publishes exposedbycmd, prwatch and sourcewatch. Sourcewatch profiles the activities of front groups, pr spinners, industry-friendly experts, industry-funded organizations, and think tanks trying to influence public opinion on behalf of corporations or the government in an encyclopedic format that includes compilation of our original reporting. Exposedbycmd and prwatch profile these same topics in the format of daily original reporting including references to research compiled in sourcewatch entries. Topics covered in exposedbycmd, prwatch, and sourcewatch include environmental, health, economic, and privacy issues. Topics covered on exposedbycmd, sourcewatch, and project websites in 2025 included voting rights, hate groups, disinformation, environmental, health, economic, labor, education, and other democracy issues.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 91% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.4%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 72.7%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.8%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.51; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 65.1%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.5% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.9% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.4% of revenue deployed · 72.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $752K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $240K · 12 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 39/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.