Connecticut News Project Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 270583046
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Hartford, CT, USA
- Phone
- 8602186380
- Rating
- 73
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Media, Communications Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,952,178
- Expenses
- $2,725,688
- Assets
- $3,983,620
- Liabilities
- $83,428
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
19 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BRUCE PUTTERMAN (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- BRUCE PUTTERMAN (CEO): $152,433 total reported compensation
- ELIZABETH HAMILTON (EXECUTIVE ED): $110,000 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 mission of the Connecticut news project, inc. ("cnp") is to increase the level of civic engagement among state's residents. We are an independent, non-partisan, non-profit news organization created to reinvigorate coverage of Connecticut's state government, public policy, and politics. Our primary goal is to ensure that the people of the state are better informed and educated about their government and its activities, so they can more effectively participate in the development of public policy. We will achieve this goal through original and reliable reporting on our website, www.ctmirror.org, and through various other platforms and technologies. We will report, analyze, explain, and investigate the activities of state government, reasserting the "watchdog" role of the media. Cnp also intends to encourage and facilitate discussion and debate on public policy matters, and to help train a new generation of journalists.
What it reported doing in 2024
Provided comprehensive and unbiased reporting of Connecticut legislative session and state government during 2024.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 90% 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.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 56
- Transparency & Controls: 74
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 68
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 51.5%; rating input score 52
- Program expense ratio: 73%; rating input score 73
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th 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: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 31%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.46; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 9.6%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 15.7% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 51.5% of revenue deployed · 73% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $152K · 19 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 8 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 52/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 27/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.