Documented LTD

What it reported doing in 2024

Documented represents a radically different community-driven approach to journalism and information that impacts the everyday experiences of immigrants. An independent, non-profit newsroom, we are dedicated to reporting with and for immigrant communities in New York city and beyond. We provide original, responsive reporting and actionable resource guides in english, spanish, chinese and haitian creole and on the platforms immigrants use. Our journalism relies on the following programs: general reporting: our award-winning english-language journalism covers immigration enforcement, labor, housing, and social services, holding institutions and people with power to account. Informed by reader tips and community conversations, our reporting includes investigative work that requires long-term research and data disaggregation - including our wage theft monitor, a database mapping over a decade of wage theft data from the u.s. And nys departments of labor. We also distribute the early arrival newsletter, ensuring key concerns and authentic immigrant stories reach policymakers, advocates, and the broader public. Spanish: our spanish-language program deploys community correspondents who are from the communities they cover and engage directly with readers through whatsapp and in-person events. We produce original accountability reporting, service journalism, and actionable resource guides - including how-tos, explainers, and community profiles - tailored to the needs and interests of spanish-speaking immigrants in New York city. Chinese: our chinese-language program serves chinese-speaking immigrant communities through wechat, in-person events and other platforms where these communities spend time. Community correspondents conduct in-depth audience research and one-on-one conversations to produce responsive reporting, service journalism, and resource guides that help readers protect their livelihoods and navigate life in New York city. Caribbean: our caribbean program serves non-spanish-speaking caribbean communities, including haitian creole speakers, through nextdoor and other community platforms. We produce multilingual reporting, in-person events and information products informed by direct community engagement, covering issues from housing to social services, with a focus on both accountability and community identity. National: our national program extends documented's impact beyond New York city by building the capacity of other newsrooms to better serve immigrant communities. Through our building bridges program, we train and support newsrooms across the country to create information products and engagement strategies tailored to immigrant audiences - drawing on best practices developed through years of community-driven reporting. We also convene and support a coalition of immigrant-serving newsrooms to strengthen collaborative journalism, share resources, and amplify the collective impact of local outlets working at the intersection of immigration and community information needs.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 37.5%; rating input score 37
• Program expense ratio: 72.9%; rating input score 73
• Fundraising efficiency: $12.91 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Missing
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 49.4%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.99; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 26.2%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 29.1% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 39.5% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 51.2% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings