Movieguide
Legal name: Good News Communications Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 132965038
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Camarillo, CA, USA
- Phone
- 8053832000
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,802,574
- Expenses
- $3,247,493
- Assets
- $4,220,960
- Liabilities
- $177,444
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROBERT BAEHR (PRESIDENT/CEO)
- EVELYN CARROLL (ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT)
- MICHAEL HOWELL (VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT)
Highest reported compensation
- ROBERT BAEHR (PRESIDENT/CEO): $147,024 total reported compensation
- THEODORE BAEHR (CHAIRMAN/FOUNDER): $116,236 total reported compensation
- MICHAEL HOWELL (VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT): $114,550 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
MOVIEGUIDEs mission is to redeem the values of the entertainment industry, according to biblical principles, by influencing industry executives and artists. MOVIEGUIDE® is making a difference in Hollywood but cannot do so without the support of amazing donors. Contributions make MOVIEGUIDE®’s visions a reality and allow us to positively influence culture. By supporting MOVIEGUIDE®, culture is being influenced and the message of Christ is being shared with the masses. For more information, please call 1-805-383-2000. To donate, please use the form below. Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
What it reported doing in 2024
Inkilings fellowship: an esteemed summer program initiated by movieguide to cultivate, mentor, and guide the next generation of content creators who aspire to uphold and incorporate christian values in the entertainment industry. Recognizing the power and pervasiveness of media, this paid part-time program (3 days per week) is crafted to empower young leaders who are motivated to impact hollywood positively. The inklings fellowship runs from mid-june through late summer and is based in the los angeles area. During this period, a small, select group of fellows are trained to navigate the complex world of entertainment media and understand how to bring a project from concept to screen. The fellowship emphasizes the business and producing side of filmmaking, while assigning various tasks for fellows to complete for movieguide. This past summer of 2025 we had six fellows in the program.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 86% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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 - 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: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 72
- Sustainability: 57
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 70.3%; rating input score 70
- Program expense ratio: 82%; rating input score 82
- Fundraising efficiency: $15.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- 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: 14.6%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.3; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 18.2%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 70.3% of revenue deployed · 82% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $147K · 13 people listed
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 8 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.