Long Beach Journalism Initiative
Legal name: Long Beach Journalism Initiative Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 934121848
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2023–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Long Beach, CA, US
- Phone
- (562) 655-7678
- Rating
- 65
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Media, Communications Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $708,824
- Expenses
- $794,891
- Assets
- $157,227
- Liabilities
- $37,768
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Melissa Evans (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Melissa Evans (CEO): $102,050 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 Long Beach Journalism Initiative is to inform and educate the public by providing timely, accurate and interesting news that inspires readers to think, act and connect with the world around them.
What it reported doing in 2024
Editorial Production: Journalists created articles, videos, photos, and other content that helps Long Beach residents understand local power structures and access essential news for their safety and wellbeing. The organization published investigations that led to increased transparency, including reporting on environmental impacts of a local construction project and alleged theft by a local food bank. Coverage provided residents vital information during federal immigration enforcement actions. Reporting illuminated city decisions and processes through coverage of local government meetings, public safety, health, and other critical community issues, enabling accountability of leaders to taxpayers and residents.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 81% 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 - 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 49
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 84
- Sustainability: 16
- Growth: 0
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 44.7%; rating input score 45
- Program expense ratio: 39.8%; rating input score 40
- Fundraising efficiency: $942.41 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 97; 97th 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: 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- 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: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -12.1%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.2; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 12.8%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -20% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -5.9% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -32.8% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 44.7% of revenue deployed · 39.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $317K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $102K · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 45/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 40/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 28/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.