Oregon Journalism Project
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 994200915
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Portland, OR, USA
- Phone
- 5032432122
- Rating
- 53
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Media, Communications Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $720,249
- Expenses
- $364,109
- Assets
- $361,854
- Liabilities
- $5,714
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MARK ZUSMAN (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- MARK ZUSMAN (PRESIDENT): $32,645 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Oregon journalism project's mission is to inform, engage, and empower oregonians with the kind of data-driven and solution-seeking investigative reporting that makes a significant impact at the state and local levels - serving no agenda other than a pursuit of the truth
What it reported doing in 2024
In our first year of operation, ojp's statewide investigative newsroom published 121 stories, which have been read by oregonians everywhere in the state through our distribution network. Our journalism has already achieved significant civic impact: our stories have led conservation groups to petition the governor to assess an unproven technology, the state deq to pause enforcement of a controversial regulation, and a major state agency to hold its leadership accountable. These are just a few of our first-year impacts.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% 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
MIXED - 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 few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 39
- Transparency & Controls: 65
- Accountability: 74
- Sustainability: 68
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 29.4%; rating input score 29
- Program expense ratio: 58.2%; rating input score 58
- Fundraising efficiency: $9.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Missing
- 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- 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: 49.4%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.99; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 9%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 29.4% of revenue deployed · 58.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $212K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $33K · 8 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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: Mission deployment rate scored 29/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 34/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.