Piedmont Journalism Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
830785962
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2018
Location
Warrenton, VA, USA
Phone
7039275027
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Community, Neighborhood Development

Reported finances

Revenue
$564,697
Expenses
$52,154
Assets
$1,326,100
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JESSICA TUCHMAN MATHEWS (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • BOISFEUILLET JONES JR (DIRECTOR)
  • JESSICA TUCHMAN MATHEWS (PRESIDENT)
  • ROBERT B DALE III (TREASURER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Piedmont journalism foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, was founded to help foster an informed and engaged citizenry in fauquier county and neighboring areas through local news. To fulfill this goal, pjf provides fact-based, in-depth, nonpartisan, explanatory journalism to local news outlets. It also now owns (as of november 2019)and supports the fauquier times, the countys only newspaper, as a way to serve the mission.

What it reported doing in 2024

To fulfill its mission, piedmont journalism foundation (pjf) provides fact-based, in-depth, nonpartisan, explanatory journalism to local news outlets. In 2024 pjf also provided 547,000 in program-related support to the fauquier times, ensuring continued publication and local news coverage for fauquier county residents. This financial assistance enabled the newspaper to expand public affairs reporting, offer investigative journalism, and enhance community engagement through special local features. All funds were recorded as program-related investments on the organizations balance sheet.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 32
  • Transparency & Controls: 93
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 95
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 7.4%; rating input score 7
  • Program expense ratio: 57.5%; rating input score 58
  • Fundraising efficiency: $73.58 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th 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: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 90.8%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 25.43; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14.6% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 30% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 7.4% of revenue deployed · 57.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $30K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 17 of 18 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 7/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.