Public Communicators Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 510173482
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Denver, CO, USA
- Phone
- 3034428445
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,270,741
- Expenses
- $3,678,138
- Assets
- $1,008,739
- Liabilities
- $295,026
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- JON STOUT (SENIOR STRAT): $188,624 total reported compensation
- MARK WINSTON GRIFFITH (CO-EXEC DIRE): $132,225 total reported compensation
- LYDIA FISER (CO-EXEC DIRE): $130,431 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Pci operates free speech tv, an independent, publicly supported, non-profit digital media network broadcast on tv, the internet, and other digital platforms. Free speech tv programs feature under-represented voices and help viewers to build a just, equitable, and sustainable society.
What it reported doing in 2024
Free speech tv is carried on two full-time noncommercial educational television channels delivered by direct broadcast satellite under the public interest set-aside provisions of the federal communications act (47usc 335b), on full or part-time nonprofit, noncommercial cable channels, and on "over the top" platforms, reaching a total of approximately 13.5 million tv households. Its programming includes daily news programs, current affairs series, investigative documentaries, live event coverage, personal stories and media art. The organization also maintains an active online presence that includes social media outreach and a website (www.freespeech.org) that streams video content and provides information on the organization, its programming, and current affairs.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 96% 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 - 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 66
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 13
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 75.2%; rating input score 75
- Program expense ratio: 66.8%; rating input score 67
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.86 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -12.5%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.27; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 18.5%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 75.2% of revenue deployed · 66.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $189K · 13 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
- 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 17/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 11/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.