Reparations Media Nfp

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
874122751
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2023
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
7733019510
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Media, Communications Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$321,954
Expenses
$313,032
Assets
$269,795
Liabilities
$-400

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JUDITH MCCRAY (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • JUDITH MCCRAY (PRESIDENT)
  • ASHAHED TRICHE (BOARD SECRET)
  • GREG MCCRAY (BOARD TREASU)

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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Reparations media is a media education organization focused on providing quality information through multi-media productions regarding issues affecting marginalized and communities of color across the united states, and to facilitating educational opportunities around journalism and media skills. Key to the process is a focus on inclusion, and bringing all voices to the table. A central tenet to our work is implementing and teaching the discipline of cultural dexterity as best practice in all journalistic endeavors. We provide media trainings, host events and discussions, and produce in-depth reporting in order to educate the public about issues important to their communities.

What it reported doing in 2025

Change agents provides the tools to produce professionally crafted podcast episodes that highlight issues, challenges and ground level efforts for change. Educational workshops provide an immersive overview of production fundamentals that include development, research techniques, story and script analysis, script writing, production management, equipment training, editing, distribution and social media marketing.trainings include best journalistic practices to successfully collaborate and build trust with diverse communities to develop and produce authentic and community-driven stories. Documentary films combine storytelling and messaging to craft visually and emotionally compelling non-fiction narratives that heighten awareness, promote cross-cultural understanding and inspire behavioral change and community building. Audio documentaries and podcasts tackle contemporary concerns by revealing the perspectives and experiences of those marginalized, misrepresented or overlooked in the media whose grassroots actions for change are correcting the historical record and overcoming systemic injustices.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 93
  • Accountability: 6
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97.2%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • 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: 2.8%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.86; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 55.4% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 20.7% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 70.4% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97.2% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 1 board members independent · 1 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $313K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 42/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.