Storycorps Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, storycorps partnered with hundreds of organizations to conduct over 20,670 interviews with participants in towns and cities across the united states. In addition to collecting over 2,000 "signature" interviews--interviews collected directly by storycorps facilitators, who guide participants through the process, support the interview experience, and archive these conversations--participants uploaded 18,610 conversations using our free online platforms, the storycorps app and oss connect. Millions more people experienced storycorps' multimedia content through our weekly npr broadcasts, animations, podcasts, and digital platforms, and our communication efforts and distribution partnerships helped increase storycorps' exposure with new audiences. Below is a detailed description of storycorps' work to: (1) collect and preserve authentic stories from across the nation; (2) share and amplify voices that often go unheard; (3) serve diverse communities with storycorps content, tools, and trainings; and (4) build a culture of listening to foster greater awareness, empathy, and inclusion.(1) collect and preserve authentic stories from across the nationguided by storycorps-trained facilitators, participants are invited to record a 40-minute conversation with a friend or loved one to speak about the things that matter most to them. Participants receive a digital copy of their interview; with their permission, recordings are added to storycorps' online archive and collection at the library of congress. Storycorps has visited over 200 cities and towns across 49 states through our flagship mobile tour--an annual program that visits 10 cities per year with the "mobilebooth," our branded airstream trailer-turned-recording studio. Since our founding, we have provided more than 60,000 participants with the opportunity to document and share their stories as a vital part of our nation's history. All stories recorded during the tour are preserved for posterity in the american folklife center at the library of congress, and made freely available to researchers, educators, and the american public. In 2024, we recorded 742 total interviews with participants in memphis, tn; fort myers, fl; columbia, sc; charlotte, nc; pittsburgh, pa; brattleboro, vt; philadelphia, pa; huntington, wv; knoxville, tn; and new orleans, la. (2) share and amplify voices that often go unheardin 2024, storycorps produced 48 audio segments for national broadcast on npr's morning edition (11 million estimated weekly listeners) and weekend edition (3 million estimated weekly listeners). Our produced stories amplify stories that reveal the depth and complexity of the human experience, providing listeners with perspectives into lives that are different from their own and enriching our collective history. We strive to ensure that our storytellers represent the demographics of our nation, and champion voices less frequently heard on public media. Storycorps' animations transform our catalog of stories into audiovisual media shared on screens big and small. In 2024, we produced 6 new animations that were broadcast to an audience of 47 million annual viewers. Storycorps also continues to release new bi-weekly podcast episodes that include additional interviews and behind-the-scenes content. The storycorps podcast frequently ranks in the top 50 in apple podcasts' culture and society category, with episodes downloaded over one million times in 2025 to date. (3) serve diverse communities with storycorps content, tools, and trainingsstorycorps' work is dependent upon strong community partnerships--from community-based organizations in the cities where it tours and records, to organizations that leverage storycorps' methods and best practices for their own interview collection projects. We also provide an innovative way for students to utilize digital technology to strengthen speaking and listening skills, deepen self- and social- awareness, and encourage intergenerational conversat

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 75%; rating input score 75
• Fundraising efficiency: $5.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 24th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 39.8%; rating input score 40; 10th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 91.3%; rating input score 91; 24th 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: -41.6%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.53; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.3; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 11%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings