The Free History Project Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, The Free History Project, Inc. (FHP) consulted on production with independent documentary filmmakers including Michael Almereyda, Matt Wolf, Sandi Dubowski, Maya Hawke, Michael Coleman, Gabriel Lester, Chris Wilcha, Sandi Roney, Annie Roney, Catalina Kulczar, Francisco Bello, Lisa Rovner, Adam Neuhaus and others. Consultations focused on documentary filmmaking in general as well as feedback on particular projects, career advice, archival projects, film editing, and more. Additionally, FHP visited colleges and universities to speak with students about documentary filmmaking, sound and live cinema. These presentations were at schools including Harvard University, Pratt Institute, Dartmouth College, New York University, Haverford College, Bryn Mawr and Bard College. In 2024, FHP presented both the live and theatrical versions of the feature documentary 32 Sounds around the world, including shows in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany and Canada. 32 Sounds played throughout the United States with over 40 screenings in 14 states including New York, North Carolina, Kentucky, California, Illinois, Iowa, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maine, Washington and Georgia. After years of very limited in person screenings it was a thrill to bring audiences together to experience the live documentary. FHP also presented A Thousand Thoughts, a live documentary about the Kronos Quartet that explores the quartet? s groundbreaking, continent-spanning, multi-decade career in Amsterdam, Seattle, Houston, La Jolla and Aliso Viejo, CA. A Thousand Thoughts had its final performance at SFJAZZ in San Francisco, CA in June 2024. This final performance was filmed live for the creation of a theatrical and streaming version of the project in the future. A Thousand Thoughts originally premiered in 2018 at the Sundance Film Festival. FHP also presented ? The Ephemeral Cinema of Sam Green,? a retrospective at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The organization also continued filming and editing The Oldest Person in the World, a feature film weaving together portraits of the people who hold the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person alive. In addition to filming additional footage we began to edit the film, and look forward to bringing it to audiences in 2026. FHP also continued development on Untitled Tree Project, a live cinema performance work that will combine documentary film, live music, and text to create a celebration of trees and all they can teach us about being human. The Free History Project also continued developing V. Vale: All American Boy, a short documentary portrait of V. Vale, a little-known, but hugely influential cultural anthropologist in San Francisco. Due to the development and production work we? ve done this year the film continues to move forward and we hope to bring it to audiences soon. This past year FHP continued its long-running outreach efforts with the feature film, The Weather Underground, including through domestic, international, home and educational distribution. FHP also continued to distribute The Universal Language, a 30-minute, educational documentary on the history of the invented language Esperanto. FHP continued to focus on distributing the film through direct downloads from a website created for the film, as well as educational collections and university libraries. Finally, FHP has supported other critical documentary & educational work through fiscal sponsorship of urgent documentary projects including 32 Sounds, The Oldest Person in the World, V. Vale: All-American Boy, A Thousand Thoughts and The Returning, a film about ? a returning generation of young Black Farmers? who ? reconnect to the land to grow food, build community, and reclaim power.? Per usual, the Free History Project? s 990 was circulated to the board in advance of its filing for feedback and questions, and was unanimously approved via email.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 92.2%; rating input score 92
• Program expense ratio: 86%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 5th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 99.1%; rating input score 99; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 10th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -7.2%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.08; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8.2%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.7% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings