The Groundtruth Project Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 460908502
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2013
- Location
- Boston, MA, USA
- Phone
- 6174126130
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Job Training
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $16,111,232
- Expenses
- $9,685,824
- Assets
- $12,160,461
- Liabilities
- $650,980
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
28 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ROBERT BENJAMIN ZEASKE (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
- KIMBERLY DAWN KLEMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RFA)
Highest reported compensation
- CHARLES M SENNOTT (EDITOR IN CHIEF): $311,378 total reported compensation
- ROBERT BENJAMIN ZEASKE (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $300,552 total reported compensation
- STEPHANIE ANN SCHMIDT (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $196,897 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The groundtruth project, inc. (the organization), a nonprofit corporation, was founded to restore journalism from the ground up by supporting the next generation of journalists through field reporting that serves under-covered corners of the united states and the world. The organization focuses on training and developing the craft of journalism and the power of accountability reporting. While meeting the challenges of communicating fair, trusted news in an age where it sometimes feels truth itself is under attack, the organization seeks to support on-the-ground journalism that enlightens and informs with a spirit of public service.
What it reported doing in 2024
The organization's programs build an engaged community around impactful journalism and powerful storytelling by a new generation, while supporting their careers as fellows, corps members and alumni. Since incorporation on august 8, 2012, the organization has supported more than 800 emerging journalists through its flagship programs report for america and report for the world.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 56% for direct work, and 44% for grants.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 63
- Transparency & Controls: 82
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 67
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 49.6%; rating input score 50
- Program expense ratio: 82.5%; rating input score 83
- Fundraising efficiency: $28.86 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 10th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Fail
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Fail
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Pass
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 80.1%; rating input score 80; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: 39.9%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.26; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 15.9%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 20.9% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 18.5% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 15.8% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 49.6% of revenue deployed · 82.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $311K · 28 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $545K reported
- Consistency: 34 of 36 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 9 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 159 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 124 filed related-organization links
- 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 50/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 44/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.