The New York Times Communities Fund

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
136066063
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2125561234
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,554,537
Expenses
$8,697,265
Assets
$72,889,166
Liabilities
$8,521,001

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • EILEEN MURPHY (DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT)
  • ELIZABETH HOLLAND (VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION)

People named in this filing

  • DIANE BRAYTON (DIRECTOR/SENIOR VP & SECRETARY)
  • EILEEN MURPHY (DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT)
  • HANNAH YANG (DIRECTOR/CHAIR)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The fund was originated by adolph ochs sulzberger, then publisher of the New York times, to raise funds to provide to individuals and families in distress. The fund's board of directors selects certain non-profit organizations in the New York metropolitan area to receive funding. Those non-profit organizations and their exempt purposes are listed on page 2, part iii, line 4 (items a - d) as part of the statement of program service accomplishments.

What it reported doing in 2024

Funding additional social welfare agencies that serve people of all ages and backgrounds in every borough of New York city.camfed - $ 726,506city harvest, inc. - $ 250,000citymeals on wheels - $ 250,000childrens aid society - $ 726,506first book - $ 726,506hispanic federation, inc. - $ 726,506one goal - $ 726,506perscholas - $ 726,506brooklyn children's theatre - $ 100,000college access - $ 250,000fresh youth back to school drive - $ 5,000literacy partners - $ 100,000reading partners - $ 500,000red hook initiative - $ 100,000situation project - $ 50,000young and healthy - $ 250,000education: scholarships - $ 95,050

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 87% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - 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.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 42
  • Sustainability: 86
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 95.2%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 97.6%; rating input score 98
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 24.7%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.38; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 95.2% of revenue deployed · 97.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 7 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $8.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 14 people listed
  • Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 18 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 19 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.