The Pulp
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 932918456
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2024–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023
- Location
- Missoula, MT, USA
- Phone
- 4065441047
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Media, Communications Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $260,024
- Expenses
- $257,560
- Assets
- $17,965
- Liabilities
- $3,589
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- MATTHEW FRANK (CO-PUBLISHER): $80,000 total reported compensation
- ERIKA FREDRICKSON (CO-PUBLISHER): $80,000 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 Pulp is dedicated to publishing accurate and relevant news and information that informs and engages the people of Missoula and western Montana. Through our journalism we aim to promote discourse, foster civic engagement and create community.
What it reported doing in 2024
The Pulp is an independent, nonprofit, local news organization in Missoula, Montana. In furtherance of its tax-exempt purposes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, The Pulp is dedicated to publishing accurate and relevant news and information that informs and engages the people of Missoula and western Montana. Through our journalism we aim to promote discourse, foster civic engagement and create community.The primary activity of The Pulp is to gather, investigate, and report on local news and events, and to publish that work in the form of written articles and other media free of charge. This includes reporting on local government and the elected officials representing Missoula and western Montana; housing and homelessness; education; local business; environmental issues; and issues relating to law, justice and equity. It also includes reporting on local arts and culture, history, social justice and social change.In 2024, The Pulp published more than 100 news articles while also building its fundraising capacity. The organization is supported by donations, sponsorships and grants. Donations come from individuals, most of whom contribute small amounts on a monthly or annual basis. Sponsorships are provided by local businesses and other organizations. Grants are awarded by foundations and other journalism-supporting entities.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 81% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 77
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 61
- Sustainability: 24
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 78.6%; rating input score 79
- Program expense ratio: 79.3%; rating input score 79
- Fundraising efficiency: $23.77 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
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: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 60%; rating input score 60; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- 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: 0.9%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.07; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 62.1%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 94.6% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 78.6% of revenue deployed · 79.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $204K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $80K · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 5/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 42/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 2/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.