The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
520972043
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2027959300
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$15,862,155
Expenses
$7,801,300
Assets
$31,226,043
Liabilities
$2,206,659

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

41 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRUCE BROWN (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • BRUCE BROWN (PRESIDENT): $325,617 total reported compensation
  • LISA ZYCHERMAN (VP OF LEGAL PROGRAMMING): $221,630 total reported compensation
  • DANIEL YU (VP OF FINANCE & OPERATIONS): $210,685 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To protect the right to gather and distribute news; to keep government accountable by ensuring access to public records, meetings and courtrooms; and to preserve the principles of free speech and unfettered press, as guaranteed by the first amendment of the u.s. Constitution.

What it reported doing in 2025

Legal defense and researchthe committee provides around-the-clock, pro bono services to all news media. It offers free legal assistance and research to journalists and attorneys, files amicus briefs, publishes numerous guides and materials, and speaks out against threats to the freedom of the press. The committee undertakes legal defense and research projects in all areas of media law, and assists journalists and news organizations with freedom of information and access-to-court cases. The legal defense and research program includes the following: pre-publication legal services - the committee provides these services to freelance and independent journalists including documentary filmmakers.publications - the committee publishes and maintains a blog, various online legal guides and other materials, including the freedom of information act (foia) wiki, for gathering and disseminating the news. The committee's internet website provides content on media law and journalism, which is updated on a daily basis.fellowship/internship programs - the committee offers law fellowships for recent law school graduates and an internship program for journalism and law students each summer and during an academic semester.the committee's litigation practice, which includes its staff attorneys in Washington, d.c., as well as Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, complements its traditional amicus brief work at a time of increased need in the news media for impact litigation and pro bono legal services. The committee's attorneys help journalists and news organizations defend their rights to gather and report the news and gain access to public records and court proceedings. The committee has a network of lawyers around the country who, from time to time, serve as local counsel on amicus briefs or partners with the committee in other ways.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 95% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 74
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 40.6%; rating input score 41
  • Program expense ratio: 76.5%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $16.64 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 50.8%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.6%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.5% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 40.6% of revenue deployed · 76.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 30 of 30 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $326K · 41 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $115K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 49/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.