The Representation Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
451611066
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Sacramento, CA, USA
Phone
4152334060
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Women's Rights

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,239,980
Expenses
$1,748,208
Assets
$270,548
Liabilities
$225,695

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Caroline Heldman (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Jennifer Siebel Newsom (Founder & CCO): $161,250 total reported compensation
  • Camille Servan-Schreiber (Producer): $146,293 total reported compensation
  • Debra Garber (CFO & COO): $136,665 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 Representation Project (TRP) is the leading gender watchdog organization. Using film and media as catalysts for cultural transformation, TRP inspires individuals and communities to challenge limiting gender stereotypes and shift norms.

What it reported doing in 2024

Film: The Representation Projects first film, Miss Representation, exposes the ways in which mainstream media representations of girls and women contribute to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence. The second film, The Mask You Live In, explores how Americas narrow definition of masculinity is harming our boys, men, and society at large. The third film, The Great American Lie, examines how Americas upside-down value system--built on the extreme masculine ideals of dominance, control, and aggression--has glorified money, power, and rugged individualism, institutionalizing inequality, and undermining the ability of most Americans to achieve the American dream. The fourth film, Fair Play, looks at how the gender gap in domestic and care work in the home places an undue burden on women and harms children, families, and society. Fair Play comes with a comprehensive curriculum for high school and college students that equips them to effectively address sexism in the home. The organization is currently in production of Miss Representation 2.0, a powerful follow-up to Miss Representation, and will be released in 2026. Miss Representation 2.0 exposes tech-facilitated gender-based violence and addresses the growing backlash against womens progress, mental health, and agency. In addition to the distribution of the films, The Representation Project offers age-appropriate curricula that provide youth with the opportunity to explore and apply the concepts presented in the films. Tailored curricula are designed to engage youth at different stages of development through hands-on activities and guided discussions.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% 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. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 60
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 6
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 87.8%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.93 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 22nd 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -41%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.15; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.83; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.1%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.1% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.9% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -6.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 10 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 87.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $161K · 12 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $161K reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 27 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 7/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.