Thin Air Community Radio
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 205354265
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2010–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-T 2025
- Location
- Spokane, WA, USA
- Phone
- 5097473012
- Rating
- 67
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Arts, Culture, and Humanities
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $158,056
- Expenses
- $220,349
- Assets
- $81,126
- Liabilities
- $3,712
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MICHAEL MOON BEAR (President)
People named in this filing
- MICHAEL MOON BEAR (President)
- CAROL ELLIS (Director)
- JAMES HUNTER (Director)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Kyrs-thin air community radio (kyrs) is a volunteer-powered, non-commercial, listener-supported, community radio station in spokane, Washington. It provides the region with unique programming for un-served and underserved populations. Heard on 92.3 & 88.1 fm and streaming 24/7 at www.kyrs.org, kyrs provides a mix of news, views, culture and music often overlooked by other media. Thin air radio's goal is to build a strong, listener-supported community radio station that empowers people, especially ethnic minorities, low-income, and other marginalized groups, to strive for a more just and sustainable world.
What it reported doing in 2025
Kyrs achieved its own 501(c)3 status in 2007 and is governed by a board of directors. On november 5th, 2011, thin air radio became a full power, non-commercial station, broadcasting with 6,800 watts and reaching as far north as kettle falls, wa. Awards 2012, 2013 & 2014 #2 best radio station by readers of the inlander 2014 best non-profit, stcu's who do you love contest 2012 epa clean air excellence award for innertribal beat 2010 spirit of jim chase group award for "dragonflies on thin air" 2010 champion of youth award from chase youth commission 2009 spokane arts commission bold strokes award 2008 & 2009 ranked in the top three radio stations in the inlander reader's poll 2009 nw alliance for responsible media award for contributing to excellence in media literacy 2009 summer youth employment program certificate of appreciation 2009 rainbow awards: bob & irey of "queer sounds" 2008 rainbow awards: ally award 2007 nw alliance for responsible media nomination for outstanding contributions to media literacy 2005 spokane local hero award by state sen. Lisa brown for outstanding activism & advocacy in the field of community radio.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
- 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. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 64
- Transparency & Controls: 76
- Sustainability: 15
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 71.5%; rating input score 71
- Program expense ratio: 51.3%; rating input score 51
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Limited
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -39.4%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.37; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 24.8%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -3.3% per year; rating input score 0; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 71.5% of revenue deployed · 51.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 2 filed program accomplishments · $113K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2010 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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 — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 51/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 26/100.