Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jun 2011.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
76 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
8 people listed on the 990; $98K paid to officers and key staff.
Curtis Wackerle’s $98K as Executive Director is at the 87th percentile of top reported officer pay among 2216 $100K–1M arts & culture nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 3 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtis Wackerle | $97,664 | $97,460 | $90,500 | $79,645 | — |
| Brent Gardner-Smith | — | — | — | — | $75,000 |
| Brent Gardner-Smith Res 82021 | — | — | — | $54,874 | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo
Programs and updates
Creates excellent journalism to inform citizens and strengthen democracy.
Questions for Aspen Journalism
Your first name shows with your question. Aspen Journalism answers here, for everyone.
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See Schedule OAspen Journalism is a local, nonprofit, and investigative journalism organization founded in Aspen, Colorado on January 17, 2011. Our mission is to produce investigative journalism to the benefit of all those with a stake in Aspen and the Roaring Fork River Valley.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $134K | $120K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $134K | $120K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $134K | $120K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $101K | $81K | $10K | $10K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $129K | $129K | ||
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $14K | $10K | $4K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $16K | $14K | $794 | $794 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $20K | $20K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $144K | $76K | $4K | $64K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $13K | $13K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $5K | $3K | $2K | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $20K | $20K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $22K | $11K | $11K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $5K | $5K | ||
| InterestLn 20 | $100 | $100 | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $20 | $10 | $10 | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $492K | $371K | $32K | $88K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest Viewing | $478K | $492K | −$13K | $120K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $494K | $461K | $34K | $134K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $431K | $386K | $45K | $100K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $394K | $406K | −$12K | $55K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $420K | $399K | $22K | $67K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $478,261 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 7 of 7 board members independent, 4 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $478,261 across 5 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $491,688 across 14 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $120,468 assets, 8 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $120,468 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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