Define American FY2021 filing

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EIN 46-4610491 Public charity (501(c)(3)) Los Angeles, CA NTEE P84
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Revenue & expenses by yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$4.4M
FY2021▲ +133%
Expenses
$2.8M
FY2021▼ -1%

Form 990 for the fiscal year ending December 2021 (IRS tax year 2021).


Shifts conversations about immigrants and citizenship through powerful storytelling. For fiscal year 2021 it reported $4.4M in revenue, $2.8M in expenses, and $5.0M in net assets.Pt I

Type
Public charity (501(c)(3)) · Human Services
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Website
www.defineamerican.com
Filings
5 on file (2020–2021)
Revenue
$4.4MFY2021
Expenses
$2.8M
Net assets
$5.0M
People
12
You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →
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Figures match the IRS filing checked 9/4/26 · see original: IRS
Provided by the organization

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Size
$1–10M
What they do
Shifts conversations about immigrants and citizenship through powerful storytelling.
Leadership
Alicia Wade · Cheif Operating Officer · $129K
Money in and out
$4.4M revenue, $2.8M expenses
Bottom line
67% program efficiency

What Funders Ask

6 questions, answered from this org's own filings

Will my donation be tax-deductible?

GOOD

Yes — A charitable, religious, educational, scientific, or literary organization. Contributions are generally tax-deductible for donors.

IRS Business Master File records this organization as tax-exempt with deductible contributions. See detail →

Can I donate to this org right now?

GOOD

No revocation on IRS record

This EIN does not appear on the IRS auto-revocation list. See detail →

Is this organization up to date?

GOOD

Filed FY2024 (typical filing lag)

Most recent Form 990 on file is for fiscal year 2024 (2 years ago). See detail →

Is it receiving grants from reputable foundations?

GOOD

1 funder — Richter Family Foundation

1 distinct foundation funder(s) on file, $500 received in the most recent year with grants. See detail →

How is the money spent?

GOOD

67% to programs

67% of total functional expenses went to program services in the most recent filing (Form 990 Part IX); the rest is overhead and fundraising. See detail →

What's its financial size and trend?

NEUTRAL

$1–10M · ↑ +133% vs prior year

Revenue band $1–10M, +133% versus the prior filing year (up). See detail →

Where the money goes · FY2021
Total revenue
$4.4M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$2.8M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$5.0M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $1.6M
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.67 Management & general $0.20 Fundraising $0.13
Program efficiency
67%
of spending reaches programs
Operating runway
14.7mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate
Surplus margin
+36%
revenue over expenses, this year

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Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2021 · Form 990
Total assets
$5.1M
FY2021▲ +43%
Total liabilities
$91K
FY2021▼ -38%
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$1.6M
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$5.1M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B67%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 37
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 47

Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal name (IRS)Hdr · item CDefine American
EINHdr · item D46-4610491
Principal addressHdr · item CLos Angeles, CA
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.defineamerican.com
Year of formationHdr · item Lpending
State of legal domicileHdr · item MCA
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFHuman Services (P84)
Ruling yearIRS BMFJan 2015

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a7
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b7
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14No
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Cheif Operating Officer
$128,673Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Strategic Growth
$127,449Pt VII · Sec A
Cheif Strategy Officer
$118,141Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Entertainment Partnerships and Advocac
$115,662Pt VII · Sec A
Associate Director of Digital Storytelling
$112,760Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member, Co-Chair
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member, Chair
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member, Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Shauna H Siggelkow’s $144K as Vice President of Programs is at the 70th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3869 $1–10M human services 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 · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Ryan Eller————$170,536
Rebecca Neuwirth—$162,273———
Leezia Dhalla—$151,410———
Shauna H Siggelkow$144,218————
Elizabeth Grizzle Voorhees————$140,122
Amina Barnes—$133,591———
Sarah E Lowe$130,011$118,939———
Michael Corrente—$129,403———

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.

See Define American executive salaries →

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Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

1 program service account for $1.9M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2021.
01

Define american is a non-profit media and culture organization that uses the power of story to transcend politics and shift the conversation about immigrants, identity, and citizenship in a changing america.

$1.9Mprogram expense

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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$4.3M · 98%
Program service revenue$81K · 2%
Contributions & grants98%$4.3M
Program service revenue2%$81K
Investment income$3K
Other revenue$11K
Total revenueLn 12$4.4M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.67 Management & general $0.20 Fundraising $0.13
Program services67%$1.9M
Management & general20%$559K
Fundraising13%$378K
Total functional expensesLn 25$2.8M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$3.5M
Total assetsLn 16$5.1M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$91K
Total net assetsLn 32$5.0M
Months of cash on handcomputed14.7

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2021 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $3.5M · Operating expenses/yr $2.8M
14.7 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $1.9M · Total expenses $2.8M
67%
Management & General
Management & general $559K · Total expenses $2.8M
20%
Fundraising
Fundraising $378K · Total expenses $2.8M
13%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (2-yr avg) $372K · Solicited contributions (2-yr avg) $2.9M
$0.13 to raise $1 (2-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $4.3M · Total revenue $4.4M
98%
Government reliance
Government grants — · Total revenue $4.4M
—
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $81K · Total revenue $4.4M
2%
Investment reliance
Investment income $3K · Total revenue $4.4M
+0.08%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $81K · Total expenses $2.8M
3%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $4.4M · Prior year $1.9M
+133%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $5.0M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $4.4M · Expenses $2.8M
+36%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $5.1M
—
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $5.0M · Total assets $5.1M
98%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) — · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $5.1M
Excludes program-related investments (Pt X, ln 13)
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Alicia Wade · Reported title CHEIF OPERATING OFFICER · Highest reported compensation $129K · Total expenses $2.8M
5%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $1.8M · Total expenses $2.8M
65%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 67%——
Overhead ratio 20%——
Fundraising cost ratio 9%——
Revenue growth 133%——
Legal fee ratio 1%——
Accounting fee ratio 3%——

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$500
Grants paid · 2 grants · $55K · 2022–2023
Unitemized GrantFY2023$25,000
Unitemized GrantFY2022$30,000

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2024 (Latest)$2.1M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$4.2M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$4.6M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$4.4M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$1.9M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2021IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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