US Right to Know FY2020 filing

Tax-deductible

Oakland, CA501(c)(3)Human ServicesEIN 46-5676616Revenue $319K in FY2020

On file with the IRSusrtk.org4096 Piedmont Ave 963, 94611-5221 · Oakland, CATax-exempt since Oct 2014Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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U.s. Right to Know is a nonprofit newsroom and public health research group. We investigate and report on corporate wrongdoing and government failures that threaten our health, environment, or food system.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
94¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$230K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2020 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $46K a year · 9% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
94%
of spending
Looks good: 94% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$230K
to officers and key staff · 65% of spending
Concern: pay to officers and key staff is 65% of spending; over 30%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
<1 mo
of spending, in cash
Worth a look: 0.8 months of spending in cash; under 1.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
10
named funders · $296K
Looks good: 10 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$91K
90% of total assets
Concern: liabilities are 90% of assets; over 80%.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
3
of 3 voting members
Looks good: 3 of 3 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$319K
Spent
$353K
To programs
94%
Net assets
$10K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$319K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$319K
FY2021$597K
FY2022$769K
FY2023$656K
FY2024$485K
FY2025$396K
Expenses
$353K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$353K
FY2021$402K
FY2022$474K
FY2023$605K
FY2024$577K
FY2025$534K
Net assets
$10K
FY2020
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$10K
FY2021$206K
FY2022$500K
FY2023$554K
FY2024$461K
FY2025$323K

From the FY2020 Form 990 · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2020 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 2014.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

94 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 94% · $331K Management & general 5% · $19K Fundraising 1% · $3K

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

6 people listed on the 990; $230K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Research Director
$100,388Pt VII · Sec A
Executive Director
$79,476Pt VII · Sec A
Co-Founder, Managing Editor
$50,295Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Gary Ruskin’s $105K as Executive Director is at the 89th percentile of top reported officer pay among 2168 $100K–1M 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 · 5 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Gary Ruskin$105,297$106,814$120,006$100,020$57,457$79,476
Carey Gillam————$84,891$100,388
Emily Kopp—$90,582$95,294$71,667——
Stacey Malkan—$67,924————
Stacy Malkan$54,843—$67,354$53,882$67,441$50,295

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 US Right to Know executive salaries →

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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

Investigates and reports on corporate wrongdoing and government failures impacting health, environment, and food.

Provided by the organization

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1 program · $331K · in their own filed words · FY2020
01

We conduct investigative research focused on promoting transparency for public health. Our research may be of interest to journalists, academics, policymakers, medical and health professionals, consumers and the general public, both in the United States and across the world.

$331Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2024
See all 10 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2020 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$319K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$318K
Investment incomeLn 3$1K
Money outPt IX
$353K
Ln 25
Programscol B$331K
Managementcol C$19K
Fundraisingcol D$3K
Owns and owesPt X
$10K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$22K
Total assetsLn 16$101K
LiabilitiesLn 26$91K
PeoplePt VI, VII
6
listed · VII A
PaidVII A3
Voting boardVI 1a3
IndependentVI 1b3
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$318K
Government grantsLn 1e$0
Noncash giftsLn 1g$0
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$0
Investment incomeLn 3$1K
Total revenueLn 12$319K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$22K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$22K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$79K
Total assetsLn 16$101K
LiabilitiesLn 26$91K
Net assetsLn 32$10K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 59
VolunteersI 620
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY20End FY20
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$41K$22K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$66K$79K
Total assetsLn 16$107K$101K
LiabilitiesLn 26$63K$91K
Net assetsLn 32$44K$10K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$241K$229K$10K$2K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$52K$50K$2K$524
Payroll taxesLn 10$18K$17K$707$177
Legal feesLn 11b$4K$4K
Accounting feesLn 11c$5K$5K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$2K$2K$97
Office expensesLn 13$3K$3K$143
Information technologyLn 14$15K$14K$749
TravelLn 17$858$815$43
InsuranceLn 23$1K$1K$52$12
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$11K$11K$0$0
Total functional expensesLn 25$353K$331K$19K$3K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $396K$534K−$138K$323K 990 PDF
FY2024 $485K$577K−$92K$461K 990 PDF
FY2023 $656K$605K$51K$554K 990 PDF
FY2022 $769K$474K$294K$500K 990 PDF
FY2021 $597K$402K$195K$206K 990 PDF
FY2020 Viewing $319K$353K−$33K$10K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2020 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $319,426 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $279,578$318,301
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $0$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $2,619$1,125
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $282,197$319,426
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $30,400$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $335,023$310,736
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $57,966$42,092
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $423,389$352,828
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$141,192−$33,402
Part VI · Governance 3 of 3 board members independent, 3 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body3
VI-1b Independent voting members3
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyNo
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $319,426 across 11 lines filed
VIII-1a Federated campaigns$0
VIII-1b Membership dues$0
VIII-1c Fundraising events$0
VIII-1d Related organizations$0
VIII-1e Government grants$0
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$318,301
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$0
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$318,301
VIII-3 Investment incomeRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $1,125$1,125
VIII-5 RoyaltiesRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $0$0
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $1,125$319,426
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $352,828 across 11 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $228,667 · Management $9,628 · Fundraising $2,407$240,702
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $49,746 · Management $2,095 · Fundraising $524$52,365
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $16,785 · Management $707 · Fundraising $177$17,669
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $4,457$4,457
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $5,149$5,149
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $1,846 · Management $97$1,943
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $2,717 · Management $143$2,860
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $14,236 · Management $749$14,985
IX-17 TravelPrograms $815 · Management $43$858
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $1,228 · Management $52 · Fundraising $12$1,292
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $10,548 · Management $0 · Fundraising $0$10,548
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $331,045 · Management $18,663 · Fundraising $3,120$352,828
Part X · Balance sheet $101,474 assets, 10 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $40,983$22,219
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $65,812$79,255
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $106,795$101,474
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $63,200$33,550
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payable$57,731
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $63,200$91,281
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $33,595−$78,307
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $10,000$88,500
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $43,595$10,193
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $106,795$101,474
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $10,193 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$319,426
XI-2 Total expenses$352,828
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$33,402
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$43,595
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$0
XI-6 Donated services and use of facilities$0
XI-7 Investment expenses$0
XI-8 Prior period adjustments$0
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$10,193

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2020 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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