Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2023.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
74 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
10 people listed on the 990; $270K paid to officers and key staff (Part VII, Section A).
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Ross | — | $159,248 | $124,530 | — |
| Claire Wardle | $7,500 | $109,492 | $157,490 | $149,237 |
| Aimee Rinehart | — | — | — | $121,200 |
| Justin Ross Treas Secret Op D | $96,725 | — | — | — |
| Angela Matusik | — | $7,500 | $2,500 | — |
| Anusha Alikhan | — | $2,500 | $7,500 | — |
| Daniel Bramatti | — | $2,500 | $7,500 | — |
| Arnold Brown | — | $2,500 | $7,500 | — |
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 First Draft News INC executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2Yes
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo
Programs and updates
Fights harmful misinformation and empowers people to identify false information.
Questions for First Draft News INC
Your first name shows with your question. First Draft News INC answers here, for everyone.
Research and Insights
First Draft produced newsletters providing research and insights on misinformation affecting the daily News cycle and provided updates to local and national journalists through an online community. First Draft also produced resource guides and longer-form research on misinformation narratives.
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2020. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 83-3554102) · Dispute this lineTrainings
First Draft held 15 in-person sessions throughout the us, attracting more than 1,000 attendees (including journalists, academics, researchers, and others) to provide training on information verification techniques. First Draft also held dozens of online training events throughout the year, garnering thousands of views.
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2020. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 83-3554102) · Dispute this lineLocal News Fellows
First Draft engaged five fellows around the U.S. To provide training, research, and other support to local newsrooms. Each fellow monitored misinformation and worked with local organizations to provide expertise on information disorder and its impact on local communities.
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2020. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 83-3554102) · Dispute this lineFunders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2020 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY20 | End FY20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $634K | $2.1M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $639K | $2.1M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $180K | $30K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $459K | $2.1M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of officers and key staff (Part IX, line 5)Ln 5 | $285K | $167K | $71K | $47K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $648K | $502K | $109K | $37K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $130K | $96K | $25K | $9K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $76K | $54K | $15K | $7K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $11K | $11K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $24K | $24K | ||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $26K | $26K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $369K | $366K | $3K | $357 |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $8K | $3K | $5K | $142 |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $18K | $15K | $3K | $860 |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $55K | $46K | $6K | $3K |
| TravelLn 17 | $118K | $59K | $58K | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $22K | $22K | $100 | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $2K | $2K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $418K | $296K | $122K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $2.2M | $1.6M | $453K | $131K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 LatestFiled with the IRS Mar 29, 2024 | $0 | $0 | 990 PDF | ||
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Aug 22, 2023 | $501K | $1.5M | −$972K | $725K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Oct 31, 2022 | $1.9M | $2.3M | −$389K | $1.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 ViewingFiled with the IRS Dec 20, 2021 | $3.8M | $2.2M | $1.6M | $2.1M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2020 990
Part I · Summary $3,837,384 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 7 of 7 board members independent, 2 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $3,837,384 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $2,209,807 across 15 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $2,116,681 assets, 11 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $2,086,281 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file FY2020 from the IRS (about our sources) · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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