Prison Journalism Project Incorporated

Tax-deductible

Chicago, IL501(c)(3)Arts & CultureEIN 87-3805290

Prison journalism project (pjp) is an independent, nonprofit, national organization, headquartered in chicago, that trains incarcerated writers to become journalists and publishes their stories. In furtherance of its tax-exempt purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code, pjp is dedicated to 1) educating incarcerated writers in journalism, 2) operating a digital publication to educate the public about incarceration, the prison system, and criminal justice, and 3) creating and publishing educational print materials and a textbook. We aim to develop the first national network of prison correspondents and help shape freedom of the press behind walls.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
66¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 24 volunteers and 12 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2024 · 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
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
1 of 2
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $324K a year · 20% of revenue · last 2 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 1 of the last 2 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 2 filings
Spent on programs
66%
of spending
Fine: 66% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$228K
to officers and key staff · 16% of spending
Top officer’s pay lower than 60% of similar orgs
Fine: pay to officers and key staff is 16% of spending; 15% to 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
5 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 4.7 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
14
named funders · $1.3M
Looks good: 14 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$27K
3% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 3% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
11
of 13 voting members
Looks good: 11 of 13 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.3M
-31% vs prior year
Spent
$1.4M
To programs
66%
Net assets
$757K
By yearFY2023–FY2024
Revenue
$1.3M
FY2024▼ -31%
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2023$1.9M
FY2024$1.3M
Expenses
$1.4M
FY2024▲ +18%
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2023$1.2M
FY2024$1.4M
Net assets
$757K
FY2024▼ -9%
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2023$831K
FY2024$757K

From the FY2024 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jul 2022.

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

Where the money goes

66 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 66% · $923K Management & general 17% · $244K Fundraising 17% · $234K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

Who runs it and what they're paid

14 people listed on the 990; $228K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Chief Development Officer
$109,754Pt VII · Sec A
$92,740Pt VII · Sec A
$25,875Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Marcia Maziarz’s $110K as Chief Development Officer is at the 40th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3924 $1–10M 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

NameFY2024FY2023
Marcia Maziarz$109,754$126,417
Yukari Kane$92,740$91,667
Shaheen Pasha$25,875$23,607

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 Prison Journalism Project Incorporated 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

Trains incarcerated writers as journalists and publishes their stories to inform the public.

Provided by the organization

This section is blank until Prison Journalism Project Incorporated claims this page.

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1 program service account for $923K of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2024.
01

Prison journalism project (PJP) is dedicated to 1) educating incarcerated writers in journalism, 2) operating a digital publication to educate the public about incarceration, the prison system, and criminal justice, and 3) creating and publishing educational print materials and a textbook.

$923Kprogram expense

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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 14 funders →

By the numbers

The FY2024 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.3M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$1.3M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$6K
Investment incomeLn 3$31
Money outPt IX
$1.4M
Ln 25
Programscol B$923K
Managementcol C$244K
Fundraisingcol D$234K
Owns and owesPt X
$757K
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$553K
Total assetsLn 16$783K
LiabilitiesLn 26$27K
PeoplePt VI, VII
14
listed · VII A
PaidVII A3
Voting boardVI 1a13
IndependentVI 1b11
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$1.3M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$6K
Investment incomeLn 3$31
Total revenueLn 12$1.3M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$543K
SavingsLn 2$10K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$553K
Total assetsLn 16$783K
LiabilitiesLn 26$27K
Net assetsLn 32$757K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 512
VolunteersI 624
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY24End FY24
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$194K$553K
Total assetsLn 16$853K$783K
LiabilitiesLn 26$22K$27K
Net assetsLn 32$831K$757K
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$228K$171K$14K$43K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$524K$394K$31K$100K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$14K$5K$8K$977
Other employee benefitsLn 9$88K$33K$49K$6K
Payroll taxesLn 10$64K$48K$5K$12K
Accounting feesLn 11c$40K$40K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$317K$191K$61K$64K
Information technologyLn 14$29K$25K$4K$426
OccupancyLn 16$2K$1K$846
TravelLn 17$28K$9K$12K$6K
InsuranceLn 23$11K$9K$2K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$55K$36K$18K$1K
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.4M$923K$244K$234K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest Viewing $1.3M$1.4M−$84K$757K 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.9M$1.2M$732K$831K 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 FY2024 990 (4 parts)
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,316,963 across 5 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$1,311,003
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$1,311,003
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $5,929$5,929
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $31$31
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $5,929 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $31$1,316,963
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,401,076 across 12 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $171,277 · Management $13,702 · Fundraising $43,390$228,369
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $393,630 · Management $30,901 · Fundraising $99,762$524,293
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $5,078 · Management $7,553 · Fundraising $977$13,608
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $32,878 · Management $48,900 · Fundraising $6,319$88,097
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $48,190 · Management $4,509 · Fundraising $11,721$64,420
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $39,796$39,796
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $191,090 · Management $61,347 · Fundraising $64,199$316,636
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $24,721 · Management $4,304 · Fundraising $426$29,451
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $1,380 · Management $846$2,226
IX-17 TravelPrograms $9,221 · Management $12,157 · Fundraising $6,178$27,556
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $9,051 · Management $2,186$11,237
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $36,362 · Management $17,953 · Fundraising $1,072$55,387
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $922,878 · Management $244,154 · Fundraising $234,044$1,401,076
Part X · Balance sheet $783,256 assets, 10 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $184,271$543,240
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $10,036$10,038
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $550,884$208,037
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $23,463$21,941
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $853,312$783,256
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $22,398$26,724
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $22,398$26,724
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $830,914$756,532
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $830,914$756,532
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $853,312$783,256
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $756,532 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,316,963
XI-2 Total expenses$1,401,076
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$84,113
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$830,914
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$9,731
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$756,532

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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