Lexington Observer INC EIN 87-4640985

Lexington Observer INC

EIN  87-4640985 Public charity (501(c)(3)) Lexington, MA
Form 990 (PDF) Compare with another nonprofit →
Verified accurate 8/26/26 · see original filing: IRS
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Size
$1–10M
What they do
Reports on local government, education, and culture to boost community understanding and participation.
Leadership
Nicholas Mele · Chair · $224K
Money in and out
$4.0M revenue, $5.0M expenses
Bottom line
99% program efficiency

Reports on local government, education, and culture to boost community understanding and participation. For fiscal year 2024 it reported $4.0M in revenue, $5.0M in expenses, and $164K in net assets.Pt I

Where the money goes · FY2024
Total revenue
$4.0M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$5.0M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$164K
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): −$939K
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.99 Management & general $0.01
Program efficiency
99%
of spending reaches programs▲ +7% vs prior filing year
Operating runway
0.4mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate▼ -97% vs prior filing year
Surplus margin
-23%
revenue over expenses, this year▼ -137% vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2024 · Form 990
Revenue
$4.0M
FY2024▲ +133%
Expenses
$5.0M
FY2024▲ +678%
Total assets
$176K
FY2024▼ -85%
Total liabilities
$11K
FY2024▼ -71%
Total revenue
$4.0M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$5.0M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$164K
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19−$939K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$176K
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B99%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 35
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 45
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

2 program services account for $4.9M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2024.
01

Local News Hub

The local news hub's (LNH) mission is to support the essential work of local and independent news organizations across the country by providing consultations and advice, distributing grants, and acting as a fiscal sponsor.

$4.6Mprogram expense
02

Lexington Observer

Started by lexington residents in 2021, the lexington observer is a nonprofit digital newsroom devoted to reporting on issues that matter most to people in our diverse community, including education, culture, housing, economy, and environmental issues.

$327Kprogram expense

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Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CLexington Observer INC
EINHdr · item D87-4640985
Principal addressHdr · item CLexington, MA
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.lexobserver.org
Year of formationHdr · item Lpending
State of legal domicileHdr · item MMA
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFArts & Culture (A33)
Ruling yearIRS BMFJun 2022

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a5
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b5
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13No
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14No
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aNo
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
$224,314Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Nicholas Mele’s $224K as Chair is at the 89th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3916 $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.

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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants100%$4.0M
Investment income$13K
Total revenueLn 12$4.0M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.99 Management & general $0.01
Program services99%$4.9M
Management & general1%$42K
Total functional expensesLn 25$5.0M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$145K
Total assetsLn 16$176K
Total liabilitiesLn 26$11K
Total net assetsLn 32$164K
Months of cash on handcomputed0.4

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2024 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $145K · Operating expenses/yr $5.0M
0.4 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $4.9M · Total expenses $5.0M
99%
Management & General
Management & general $42K · Total expenses $5.0M
1%
Fundraising
Fundraising $0 · Total expenses $5.0M
0%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (2-yr avg) $12K · Solicited contributions (2-yr avg) $2.9M
$0.00 to raise $1 (2-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $4.0M · Total revenue $4.0M
100%
Government reliance
Government grants — · Total revenue $4.0M
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $0 · Total revenue $4.0M
0%
Investment reliance
Investment income $13K · Total revenue $4.0M
0%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $0 · Total expenses $5.0M
0%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $4.0M · Prior year $1.7M
+133%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $164K · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $4.0M · Expenses $5.0M
-23%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $176K
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $164K · Total assets $176K
94%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) — · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $176K
Excludes program-related investments (Pt X, ln 13)
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Nicholas Mele · Reported title CHAIR · Highest reported compensation $224K · Total expenses $5.0M
5%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $395K · Total expenses $5.0M
8%
Peer comparison

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

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 99%
Overhead ratio 1%
Fundraising cost ratio 0%
Revenue growth 133%
Accounting fee ratio 0%

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 · FY2024
See all 14 funders →
Grants paid · 11 grants · $962K · 2023–2024
Creative CommunicationsFY2024$288,000
States NewsroomDC · FY2024$100,000
The Center for Michigan INCMI · FY2024$75,000
The Center for Michigan INCMI · FY2024$75,000
Searchlight New Mexico NewsNM · FY2024$75,000
Nevada News Bureau INCNV · FY2024$75,000
Creative CommunicationFY2024$50,000
Creative CommunicationFY2024$24,000
Searchlight New Mexico NewsNM · FY2023$75,000
Nevada News Bureau INCNV · FY2023$75,000

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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)$4.0M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$1.7M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2024IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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