Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jul 2023.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
83 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
4 people listed on the 990; $104K paid to officers and key staff.
Joel Bleifuss’s $96K as President is at the 86th percentile of top reported officer pay among 2216 $100K–1M 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
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Bleifuss | $95,668 | $109,576 | $59,119 |
| Justin Perkins | $73,677 | $42,465 | $12,459 |
| Anne Mollo-Christensen | $72,180 | $72,180 | $31,925 |
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 Barn Raising Media 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 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Fosters respectful dialogue and amplifies underrepresented voices.
Questions for Barn Raising Media
Your first name shows with your question. Barn Raising Media answers here, for everyone.
The organization developed and launched its website, barn raiser, as an independent source for rural and small town news. The site hosts news and investigative reports, interviews, opinion pieces, and articles on topics such as politics & policy, native life, history, environment, culture, religion, and agriculture.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2023 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY23 | End FY23 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $98K | |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $0 | $98K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $0 | $98K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $104K | $80K | $13K | $10K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $8K | $6K | $990 | $792 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $325 | $325 | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $62K | $62K | $93 | $75 |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $3K | $3K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $3K | $3K | ||
| Information technologyLn 14 | $4K | $3K | $1K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $2K | $1K | $1K | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $178 | $178 | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $1K | $1K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $5K | $2K | $1K | $1K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $140 | $140 | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $192K | $159K | $20K | $13K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Aug 14, 2025 | $488K | $416K | $72K | $109K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Dec 13, 2024 | $349K | $410K | −$61K | $37K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 ViewingFiled with the IRS Feb 9, 2024 | $290K | $192K | $98K | $98K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $289,952 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 1 of 3 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $289,952 across 4 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $192,163 across 12 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $97,789 assets, 7 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $97,789 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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