The mission of Spotlight PA is to hold powerful public and private forces (continued on sch o) especially governments, elected officials, businesses, and special interests to account through urgent and compelling investigative and public service journalism that drives change and strengthens our democracy, the state, and all who live here.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
71¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 2 volunteers and 23 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
3 of 3
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $2.5M a year · 51% of revenue · last 3 filings
Looks good: a surplus in 3 of the last 3 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 3 filings
Spent on programs
71%
of spending
Fine: 71% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$802K
to officers and key staff · 23% of spending
Worth a look: pay to officers and key staff is 23% of spending; over 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
14 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 14.0 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $250
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$83K
1% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 1% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
6
of 7 voting members
Looks good: 6 of 7 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$6.3M
-18% vs prior year
Spent
$3.5M
To programs
71%
Net assets
$7.5M
By yearFY2022–FY2024
Revenue
$6.3M
FY2024▼ -18%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2022$659K
FY2023$7.7M
FY2024$6.3M
Expenses
$3.5M
FY2024▲ +10%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2022$482K
FY2023$3.2M
FY2024$3.5M
Net assets
$7.5M
FY2024▲ +60%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2022$177K
FY2023$4.7M
FY2024$7.5M

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

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Is it real?

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

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

Where the money goes

71 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 71% · $2.5M Management & general 14% · $488K Fundraising 15% · $532K

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

12 people listed on the 990; $802K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
CEO & President
$217,499Pt VII · Sec A
Senior Editor for Investigations
$130,137Pt VII · Sec A
Technology Director
$119,364Pt VII · Sec A
Deputy Editor
$119,199Pt VII · Sec A
$113,418Pt VII · Sec A
Dir of Individual & Corporate Giving
$102,448Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Christopher Baxter’s $217K as CEO & President is at the 86th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3395 $1–10M education 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 · 6 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2023
Christopher Baxter$217,499$189,825
Matthew Dempsey$130,137$119,028
Carlana Johnson$119,364—
Sarah Anne Hughes$119,199—
Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein$113,418$107,689
Michelle Mertz$102,448—

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.

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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 2Yes
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo

Programs and updates

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1 program · $2.5M · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

Spotlight pa is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to high-quality investigative and public-service journalism about the pennsylvania state government and urgent statewide issues, including elections, voting, the governor, the legislature, rural communities, criminal justice, economic development, health, human services, and…

$2.5Mprogram 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 · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$250

By the numbers

The FY2024 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$6.3M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$6.1M
Investment incomeLn 3$151K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$716
Money outPt IX
$3.5M
Ln 25
Programscol B$2.5M
Managementcol C$488K
Fundraisingcol D$532K
Owns and owesPt X
$7.5M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$4.1M
Total assetsLn 16$7.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$83K
PeoplePt VI, VII
12
listed · VII A
PaidVII A6
Voting boardVI 1a7
IndependentVI 1b6
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$6.1M
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$9K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$716
Investment incomeLn 3$151K
Total revenueLn 12$6.3M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$422K
SavingsLn 2$3.7M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$4.1M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$990K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$6K
Total assetsLn 16$7.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$83K
Net assetsLn 32$7.5M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 523
VolunteersI 62
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$2.4M$4.1M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$1.2M$990K
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$10K$6K
Total assetsLn 16$4.7M$7.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$69K$83K
Net assetsLn 32$4.7M$7.5M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$265K$53K$132K$79K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$2.1M$1.7M$128K$254K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$37K$32K$476$4K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$182K$155K$7K$20K
Payroll taxesLn 10$189K$147K$17K$25K
Legal feesLn 11b$56K$56K
Accounting feesLn 11c$78K$78K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$215K$182K$17K$16K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$46K$35K$6K$5K
Office expensesLn 13$134K$71K$6K$57K
Information technologyLn 14$18K$4K$14K
OccupancyLn 16$5K$5K
TravelLn 17$36K$19K$2K$15K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$27K$24K$2K$1K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$4K$4K
InsuranceLn 23$23K$23K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$63K$18K$6K$40K
Total functional expensesLn 25$3.5M$2.5M$488K$532K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest Viewing $6.3M$3.5M$2.8M$7.5M 990 PDF
FY2023 $7.7M$3.2M$4.5M$4.7M 990 PDF
FY2022 $659K$482K$177K$177K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support J · Pay O · Explanations
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $6,281,904 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $7,657,904$6,131,551
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $7,000$716
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $17,000$151,182
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0−$1,545
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $7,681,904$6,281,904
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $2,503,035$2,784,811
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $677,674$704,584
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $3,180,709$3,489,395
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $4,501,195$2,792,509
Part VI · Governance 6 of 7 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body7
VI-1b Independent voting members6
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $6,281,904 across 7 lines filed
VIII-1c Fundraising events$9,408
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$6,122,143
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$6,131,551
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $716$716
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $151,182$151,182
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising eventsExcluded from tax −$1,545−$1,545
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $716 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $149,637$6,281,904
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $3,489,395 across 17 lines filed
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $52,987 · Management $132,467 · Fundraising $79,480$264,934
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $1,729,820 · Management $127,960 · Fundraising $254,116$2,111,896
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $31,774 · Management $476 · Fundraising $4,474$36,724
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $154,816 · Management $7,223 · Fundraising $20,203$182,242
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $146,666 · Management $17,352 · Fundraising $24,997$189,015
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $55,799$55,799
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $78,051$78,051
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $182,457 · Management $16,642 · Fundraising $15,928$215,027
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $34,842 · Management $5,586 · Fundraising $5,303$45,731
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $71,190 · Management $6,169 · Fundraising $56,711$134,070
IX-14 Information technologyManagement $3,557 · Fundraising $14,410$17,967
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $4,560$4,560
IX-17 TravelPrograms $19,110 · Management $1,712 · Fundraising $15,411$36,233
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $23,967 · Management $1,541 · Fundraising $1,451$26,959
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationManagement $3,762$3,762
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $23,263$23,263
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $17,514 · Management $5,994 · Fundraising $39,654$63,162
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $2,469,703 · Management $487,554 · Fundraising $532,138$3,489,395
Part X · Balance sheet $7,588,741 assets, 13 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $249,668$422,107
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $2,110,043$3,658,668
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $1,164,118$2,498,021
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $5,710$13,611
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $9,718$5,956
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $1,207,242$990,378
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $4,746,499$7,588,741
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $69,154$82,904
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $69,154$82,904
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $3,131,572$4,187,478
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $1,545,773$3,318,359
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $4,677,345$7,505,837
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $4,746,499$7,588,741
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $7,505,837 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$6,281,904
XI-2 Total expenses$3,489,395
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$2,792,509
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$4,677,345
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$36,133
XI-7 Investment expenses−$150
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$7,505,837

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

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