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INFORMED CALIFORNIA FOUNDATION: Form 990EZ, tax year 2023

View the entire original 990 at ProPublica ↗

Organization
INFORMED CALIFORNIA FOUNDATION (EIN 84-4618329)
Tax period
2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31
Filed
2024-03-21
IRS object ID
202440819349201204
Schema version
2023v5.0
Source
Download XML · Original 990 at ProPublica

Every field in the e-filed return. Faint text is the IRS element name, for citing.

Return header ReturnHeader

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Return2024-03-21T06:26:52-07:00ReturnTs
Tax Period End2023-12-31TaxPeriodEndDt

Preparer Firm PreparerFirmGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Preparer Firm EIN680228024PreparerFirmEIN

Preparer Firm Name PreparerFirmName

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Business Name Line1HARMON BURSTYN CPABusinessNameLine1Txt

Preparer US Address PreparerUSAddress

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Address Line11012 HACIENDA DRAddressLine1Txt
CityWALNUT CREEKCityNm
State AbbreviationCAStateAbbreviationCd
ZIP94598ZIPCd
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Return Type990EZReturnTypeCd
Tax Period Begin2023-01-01TaxPeriodBeginDt

Filer Filer

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
EIN844618329EIN

Business Name BusinessName

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Business Name Line1Informed California FoundationBusinessNameLine1Txt
Business Name Line2DBA - Open VallejoBusinessNameLine2Txt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Business Name ControlINFOBusinessNameControlTxt
Phone7078478398PhoneNum

US Address USAddress

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Address Line1490 43rd Street 12AddressLine1Txt
CityOaklandCityNm
State AbbreviationCAStateAbbreviationCd
ZIP94609ZIPCd

Business Officer BusinessOfficerGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
PersonGeoffrey W KingPersonNm
Person TitlePresident & CEOPersonTitleTxt
Signature2024-03-21SignatureDt
Discuss With Paid PreparerYes (true)DiscussWithPaidPreparerInd

Signing Officer SigningOfficerGrp

Person Full Name PersonFullName

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Person FirstGeoffrey WPersonFirstNm
Person LastKingPersonLastNm
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
SSN999009999SSN
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
IRS Responsible Prty Info CurrYes (true)IRSResponsiblePrtyInfoCurrInd

Preparer Person PreparerPersonGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Preparer PersonHarmon BurstynPreparerPersonNm
PTINP00855188PTIN
Phone9252863522PhoneNum
Self EmployedYes (X)SelfEmployedInd

Additional Filer Information AdditionalFilerInformation

Trusted Customer TrustedCustomerGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Trusted Customer2TrustedCustomerCd
Authentication Assurance LevelAAL1AuthenticationAssuranceLevelCd
Identity Assurance LevelIAL1IdentityAssuranceLevelCd
Federated Assurance LevelFAL1FederatedAssuranceLevelCd
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Tax2023TaxYr
Build TS2023-04-26 12:10:37ZBuildTS

Form 990-EZ IRS990EZ

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Method Of Accounting AccrualYes (X)MethodOfAccountingAccrualInd
Website Addresshttps://openvallejo.orgWebsiteAddressTxt
Organization501c3Yes (X)Organization501c3Ind
Type Of Organization CorpYes (X)TypeOfOrganizationCorpInd
Gross Receipts$190,228GrossReceiptsAmt
Info In Schedule O Part IYes (X)InfoInScheduleOPartIInd
Contributions Gifts Grants Etc$188,255ContributionsGiftsGrantsEtcAmt
Cost Or Other Basis Expense Sale$0CostOrOtherBasisExpenseSaleAmt
Fundraising Gross Income$0FundraisingGrossIncomeAmt
Special Events Direct Expenses$0SpecialEventsDirectExpensesAmt
Cost Of Goods Sold$0CostOfGoodsSoldAmt
Other Revenue Total$1,973OtherRevenueTotalAmt
Total Revenue$190,228TotalRevenueAmt
Salaries Other Comp Empl Bnft$98,874SalariesOtherCompEmplBnftAmt
Fees And Other Pymt To Ind Cntrct$17,931FeesAndOtherPymtToIndCntrctAmt
Occupancy Rent Utlts And Maint$4,659OccupancyRentUtltsAndMaintAmt
Printing Publications Postage$416PrintingPublicationsPostageAmt
Other Expenses Total$53,249OtherExpensesTotalAmt
Total Expenses$175,129TotalExpensesAmt
Excess Or Deficit For Year$15,099ExcessOrDeficitForYearAmt
Net Assets Or Fund Balances BOY-$4,048NetAssetsOrFundBalancesBOYAmt
Other Changes In Net Assets-$1,140OtherChangesInNetAssetsAmt
Net Assets Or Fund Balances EOY$9,911NetAssetsOrFundBalancesEOYAmt
Info In Schedule O Part IIYes (X)InfoInScheduleOPartIIInd

Cash Savings And Investments CashSavingsAndInvestmentsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$17,962BOYAmt
EOY$38,972EOYAmt

Other Assets Total Detail OtherAssetsTotalDetail

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$63BOYAmt
EOY$63EOYAmt

Form990 Total Assets Form990TotalAssetsGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$18,025BOYAmt
EOY$39,035EOYAmt

Sum Of Total Liabilities SumOfTotalLiabilitiesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY$22,073BOYAmt
EOY$29,124EOYAmt

Net Assets Or Fund Balances NetAssetsOrFundBalancesGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
BOY-$4,048BOYAmt
EOY$9,911EOYAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Primary Exempt PurposeInformed California Foundations primary activity is original public service news reporting, initially in Vallejo and then in other locations in California. This explanatory and investigative reporting illuminates local and state institutions, public and private individuals holding disproportionate power, and underreported themes such as civil rights and municipal corruption. The organization features deeply researched reporting and expert analysis to ensure the public, policymakers, enforcement bodies, and other stakeholders have access to comprehensive and contextualized information on topics of relevance to the community. Informed Californias news content and method of producing the content is educational in nature, and consistent with tax requirements. The purpose of the reporting is to provide readers with sufficient information and development to aid a reader in forming an independent opinion about issues of relevance and importance in the local community. This reporting and experPrimaryExemptPurposeTxt

Program Srvc Accomplishment ProgramSrvcAccomplishmentGrp (3 entries)

Description Program Srvc AccomDescriptionProgramSrvcAccomTxtProgram Service ExpensesProgramServiceExpensesAmt
Investigative Reporting in the public interest Open Vallejo published groundbreaking, original stories in 2023 that have generated major impact in Vallejo and in Solano County as a whole, earning our website approximately 28,833 unique views per month. Our work informed a decision by the California Department of Justice to impose a consent decree on Vallejo police, and information we uncovered is playing a major role in local criminal cases. Vallejo police officers have quit or retired. Our investigations have sparked investigations and won numerous awards. Our work is referenced by the public in numerous city council meetings, public rallies, and other forums. Some of our reporting in 2023 included:Senior officials ordered destruction of Vallejo police shooting evidencehttps://openvallejo.org/2023/02/05/vallejo-destroyed-evidence-of-police-killings/The Vallejo city attorneys office has long resisted public scrutiny of the police departments frequent shootings. With a new law poised to force the release of shooting records, a lawyer and a detective made a decision no court can reverse.In January 2021, officials for the city of Vallejo intentionally and with approval from a senior attorney for the city destroyed key evidence in multiple police killings and one non-fatal shooting, documents obtained in a public records lawsuit filed by Open Vallejo show. The city destroyed the records although many were set to be disclosed under California transparency laws a potential crime, according to a motion filed by this newsroom.The article sparked a third-party investigation and interest from state and federal authorities. Vallejo police concealed violent deaths for years, Open Vallejo lawsuit revealshttps://openvallejo.org/2023/08/24/vallejo-police-concealed-violent-deaths-for-years-open-vallejo-lawsuit-reveals/All of the victims were Black. All of them were unarmed. Their names are Andrew Lamar Washington, Otis Edward McPeters, Charles Khristopher Gordon, and Michael Todd White. The city of Vallejo has fought for years to keep their deaths secret but was forced to disclose after a Solano County judge ordered their release in response to a lawsuit filed against the city by Open Vallejo. The disclosures, along with death records obtained by this newsroom, paint a disturbing picture of officers use of force in the four deaths which local officials deemed accidental. A review of the records shows that all four men were Tased by officers, and that in at least two cases, police attempted controversial restraint positions that have since been banned in California.Twisted to conceal: How laws meant to protect children help police evade scrutinyhttps://openvallejo.org/2023/06/28/twisted-to-conceal-how-laws-meant-to-protect-children-help-police-evade-scrutiny/State and federal laws have long restricted government agencies from publicly releasing information about juveniles interactions with the criminal justice system. The laws aim to protect young offenders from social stigma and reduce barriers to employment, housing, and higher education. Those same protections, however, have come to shield police who use force on children from the scrutiny of state transparency laws. In response, the author of a landmark 2019 state transparency law, State Sen. Nancy Skinner, condemned the ruling in Open Vallejos case as it applied to juvenile records; a co-sponsor of the bill pledged to address the issue in subsequent legislation.$169,183
Public records requests and litigation Open Vallejo filed numerous public records requests in 2022, which has contributed to the public understanding of local government. A lawsuit filed in September of 2021 has uncovered thousands of pages of records. This generated news reporting on the killing from this newsroom as well as others, and has informed the public both in Vallejo and across the country. During a May deposition of Vallejos then-public records coordinator, Open Vallejo discovered that senior Vallejo officials deliberately destroyed records, which were due to be disclosed to this newsroom, amid an investigation by the California Department of Justice. This led to an early 2023 news article that has forced the city to launch a third-party investigation into the destruction of evidence after months of inaction.
Press freedom Open Vallejo has been an early and active partner in the Protecting Journalists Pro Bono Program, a collaborative effort of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP), Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, and Microsoft. The program has provided tens of thousands of dollars worth of pro bono support to this newsroom through pre-publication review of news articles and representation in the public records litigation mentioned above.In addition to participating in this program, Open Vallejo signed on to several RCFP amicus briefs and letters supporting press freedom and other First Amendment rights.
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total Program Service Expenses$169,183TotalProgramServiceExpensesAmt

Officer Director Trustee Empl OfficerDirectorTrusteeEmplGrp (5 entries)

TitleTitleTxtAverage Hrs Per Wk Devoted To PosAverageHrsPerWkDevotedToPosRtCompensationCompensationAmt
Geoffrey W King
President40.00$150
Victoria Baranetsky
Secretary1.00$0
Sophia Cope
Director1.00$0
Harlo Holmes
Director1.00$0
Dan Rubins
Treasurer1.00$0
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Activities Not Previously RptfalseActivitiesNotPreviouslyRptInd
Chg Made To Orgnzng Doc Not RptfalseChgMadeToOrgnzngDocNotRptInd
Organization Had UBIfalseOrganizationHadUBIInd
Subject To Proxy TaxfalseSubjectToProxyTaxInd
Organization Dissolved EtcfalseOrganizationDissolvedEtcInd
Form1120 Pol FiledfalseForm1120PolFiledInd
Made Loans To From OfficersfalseMadeLoansToFromOfficersInd
Tax Imposed Under IRC4911$0TaxImposedUnderIRC4911Amt
Tax Imposed Under IRC4912$0TaxImposedUnderIRC4912Amt
Tax Imposed Under IRC4955$0TaxImposedUnderIRC4955Amt
Engaged In Excess Benefit TransfalseEngagedInExcessBenefitTransInd
Tax Imposed On Organization Mgr$0TaxImposedOnOrganizationMgrAmt
Tax Reimbursed By Organization$0TaxReimbursedByOrganizationAmt
Prohibited Tax Shelter TransfalseProhibitedTaxShelterTransInd
States Where Copy Of Return Is FldCAStatesWhereCopyOfReturnIsFldCd

Books In Care Of Detail BooksInCareOfDetail

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
PersonRebecca KylesPersonNm

US Address USAddress

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Address Line1490 43rd St 12AddressLine1Txt
CityOaklandCityNm
State AbbreviationCAStateAbbreviationCd
ZIP94609ZIPCd
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Phone9168339194PhoneNum
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Foreign Financial AccountfalseForeignFinancialAccountInd
Foreign OfficefalseForeignOfficeInd
Donor Advised FndsfalseDonorAdvisedFndsInd
Operate HospitalfalseOperateHospitalInd
Tanning Services ProvidedfalseTanningServicesProvidedInd
Related Organization Ctrl EntfalseRelatedOrganizationCtrlEntInd
Transaction With Control EntfalseTransactionWithControlEntInd
Political Campaign ActyfalsePoliticalCampaignActyInd
Lobbying ActivitiesfalseLobbyingActivitiesInd
School OperatingfalseSchoolOperatingInd
Trnsfr Exmpt Non Chrtbl Rltd OrgfalseTrnsfrExmptNonChrtblRltdOrgInd
Part VI Of Comp Of Hghst Pd EmplNONEPartVIOfCompOfHghstPdEmplTxt
Part VI Hghst Pd Cntrct Prof SrvcNONEPartVIHghstPdCntrctProfSrvcTxt
Filed Schedule AYes (true)FiledScheduleAInd

Schedule A IRS990ScheduleA

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Public Organization170Yes (X)PublicOrganization170Ind

Gifts Grants Contri Rcvd170 GiftsGrantsContriRcvd170Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$12,847CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$149,074CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$173,110CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$188,255CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$523,286TotalAmt

Tax Rev Levied Orgnztnl Bnft170 TaxRevLeviedOrgnztnlBnft170Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$0TotalAmt

Govt Furn Srvc Fclts Vl170 GovtFurnSrvcFcltsVl170Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$0TotalAmt

Total Calendar Year170 TotalCalendarYear170Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year Minus3 Years$12,847CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus2 Years$149,074CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt
Current Tax Year Minus1 Year$173,110CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt
Current Tax Year$188,255CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$523,286TotalAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Substantial Contributors Tot$0SubstantialContributorsTotAmt
Public Support Total170$523,286PublicSupportTotal170Amt

Gross Investment Income170 GrossInvestmentIncome170Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$0TotalAmt

Unrelated Business Net Incm170 UnrelatedBusinessNetIncm170Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total$0TotalAmt

Other Income170 OtherIncome170Grp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Current Tax Year$1,973CurrentTaxYearAmt
Total$1,973TotalAmt
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total Support$525,259TotalSupportAmt
First5 Years170Yes (X)First5Years170Ind
Public Support CY1700.00000PublicSupportCY170Pct

Schedule B IRS990ScheduleB

Contributor Information ContributorInformationGrp

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
ContributorRESTRICTEDContributorNum

Contributor Business Name ContributorBusinessName

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Business Name Line1RESTRICTEDBusinessNameLine1

Contributor US Address ContributorUSAddress

FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Address Line1RESTRICTEDAddressLine1
Address Line2RESTRICTEDAddressLine2
CityRESTRICTEDCity
StateRESTRICTEDState
ZIP CodeRESTRICTEDZIPCode
FieldValueIRS element (for citing)
Total ContributionsRESTRICTEDTotalContributionsAmt

Schedule O IRS990ScheduleO

Supplemental Information Detail SupplementalInformationDetail (19 entries)

Form And Line ReferenceFormAndLineReferenceDescExplanationExplanationTxt
Other Revenue.1Return of Funds $1330
Other Revenue.2Miscellaneous $643
Other Expenses.1001Advertising and Promotion $5847
Other Expenses.1002Office Expenses $9645
Other Expenses.1005Travel $8949
Other Expenses.1008Interest $-2
Other Expenses.1012Insurance $11391
Other Expenses.1Dues & Subscriptions $8485
Other Expenses.2Reimbursable Expenses $3663
Other Expenses.3Program Expenses $2959
Other Expenses.4Other Business Expenses $756
Other Expenses.6Licenses and Permits $414
Other Expenses.7Meals & Entertainment $357
Other Expenses.8Taxes and Licenses $350
Other Expenses.9Purchases $240
Other Expenses.10Bank Charge $140
Other Expenses.11Job Supplies $55
Other Assets.1Other Assets - Beginning $63 Other Assets - Ending $63
Total Liabilities.1001Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses - Beginning $22073 Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses - Ending $29124

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