2021-11-15T12:05:05-06:00 2020-12-31 946214841 ARMANINO LLP 12657 ALCOSTA BLVD STE 500 SAN RAMON CA 945834600 990 2020-01-01 680492065 PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE PUBL 4156241200 1265 BATTERY STREET STE NO 200 SAN FRANCISCO CA 94111 TODOR GRIGOROV CFO 4156241200 2021-11-12 1 TODOR GRIGOROV 999009999 KATY BROWN P00650274 9257902600 2021-11-08 2 AAL1 IAL1 2020 2022-09-23 18:48:47Z KATHYRN MOTONAGA 1265 BATTERY STREET STE NO 200 SAN FRANCISCO CA 94111 35932389 0 X WWW.PLOS.ORG X 2001 CA PLEASE SEE SCHEDULE O FOR COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION. 9 8 153 11000 261704 42875 158006 60366 30118273 32747234 279094 428897 1119 1318 30556492 33237815 0 0 0 0 18744128 18774597 0 0 0 11800972 12320632 30545100 31095229 11392 2142586 15651527 22062668 3851158 7229308 11800369 14833360 X PLEASE SEE SCHEDULE O FOR COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION. 0 0 27773602 32485530 SCIENCE AND MEDICAL PUBLISHING ARE THE CORE OF PLOS PROGRAM EXPENSE AT OVER $30 MILLION. THE ACTIVITIES INVOLVED IN OUR PUBLISHING OPERATION INCLUDE:- EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION WORK - RECEIPT AND TRIAGE OF SUBMISSIONS; PERFORMING/COORDINATING THEIR PEER REVIEW; AND PRODUCTION AND ONLINE PUBLICATION OF ACCEPTED ARTICLES. - MARKETING AND OUTREACH - PROMOTING ARTICLES, INVITING SUBMISSIONS, PROMOTING INITIATIVES SUCH AS CALLS FOR PAPERS, AND CREATING RESOURCES FOR AUTHORS AND REVIEWERS.- PUBLISHING ETHICS - HANDLING ETHICAL AND SCIENTIFIC CONCERNS INVOLVING SUBMISSIONS AND PUBLISHED ARTICLES.- ENGAGEMENT WITH RESEARCH COMMUNITIES (E.G. BY ATTENDING/ORGANIZING CONFERENCES/EVENTS/WORKSHOPS) - TO ENSURE THE JOURNALS AND THEIR POLICIES REFLECT THE RESEARCH INTERESTS AND VALUES OF THESE FIELDS AND COMMUNITIES.MEDIA - COLLABORATING WITH AUTHORS, INSTITUTIONS, SCIENCE MEDIA CENTERS AND JOURNALISTS TO COMMUNICATE RESEARCH TO BOTH SCIENTISTS AND SOCIETY. THE SCOPE OF PLOS JOURNALS PUBLISHING IN 2020 INCLUDES:- PLOS ONE, THE FIRST MULTIDISCIPLINARY OA JOURNAL PUBLISHING ALL TECHNICALLY VALID AND ETHICAL RESEARCH, REGARDLESS OF ANTICIPATED IMPACT.- PLOS BIOLOGY, PUBLISHING ARTICLES OF EXCEPTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE, ORIGINALITY AND RELEVANCE IN ALL AREAS OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE, FROM MOLECULES TO ECOSYSTEMS TO DATA-DRIVEN META-RESEARCH.- PLOS MEDICINE, WITH ARTICLES IN ALL AREAS OF MEDICAL SCIENCE, CLINICAL PRACTICE AND HEALTH POLICY INCLUDING A VARIETY OF STUDY DESIGNS.- PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY, PUBLISHING WORK THAT FURTHERS THE UNDERSTANDING OF LIVING SYSTEMS AT ALL SCALES THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF COMPUTATIONAL METHODS.- PLOS GENETICS, FOCUSED ON ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN GENETICS AND GENOMICS THAT REFLECT THE FULL BREADTH, INTERDISCIPLINARY NATURE AND IMPACT OF THESE FIELDS ON SCIENCE AND MEDICINE.- PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES, THE FIRST JOURNAL SOLELY DEVOTED TO CHRONIC AND POVERTY-PROMOTING INFECTIOUS DISEASES, PUBLISHES RESEARCH ON ALL ASPECTS OF NTDS. - PLOS PATHOGENS, FIRST OA JOURNAL FOR BREAKTHROUGHS IN UNDERSTANDING PATHOGENS AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH HOST ORGANISMS. IN ADDITION TO MANAGING THE ABOVE PORTFOLIO OF JOURNALS, IN 2020 PLOS CONTINUED ITS FOCUS ON TWO BROAD AREAS: (1) OPEN SCIENCE PRACTICES AND INITIATIVES AROUND TRANSPARENCY, RECOGNITION, EXPANDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEER REVIEW, FIGHTING PUBLICATION BIAS, AND REPRODUCIBILITY; AND (2) DEVELOPING MORE EQUITABLE BUSINESS MODELS TO ENABLE A DIVERSE AND SUSTAINABLE PUBLISHING ECOSYSTEM. THE FOLLOWING ARE KEY HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR WORK IN 2020:- PLOS INTRODUCED A NEW LOGO AND VISUAL BRAND UPDATES TO REFLECT THE VIBRANCY OF OUR MISSION OUR RESEARCH COMMUNITIES ACROSS OUR DIGITAL PROGRAM.- PLOS PARTNERED WITH INSTITUTIONS TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT TWO NEW OPEN ACCESS BUSINESS MODELS TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE AUTHOR PUBLICATION FEES. COMMUNITY ACTION PUBLISHING, AVAILABLE FOR PLOS BIOLOGY AND PLOS MEDICINE AIMS TO MAKE HIGHLY-SELECTIVE OA PUBLISHING MORE AFFORDABLE BY DISTRIBUTING COSTS ACROSS THE INSTITUTIONS IN THE JOURNAL COMMUNITY. FLAT FEES STREAMLINE AND SIMPLIFY INSTITUTIONAL APC SUPPORT FOR AUTHORS PUBLISHING IN ANY OF THE OTHER FIVE PLOS JOURNALS.- PLOS ALSO PARTNERED WITH LIBLYNX TO DEVELOP ANALYTICS THAT BETTER REFLECT THE IMPACT AND USAGE OF OPEN ACCESS CONTENT FOR A RANGE OF STAKEHOLDERS SUCH AS INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS, FUNDERS, AND AUTHORS WHOSE SUPPORT IS CRITICAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW OA PUBLISHING MODELS.- PLOS PARTICIPATED IN THE PLAN S PRICE & SERVICE TRANSPARENCY FRAMEWORK, PUBLICLY REPORTING OUR PRICING BREAKDOWN ON OUR BLOG.- ALL PLOS JOURNALS IMPLEMENTED A NEW POLICY HONORING REQUESTS FROM TRANSGENDER AND NON-BINARY AUTHORS TO UPDATE THEIR NAMES ON PUBLISHED PAPERS AND CORRESPONDING INDEXING METADATA. - PLOS ADDED NEW ARTICLE TYPES TO INCREASE THE TRANSPARENCY OF RESEARCH REPORTING THROUGHOUT THE RESEARCH PROCESS. REGISTERED REPORTS AT PLOS ONE AND PREREGISTERED RESEARCH ARTICLES AT PLOS BIOLOGY ENABLE RESEARCHERS TO REPORT AND RECEIVE PEER REVIEW FEEDBACK ON THEIR STUDY DESIGNS BEFORE CARRYING OUT EXPERIMENTS, WITH THE OPTION TO PUBLISH FULL RESULTS IN THE JOURNAL WHEN THEIR WORK IS COMPLETE. UPDATE ARTICLES AND DISCOVERY REPORTS AT PLOS BIOLOGY OFFER ADDITIONAL PUBLISHING OPTIONS FOR RESEARCHERS TO SHARE IMPORTANT FINDINGS AS THEIR WORK PROGRESSES. - PLOS EXPANDED ITS COMPLEMENTARY RESEARCH POLICY (INITIALLY INTRODUCED AT PLOS BIOLOGY) ACROSS ALL JOURNALS THAT ARE SELECTIVE FOR NOVELTY. THE POLICY WAIVES NOVELTY CRITERIA FOR WORK SUBMITTED WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF A SIMILAR STUDY HAVING BEEN PUBLISHED, GIVING AUTHORS WHO HAVE BEEN "SCOOPED" TIME TO RIGOROUSLY COMPLETE AND SUBMIT THEIR WORK WITHOUT BEING PENALIZED. - DUE TO THE EMERGENCE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, PLOS DEDICATED RESOURCES TO UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF LARGE-SCALE DISRUPTIONS TO RESEARCHERS' WORK AND LEARNING HOW WE COULD BETTER-SUPPORT THEIR CHANGING NEEDS. WE JOINED OTHER PUBLISHERS IN COMMITTING TO RAPID REVIEW AND SHARING OF COVID-19 RESEARCH IN ORDER TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS AND FACILITATE OPEN-SHARING OF KNOWLEDGE.- PLOS CONTINUED OUR PUBLICATION FEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, DESIGNED TO OVERCOME BARRIERS TO IMMEDIATE AVAILABILITY, ACCESS AND USE OF RESEARCH. IN 2020 PLOS PROVIDED $1.7 MILLION IN PARTIAL OR FULL ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGE (APC) WAIVERS TO AUTHORS. THIS MAJOR PROGRAM EXPENSE, WHICH APPEARS AS A CONTRA-REVENUE FOR FINANCIAL REPORTING PURPOSES, DEMONSTRATES OUR SUPPORT TO SCIENCE AND THE GLOBAL RESEARCH COMMUNITY 27773602 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 79 0 1 153 1 1 1 1 UK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 9 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 CA X X KATHRYN MOTONAGA CFO 4156241200 1265 BATTERY STREET STE NO 200 SAN FRANCISCO CA 94111 MICHAEL W CARROLL BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 ROBIN LOVELL-BADGE BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 MEREDITH T NILES BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 JENNY MACHIDA BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 ALASTAIR ADAM BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 SURESH BHAT BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 VICTORIA COLEMAN BOARD MEMBER (THROUGH 8/20) 5.00 X 0 0 0 SIMINE VAZIRE BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 KEITH YAMAMOTO BOARD MEMBER 5.00 X 0 0 0 ALISON MUDDITT CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 40.00 X X 395189 0 36237 TODOR I GRIGOROV CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 40.00 X 258935 0 4998 JAQUELINE J MORALES SECRETARY 40.00 X 121688 0 3651 VERONIQUE KIERMER PUBLISHER & EXEC EDITOR 40.00 X 288624 0 32436 REBEKAH DARKSMITH CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER 40.00 X 253614 0 27337 ANN MICHAEL CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER (THRU 08/20) 40.00 X 197386 0 22100 KRISTINA MARTIN CHIEF PEOPLE & CULTURE(START 01/20) 40.00 X 232543 0 25479 NIAMH O'CONNOR CHIEF PUBLISHING OFFICER 40.00 X 195078 0 33735 AARON DODDS DIRECTOR PRODUCT MGMT 40.00 X 200636 0 17714 CLARE E DEAN DIR, JOURNAL MKT & OUTREACH MKT 40.00 X 182420 0 36991 JOERG D HEBER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 40.00 X 216585 0 35990 CHRISTIAN A HAUMESSER DIRECTOR, PLATFORM & ENGINEERING 40.00 X 185898 0 13808 MIDORI BAER DIRECTOR OF PUBLISHING SERVICES 40.00 X 178062 0 36072 2906658 0 326548 40 0 1 0 APEX COVANTAGE LLC 4045 SHERIDAN AVENUE SUITE 266 MIAMI FL 33140 COMPOSITION 1596493 EDITORIAL OFFICE LTD AVEBURY HOUSE 6 ST PETER ST WINCHESTER UK SO23 8BN EDITORIAL SERVICES 1142223 J&J EDITORIAL 201 SHANNON OAKS CIR 124 CARY NC 27511 EDITORIAL SERVICES 826624 ARIES SYSTEMS CORPORATION 50 HIGH STREET SUITE 21 NORTH ANDOVER MA 01845 MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION & TRACKING SYSTEM 820920 CLARIVATE ANALYTICS (US) LLC 1500 SPRING GARDEN STREET PHILADELPHIA PA 19130 AUTHOR CONNECT SERVICES 638273 13 60366 60366 PUBLICATION FEES, NET 519130 32428621 32428621 ADVERTISING 519130 261704 261704 SUBSCRIPTIONS 519130 45000 45000 REPRINTS 519130 11909 11909 32747234 413937 413937 1318 1318 2709034 500 2547500 147074 161534 -146574 14960 14960 33237815 32485530 261704 430215 2129028 1904811 224217 13636611 12200483 1436128 324179 290038 34141 1479702 1323868 155834 1205077 1078165 126912 131980 79062 52918 81282 48691 32591 20000 20000 1145139 685987 459152 691445 691445 751383 199492 551891 1334550 1228790 105760 1368768 1296004 72764 166930 137333 29597 274985 260367 14618 95253 90189 5064 PRODUCTION COSTS 6007825 6007825 TRAINING & RECRUITMENT 251092 251052 40 31095229 27773602 3321627 0 765342 2724775 145976 175976 1664364 4153521 62407 64140 741470 1138285 3716547 3623245 502699 93302 11760867 13704267 8402 8402 15651527 22062668 3440890 4110669 410268 340956 0 2777683 3851158 7229308 X 11800369 14833360 11800369 14833360 15651527 22062668 2142586 890405 0 X X 0 1 X 1 0 X 7215 4732 3606 158006 60366 233925 36882826 35082866 31689229 29850566 32485530 165991017 36890041 35087598 31692835 30008572 32545896 166224942 0 0 0 166224942 933692 564541 414755 421974 415255 2750217 933692 564541 414755 421974 415255 2750217 37823733 35652139 32107590 30430546 32961151 168975159 0.98370 0.97940 0.01630 0.01960 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 326286 326286 0 2442443 2349141 93302 947818 947818 0 93302 PPP LOAN 2567157 DEFERRED RENT 210526 2777683 X 34108220 890405 890405 33217815 20000 20000 33237815 31075229 0 31075229 20000 20000 31095229 PART X, LINE 2: PLOS HAS RECEIVED NOTIFICATION FROM THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA THAT IT QUALIFIES FOR TAX-EXEMPT STATUS UNDER SECTION 501(C)(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE AND SECTION 27301D OF THE CALIFORNIA REVENUE AND TAXATION CODE. THE EXEMPTIONS ARE SUBJECT TO PERIODIC REVIEW BY THE FEDERAL AND STATE TAXING AUTHORITIES, AND MANAGEMENT IS CONFIDENT THAT PLOS CONTINUES TO SATISFY ALL FEDERAL AND STATE STATUTES IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR CONTINUED TAX EXEMPTION STATUS. PLOS MAY PERIODICALLY RECEIVE UNRELATED BUSINESS INCOME (SUCH AS ADVERTISING INCOME, ETC.) REQUIRING PLOS TO FILE SEPARATE TAX RETURNS UNDER FEDERAL AND STATE STATUTES. PLOS ALSO HAS CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS REQUIRING THE PAYMENT OF ADDITIONAL EMPLOYER TAXES TO HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS IN THE U.K. UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS, PLOS CALCULATES AND ACCRUES THE APPLICABLE TAXES. PLOS IS NOT SUBJECT TO EXAMINATION BY TAXING AUTHORITIES, NOR WAS FOR ANY PRIOR YEARS. PLOS ASSESSES TAX POSITIONS TAKEN OR EXPECTED TO BE TAKEN AGAINST MORE-LIKELY-THAN-NOT RECOGNITION THRESHOLD AND MEASUREMENT ATTRIBUTES FOR FINANCIAL STATEMENT RECOGNITION. BASED ON AN ANALYSIS PREPARED BY PLOS, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT PLOS BELIEVES THAT IT HAS APPROPRIATE SUPPORT FOR ANY TAX POSITIONS TAKEN, AND AS SUCH, DOES NOT HAVE ANY UNCERTAIN TAX POSITIONS THAT ARE MATERIAL TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. EUROPE (INCLUDING ICELAND & GREENLAND) - ALBANIA, ANDORRA, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM 1 65 PROGRAM SERVICES EDITORIAL SUPPORT TO SERVE U.S. OPERATIONS. 3631738 1 65 0 0 1 65 3631738 0 3631738 0 0 0 0 0 0 PART III ACCOUNTING METHOD: X X X X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 ALISON MUDDITT CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 360190 0 34999 0 0 0 15100 0 21137 0 431426 0 0 0 VERONIQUE KIERMER PUBLISHER & EXEC EDITOR 288024 0 600 0 0 0 11299 0 21137 0 321060 0 0 0 REBEKAH DARKSMITH CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER 253014 0 600 0 0 0 8677 0 18660 0 280951 0 0 0 TODOR I GRIGOROV CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 258335 0 600 0 0 0 3050 0 1948 0 263933 0 0 0 KRISTINA MARTIN CHIEF PEOPLE & CULTURE(START 01/20) 232543 0 0 0 0 0 9003 0 16476 0 258022 0 0 0 JOERG D HEBER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 215985 0 600 0 0 0 8991 0 26999 0 252575 0 0 0 NIAMH O'CONNOR CHIEF PUBLISHING OFFICER 194434 0 644 0 0 0 9753 0 23982 0 228813 0 0 0 ANN MICHAEL CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER (THRU 08/20) 196786 0 600 0 0 0 8009 0 14091 0 219486 0 0 0 CLARE E DEAN DIR, JOURNAL MKT & OUTREACH MKT 181820 0 600 0 0 0 7537 0 29454 0 219411 0 0 0 AARON DODDS DIRECTOR PRODUCT MGMT 200036 0 600 0 0 0 8103 0 9611 0 218350 0 0 0 MIDORI BAER DIRECTOR OF PUBLISHING SERVICES 178062 0 0 0 0 0 6618 0 29454 0 214134 0 0 0 CHRISTIAN A HAUMESSER DIRECTOR, PLATFORM & ENGINEERING 185048 0 850 0 0 0 4197 0 9611 0 199706 0 0 0 PART I, LINE 7 THE ORGANIZATION'S CEO (ALISON MUDDITT) RECEIVES NON-FIXED BONUS PAYMENTS. THESE AMOUNTS ARE BASED ON BOARD APPROVAL. PART I, LINE 1 PLOS (PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE) IS A NONPROFIT, OPEN ACCESS PUBLISHER EMPOWERING RESEARCHERS TO ACCELERATE PROGRESS IN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE BY LEADING A TRANSFORMATION IN RESEARCH COMMUNICATION. WE HAVE BEEN BREAKING BOUNDARIES SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 2001. PLOS JOURNALS PROPELLED THE MOVEMENT FOR OA ALTERNATIVES TO SUBSCRIPTION JOURNALS. WE ESTABLISHED THE FIRST MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PUBLICATION INCLUSIVE OF ALL EXCELLENT RESEARCH REGARDLESS OF NOVELTY OR IMPACT AND DEMONSTRATED THE IMPORTANCE OF OPEN DATA AVAILABILITY. AS OPEN SCIENCE ADVANCES, WE CONTINUE TO EXPERIMENT TO PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES, CHOICE, AND CONTEXT FOR READERS AND RESEARCHERS. PLOS PUBLISHES A SUITE OF INFLUENTIAL OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS ACROSS ALL AREAS OF SCIENCE AND MEDICINE. RIGOROUSLY REPORTED, PEER REVIEWED, AND IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS, THE JOURNALS PROMOTE THE WIDEST READERSHIP AND IMPACT POSSIBLE. WE STRIVE TO IMPLEMENT POLICIES AND INNOVATIONS THAT PROMOTE REPRODUCIBILITY, CREDIT, AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO FOSTER A CULTURE OF OPEN SCIENCE. OUR WORK IN THESE AREAS IS SUPPORTED BY THE EFFORTS OF A DIVERSE, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS FROM HUNDREDS OF RESEARCH AREAS WHO PUBLISH AND REVIEW RIGOROUS RESEARCH OF ALL TYPES. SINCE 2003, PLOS HAS PUBLISHED MORE THAN 260,000 RESEARCH ARTICLES. IN 2020 ALONE PLOS PUBLISHED MORE THAN 19,000 RESEARCH ARTICLES DOCUMENTING THE OBSERVATIONS AND DISCOVERIES OF A DIVERSE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY. THOUSANDS OF RESEARCHERS ACROSS THE GLOBE DEDICATED THEIR TIME AS ACADEMIC EDITORS AND REVIEWERS TO BRINGING THIS WORK TO THE PUBLIC. FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 11B FORM 990 IS PREPARED BY AN OUTSIDE TAX PROFESSIONAL WITH ASSISTANCE FROM THE ORGANIZATION. THE FORM IS THEN REVIEWED BY THE CFO AND MEMBERS FROM THE AUDIT COMMITTEE. AFTER REVIEW AND MODIFICATIONS WHERE NECESSARY, THE FINAL VERSION OF THE TAX RETURN IS PROVIDED TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. THE CFO SIGNS AND FILES ALL REQUIRED TAX FILINGS. FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 12C THE GENERAL COUNSEL AND SECRETARY OVERSEES THE ANNUAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE PROCESS. A COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS REVIEWS ALL POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AT LEAST ANNUALLY. THE CEO AND ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE (IN WRITING) POTENTIAL CONFLICTS AND ANY RELATED PARTY AFFILIATIONS. LOANS BETWEEN THE ORGANIZATION AND MEMBERS OF MANAGEMENT AND THE BOARD ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED. THE ORGANIZATION SEEKS FULL TRANSPARENCY ON ALL RELATIONSHIPS. ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS (IN FACT OR APPEARANCE) ARE DISCUSSED OPENLY AND RESOLVED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ORGANIZATION'S POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 15 THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS REVIEWS THE COMPENSATION OF ALL HIGH-LEVEL PERSONNEL ANNUALLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH IRS RULES AND REGULATIONS. EFFORTS ARE MADE TO SECURE COMPENSATION DATA FROM INDUSTRY SOURCES IN ORDER TO DETERMINE COMPETITIVENESS AND APPROPRIATENESS OF SALARIES AND BENEFITS. EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO ENSURE THAT THE PROCESS IS THOROUGH AND TRANSPARENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPROPRIATE GOVERNANCE AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE. THIS IS PERFORMED ANNUALLY AND THE PROCESS IS MANAGED BY THE HR DIRECTOR. REVIEW ENCOMPASSES CEO, CFO, EXECUTIVES AND KEY EMPLOYEES. FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION C, LINE 19 PLOS MAKES ITS GOVERNING DOCUMENTS, CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY, AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC UPON REQUEST. THESE DOCUMENTS ARE ALSO POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE.