2021-11-12T11:38:47-06:00 2021-06-30 BKD LLP 1201 Walnut Suite 1700 Kansas City MO 641062246 990 2020-07-01 311650883 RELIGION NEWS FOUNDATION % LAURA WILSON RELI 8447676397 30 NEFF ANNEX COLUMBIA MO 65211 DEBORAH CALDWELL CEO/PRESIDENT 5738829257 2021-11-15 true DEBORAH CALDWELL 999009999 April Arnold CPA P01559426 8162216300 3 2020 2022-09-23 18:48:47Z DEBORAH CALDWELL 30 NEFF ANNEX COLUMBIA MO 65211 3743885 false X RELIGIONNEWSFOUNDATION.ORG X 1999 OH TO ADVANCE THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF RELIGION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGION JOURNALISM. 9 9 14 8 74304 0 1304355 3377351 281793 364736 28714 625 0 1173 1614862 3743885 57810 9500 0 0 1271448 1431163 151007 5000 110671 3385921 2072925 4866186 3518588 -3251324 225297 2980651 3281750 323394 399196 2657257 2882554 X TO ADVANCE THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF RELIGION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGION JOURNALISM. false false 2995627 9500 364736 SEE SCHEDULE O 2995627 true true false false false false false false false false true false false false false false false true false true true false false false false false false false true true false false false false false false true false false false false false true true false false false true 88 0 14 true true true false false false false false false false false false false false X 9 9 false false true false false true false true true false false true true true true true true true false false OH X LAURA WILSON 5738841327 30 NEFF ANNEX COLUMBIA MO 65211 DEBORAH CALDWELL CEO & PUBLISHER 40.0 0.0 X 149261 0 3500 ROBERT SMIETANA FORMER RNS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 40.0 0.0 X 114208 0 26725 ROXANNE STONE MANAGING EDITOR 40.0 0.0 X 102000 0 11082 BETSY SHIRLEY BOARD MEMBER 1.0 1.0 X 0 0 0 DAWN ARAUJO-HAWKINS BOARD MEMBER 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 JOHN TERRILL BOARD MEMBER 2.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 JOHN TURNER BOARD MEMBER 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 KEN CHITWOOD RNF TREASURER/RNA BOARD MEMBER 2.0 1.0 X X 0 0 0 MUHAMMED CHAUDHRY RNF BOARD CHAIR/RNS MEMBER 2.0 0.0 X X 0 0 0 NICOLE NEROULIAS GUPTE RNS BOARD CHAIR/RNF MEMBER 2.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 PETER SMITH BOARD MEMBER 1.0 1.0 X 0 0 0 STEVEN WALDMAN BOARD MEMBER 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 THOMAS LEVINSON BOARD MEMBER 1.0 0.0 X 0 0 0 365469 0 41307 3 false true false 0 253200 3124151 3377351 Subscription Revenue 519130 848 848 Press Release Income 519130 82193 82193 Program Collaboration Sales 519130 170041 154482 15559 Contractual Income 519130 49850 49850 Advertising 541800 58745 58745 3059 3059 364736 526 526 0 1173 1173 0 0 0 99 99 99 99 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3743885 291605 74304 625 0 9500 9500 0 0 197626 39525 118576 39525 22035 22035 916909 799177 82061 35671 48328 36600 8530 3198 246265 186499 43473 16293 0 0 24973 23116 1857 63255 63255 0 5000 5000 0 1823842 1751333 70922 1587 0 17665 13378 3118 1169 59056 44724 10425 3907 0 9750 7384 1721 645 9878 9332 546 0 17199 17199 0 0 28017 21217 4946 1854 19290 14608 3406 1276 3518588 2995627 412290 110671 58397 106673 989449 1638313 1158000 1317000 83849 92299 0 0 0 0 0 0 6925 0 588766 29811 42348 27441 19058 14907 0 0 0 0 0 0 76207 82747 0 0 2980651 3281750 129534 159321 0 0 660 6523 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 193200 233352 0 0 323394 399196 X -56498 249916 2713755 2632638 2657257 2882554 2980651 3281750 225297 X false true X true false X X X 1 RELIGION NEWS ASSOCIATION 541486927 7 true 14436 0 1 14436 0 true false true true true false false false false false false false false false false false false true false SCHEDULE A, PART IV, SECTION A, LINE 3B THE ORGANIZATION RETAINS A COPY OF THE IRS DETERMINATION LETTER OF ITS SUPPORTED ORGANIZATION. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO RECEIVED A COPY OF THE SUPPORTED ORGANIZATION'S PRO FORMA PUBLIC SUPPORT TEST SHOWING THAT IT MEETS THE 509(A)(2) TEST. SCHEDULE A, PART IV, SECTION A, LINE 3C THE SUPPORTED ORGANIZATION PROVIDES GRANT AND CONTRACTED REVENUE FUNDS TO PAY FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES. TRAINING AND EDUCATION IS THE QUALIFIED CHARITABLE PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION. STIPEND AGREEMENTS ARE SIGNED WITH SUMS DOCUMENTED FOR ALL CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP EXPENSES TO THE SUPPORTED ORGANIZATION. RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 42348 27441 14907 14907 3839880 95995 95995 3743885 3743885 3614583 95995 95995 3518588 3518588 SCHEDULE D, PART X, LINE 2 MANAGEMENT HAS EVALUATED THEIR INCOME TAX POSITIONS UNDER THE GUIDANCE INCLUDED IN ASC 740. BASED ON THEIR REVIEW, MANAGEMENT HAS NOT IDENTIFIED ANY MATERIAL UNCERTAIN TAX POSITIONS TO BE RECORDED OR DISCLOSED IN THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. Europe (Including Iceland and Greenland) 0 0 Program Services JOURNALISM 87583 South Asia 0 0 Program Services JOURNALISM 4440 Sub-Saharan Africa 0 0 Program Services JOURNALISM 5050 North America Program Services JOURNALISM 385 Middle East and North Africa 0 0 Program Services JOURNALISM 535 0 0 0 0 97993 97993 false false false false false false PART 1, LINE 3, COLUMN F THE ORGANIZATION ACCOUNTS FOR FOREIGN EXPENDITURES ACCORDING TO THE ACCRUAL BASIS OF ACCOUNTING USING EXPENSE REPORTS AND OTHER APPROPRIATE DOCUMENTATION. true JOURNALIST RELIEF FUND 10 9500 SCHEDULE I, PART III, LINE 1 A selection committee composed of RNA and RNF board and staff was formed to review grant applications. Upon selection, all grantees signed a grant agreement laying out the responsibilities of the grantor and grantee. The first payment was made upon signing the grant agreement. The second payment was made after grant deliverables were submitted. X X false false false false false false false false false DEBORAH CALDWELL CEO & PUBLISHER 149261 3500 152761 SCHEDULE J, LINE 3 A compensation review was performed by board chair Muhammed Chaudhry and board member John Turner. Compensation was determined by comparison to the prior CEO's compensation, as well as review of the most recent Guidestar (Candid) nonprofit compensation reports available in spring of 2020. This review was conducted in closed executive session. Muhammed Chaudry completed contemporaneous substantiation of the deliberation and decision by email to other board members. SEE PART V SCHEDULE L, PART IV, LINE 1 A) DANIEL CALDWELL B) DANIEL CALDWELL IS EMPLOYED BY THE ORGNIZATION AND IS THE SON OF DEBORAH CALDWELL, CEO OF THE ORGANIZATION. C) $22,035 D) CONSULTING FEES E) NO FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4A Editorial: Enhanced RNS's editorial efforts by focusing on breaking stories and coverage of important issues including Christian nationalism, COVID-19, immigrant religious communities volunteering and impacting their communities, racial justice, and voter participation; enhanced coverage on the Black church, Catholicism, Hinduism, nonbelievers, and paganism/Wicca; developed new content including a recipe vertical, a weekly quiz on Instagram, and a new photo gallery; launched the Religion Hub on the RNS website; developed new programs including a video series, Anti-Racism as a Spiritual Practice, and a podcast, Saved by the City; published two new newsletters; hired new columnists; and developed new partnerships with Columbia University/Scripps Howard Foundation/INN, Interfaith Youth Core, and Public Religion Research Institute (PPRI); and won awards, including from the American Academy of Religion. Audience Development: Grew website traffic by better understanding the RNS audience to develop a more loyal readership; enlarged RNS's email list and social following; made newsletters more engaging, and expanded RNS's digital footprint, achieving milestones in web and social media. Revenue Growth, Development and Diversification: Transitioned RNS's business model to a digital journalism hub; grew and diversified RNS's revenue through initiatives including developing a more personalized platform for small individual and major donors; and honing fundraising outreach to foundations and high net worth individuals. Organizational Development and Operations: Aligned RNF/S procedures with nonprofit journalism best practices and improved RNS's technological/web capacity. Impact: Enhanced RNS's reach by taking into account our readers' comments and increasing citations and republication in other publications. FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION A, LINE 4 THE BYLAWS WERE AMENDED TO DEFINE INCEPTION OF THE TERM FOR THOSE BOARD MEMBERS APPOINTED BY RNA PRIOR TO JULY 2016 WHEN THE ONCE JOINT RNA/RNF BOARD SEPARATED. ALSO, THE MAXIMUM TERM OF OFFICE FOR BOARD MEMBERS WAS CLARIFIED TO BE THREE CONECUTIVE TERMS. FORM 990, PART VI,SECTION A, LINE 7A THE RELIGION NEWS ASSOCIATION HAS THE RIGHT TO APPOINT 51% OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF THE RELIGION NEWS FOUNDATION, WITH THE PRESUMPTION THAT THE SUPPORTED ORGANIZATION'S (SO) BOARD OF DIRECTORS WOULD APPROVE CANDIDATES WHO HAVE BEEN VETTED AND APPROVED BY A COMMITTEE MADE UP EQUALLY OF MEMBERS APOINTED BY THE SUPPORTED ORGANIZATION'S (SO) BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THOSE ELECTED BY THE FOUNDATION'S BOARD OF TRUSTEES ("SO APPOINTED TRUSTEES"). FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 11B AN INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTING FIRM PREPARES AND REVIEWS THE FORM 990. THE FORM 990 IS THEN REVIEWED BY THE FINANCE DIRECTOR AND CEO. ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS MANAGEMENT HAS ARE ADDRESSED AND ANY CORRECTIONS OR CLARIFICATIONS ARE MADE BEFORE FILING. A COPY OF THE FORM 990 IS PROVIDED TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BEFORE THE FORM IS FILED. FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 12C DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE ANY CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. RELIGION NEWS FOUNDATION REGULARLY MONITORS THE POTENTIAL FOR CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND RAISES POTENTIAL ISSUES WHEN THEY ARISE FOR EVALUATION. IF A CONFLICT IS DISCLOSED, THE BOARD OR MEMBERS OF COMMITTEES WITH GOVERNING BOARD DELEGATED POWERS SHALL DECIDE IF A CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXISTS. IF A CONFLICT DOES EXIST, THE PERSON IS REQUIRED TO LEAVE THE MEETING DURING THE DISCUSSION AND VOTE ON THE TRANSACTION OR ARRANGEMENT. FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 15A & 15B A compensation review was performed by board chair Muhammed Chaudhry and board member John Turner. Compensation was determined by comparison to the prior CEO's compensation, as well as review of the most recent Guidestar (Candid) nonprofit compensation reports available in spring of 2020. This review was conducted in closed executive session. Muhammed Chaudry completed contemporaneous substantiation of the deliberation and decision by email to other board members. FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION C, LINE 19 ALL GOVERNING DOCUMENTS ARE MADE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:COLLABORATION SERVICES TOTAL FEES:960802 FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:CONSULTING FEES TOTAL FEES:352777 FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:MARKETING & ADVERTISING SVCS TOTAL FEES:118455 FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:CONTRACTED JOURNALISTS TOTAL FEES:194962 FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:STRINGERS TOTAL FEES:76780 FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:CONTRACTED COLUMNISTS TOTAL FEES:42800 FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:WIRE SERVICE TOTAL FEES:31746 FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:OTHER CONSULTING FEES TOTAL FEES:17120 FORM 990 PART IX LINE 11G DESCRIPTION:CONTRACTED BLOGGERS TOTAL FEES:28400 RELIGION NEWS SERVICES LLC 30 NEFF ANNEX COLUMBIA MO 65203 CHARITABLE OH 438370 241670 RNF RELIGION NEWS ASSOCIATION 30 NEFF ANNEX COLUMBIA MO 65211 541486927 MBRSHP ORG VA 501(C)(6) NA false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true false