FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT REPORTING NETWORK: Form 990, tax year 2018
View the entire original 990 at ProPublica ↗
- Organization
- FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT REPORTING NETWORK (EIN 27-4108978)
- Tax period
- 2018-01-01 to 2018-12-31
- Filed
- 2019-05-14
- IRS object ID
- 201931349349308683
- Schema version
- 2018v3.1
- 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
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Return | 2019-05-14T16:59:33-05:00 | ReturnTs |
| Tax Period End | 2018-12-31 | TaxPeriodEndDt |
Preparer Firm PreparerFirmGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Preparer Firm EIN | 271728945 | PreparerFirmEIN |
Preparer Firm Name PreparerFirmName
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Name Line1 | PKF O'CONNOR DAVIES LLP | BusinessNameLine1Txt |
Preparer US Address PreparerUSAddress
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Address Line1 | 665 FIFTH AVENUE | AddressLine1Txt |
| City | NEW YORK | CityNm |
| State Abbreviation | NY | StateAbbreviationCd |
| ZIP | 10022 | ZIPCd |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Return Type | 990 | ReturnTypeCd |
| Tax Period Begin | 2018-01-01 | TaxPeriodBeginDt |
Filer Filer
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| EIN | 274108978 | EIN |
Business Name BusinessName
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Name Line1 | FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT REPORTING NETWORK | BusinessNameLine1Txt |
| Business Name Line2 | INC | BusinessNameLine2Txt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Name Control | FOOD | BusinessNameControlTxt |
| Phone | 6462486014 | PhoneNum |
US Address USAddress
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Address Line1 | 576 FIFTH AVENUE NO 903 | AddressLine1Txt |
| City | NEW YORK | CityNm |
| State Abbreviation | NY | StateAbbreviationCd |
| ZIP | 10036 | ZIPCd |
Business Officer BusinessOfficerGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Person | THOMAS LASKAWY | PersonNm |
| Person Title | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | PersonTitleTxt |
| Phone | 6462486014 | PhoneNum |
| Signature | 2019-05-14 | SignatureDt |
| Discuss With Paid Preparer | Yes (1) | DiscussWithPaidPreparerInd |
Preparer Person PreparerPersonGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Preparer Person | GARRETT M HIGGINS | PreparerPersonNm |
| PTIN | P00543209 | PTIN |
| Phone | 2122862600 | PhoneNum |
| Preparation | 2019-05-14 | PreparationDt |
Filing Security Information FilingSecurityInformation
IP Address IPAddress
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| I Pv4 Address | 4.15.211.182 | IPv4AddressTxt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| IP | 2019-05-14 | IPDt |
| IP Tm | 16:40:06 | IPTm |
| IP Timezone | ED | IPTimezoneCd |
| Filing License Type | P | FilingLicenseTypeCd |
| At Submission Creation Device Id | DA39A3EE5E6B4B0D3255BFEF95601890AFD80709 | AtSubmissionCreationDeviceId |
| At Submission Filing Device Id | A41402F04C4C9978CC8AB0E00D6672B331E57034 | AtSubmissionFilingDeviceId |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | 2018 | TaxYr |
| Build TS | 2019-02-21 02:37:17Z | BuildTS |
Form 990 IRS990
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Principal Officer | THOMAS LASKAWY | PrincipalOfficerNm |
US Address USAddress
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Address Line1 | 576 FIFTH AVENUE NO 903 | AddressLine1Txt |
| City | NEW YORK | CityNm |
| State Abbreviation | NY | StateAbbreviationCd |
| ZIP | 10036 | ZIPCd |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross Receipts | $1,125,455 | GrossReceiptsAmt |
| Group Return For Affiliates | 0 | GroupReturnForAffiliatesInd |
| Organization501c3 | Yes (X) | Organization501c3Ind |
| Website Address | HTTP://THEFERN.ORG | WebsiteAddressTxt |
| Type Of Organization Corp | Yes (X) | TypeOfOrganizationCorpInd |
| Formation | 2010 | FormationYr |
| Legal Domicile State | NY | LegalDomicileStateCd |
| Activity Or Mission | OUR ORGANIZATION'S PRIMARY EXEMPT PURPOSE IS TO EVALUATE, COMMISSION AND DISTRIBUTE INVESTIGATIVE NEWS ARTICLES OF BETWEEN 1,500 AND 5,000 WORDS IN LENGTH. THIS INCLUDES PLANNING, CONTRACTING WITH PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS FOR WRITING SERVICES, PROVIDING EDITORIAL OVERSIGHT, AND COPY EDITING, FACT CHECKING AND PROVIDING PRE-PUBLICATION LEGAL REVIEWS OF SUBMITTED STORIES. WE THEN DISTRIBUTE OUR REPORTS AT NO CHARGE TO MAINSTREAM PUBLICATIONS. | ActivityOrMissionDesc |
| Voting Members Governing Body | 8 | VotingMembersGoverningBodyCnt |
| Voting Members Independent | 7 | VotingMembersIndependentCnt |
| Total Employee | 7 | TotalEmployeeCnt |
| Total Volunteers | 7 | TotalVolunteersCnt |
| Total Gross UBI | $0 | TotalGrossUBIAmt |
| Net Unrelated Bus Txbl Incm | $0 | NetUnrelatedBusTxblIncmAmt |
| PY Contributions Grants | $639,205 | PYContributionsGrantsAmt |
| CY Contributions Grants | $1,004,498 | CYContributionsGrantsAmt |
| PY Program Service Revenue | $109,921 | PYProgramServiceRevenueAmt |
| CY Program Service Revenue | $107,277 | CYProgramServiceRevenueAmt |
| PY Investment Income | $357 | PYInvestmentIncomeAmt |
| CY Investment Income | $23 | CYInvestmentIncomeAmt |
| PY Other Revenue | -$18,737 | PYOtherRevenueAmt |
| CY Other Revenue | -$10,747 | CYOtherRevenueAmt |
| PY Total Revenue | $730,746 | PYTotalRevenueAmt |
| CY Total Revenue | $1,101,051 | CYTotalRevenueAmt |
| PY Grants And Similar Paid | $0 | PYGrantsAndSimilarPaidAmt |
| CY Grants And Similar Paid | $0 | CYGrantsAndSimilarPaidAmt |
| PY Benefits Paid To Members | $0 | PYBenefitsPaidToMembersAmt |
| CY Benefits Paid To Members | $0 | CYBenefitsPaidToMembersAmt |
| PY Salaries Comp Emp Bnft Paid | $510,689 | PYSalariesCompEmpBnftPaidAmt |
| CY Salaries Comp Emp Bnft Paid | $526,266 | CYSalariesCompEmpBnftPaidAmt |
| PY Total Prof Fndrsng Expns | $0 | PYTotalProfFndrsngExpnsAmt |
| CY Total Prof Fndrsng Expns | $0 | CYTotalProfFndrsngExpnsAmt |
| CY Total Fundraising Expense | $54,523 | CYTotalFundraisingExpenseAmt |
| PY Other Expenses | $547,486 | PYOtherExpensesAmt |
| CY Other Expenses | $681,726 | CYOtherExpensesAmt |
| PY Total Expenses | $1,058,175 | PYTotalExpensesAmt |
| CY Total Expenses | $1,207,992 | CYTotalExpensesAmt |
| PY Revenues Less Expenses | -$327,429 | PYRevenuesLessExpensesAmt |
| CY Revenues Less Expenses | -$106,941 | CYRevenuesLessExpensesAmt |
| Total Assets BOY | $188,926 | TotalAssetsBOYAmt |
| Total Assets EOY | $141,547 | TotalAssetsEOYAmt |
| Total Liabilities BOY | $73,647 | TotalLiabilitiesBOYAmt |
| Total Liabilities EOY | $133,209 | TotalLiabilitiesEOYAmt |
| Net Assets Or Fund Balances BOY | $115,279 | NetAssetsOrFundBalancesBOYAmt |
| Net Assets Or Fund Balances EOY | $8,338 | NetAssetsOrFundBalancesEOYAmt |
| Info In Schedule O Part III | Yes (X) | InfoInScheduleOPartIIIInd |
| Mission | SEE SCHEDULE O | MissionDesc |
| Significant New Program Srvc | 0 | SignificantNewProgramSrvcInd |
| Significant Change | 0 | SignificantChangeInd |
| Expense | $775,649 | ExpenseAmt |
| Revenue | $76,650 | RevenueAmt |
| Desc | SEE SCHEDULE O | Desc |
Prog Srvc Accom Acty2 ProgSrvcAccomActy2Grp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Expense | $131,719 | ExpenseAmt |
| Revenue | $30,627 | RevenueAmt |
| Desc | FERN'S AG INSIDER IS A DAILY FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY PAID SUBSCRIPTION NEWS SERVICE. IT INCLUDES ORIGINAL REPORTING, ANALYSIS, AND A DAILY SURVEY OF BREAKING NEWS IN THE AREAS OF FEDERAL AND STATE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY AS WELL AS RELATED CORPORATE DEVELOPMENTS. THE PRODUCT IS AIMED AT AN AUDIENCE OF POLICYMAKERS, ADVOCATES, JOURNALISTS, AND FOOD INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES. FERN'S AG INSIDER PAID SUBSCRIPTION FEATURES INCLUDE:-A, DEDICATED, PAYWALLED AG INSIDER MINI-SITE ON THE FERN WEBSITE-ORIGINAL, IN-DEPTH REPORTING AND ANALYSIS-ARTICLES TAGGED AND VIEWABLE BY SUBJECT-A SEARCHABLE ARCHIVE OF ALL AG INSIDER REPORTING | Desc |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Program Service Expenses | $907,368 | TotalProgramServiceExpensesAmt |
| Described In Section501c3 | Yes (1) | DescribedInSection501c3Ind |
| Schedule B Required | Yes (1) | ScheduleBRequiredInd |
| Political Campaign Acty | 0 | PoliticalCampaignActyInd |
| Lobbying Activities | 0 | LobbyingActivitiesInd |
| Subject To Proxy Tax | 0 | SubjectToProxyTaxInd |
| Donor Advised Fund | 0 | DonorAdvisedFundInd |
| Conservation Easements | 0 | ConservationEasementsInd |
| Collections Of Art | 0 | CollectionsOfArtInd |
| Credit Counseling | 0 | CreditCounselingInd |
| Temp Or Permanent Endowments | 0 | TempOrPermanentEndowmentsInd |
| Report Land Building Equipment | 0 | ReportLandBuildingEquipmentInd |
| Report Investments Other Sec | 0 | ReportInvestmentsOtherSecInd |
| Report Program Related Invst | 0 | ReportProgramRelatedInvstInd |
| Report Other Assets | 0 | ReportOtherAssetsInd |
| Report Other Liabilities | 0 | ReportOtherLiabilitiesInd |
| Include FIN48 Footnote | Yes (1) | IncludeFIN48FootnoteInd |
| Independent Audit Fincl Stmt | Yes (1) | IndependentAuditFinclStmtInd |
| Consolidated Audit Fincl Stmt | 0 | ConsolidatedAuditFinclStmtInd |
| School Operating | 0 | SchoolOperatingInd |
| Foreign Office | 0 | ForeignOfficeInd |
| Foreign Activities | 0 | ForeignActivitiesInd |
| More Than5000 K To Org | 0 | MoreThan5000KToOrgInd |
| More Than5000 K To Individuals | 0 | MoreThan5000KToIndividualsInd |
| Professional Fundraising | 0 | ProfessionalFundraisingInd |
| Fundraising Activities | Yes (1) | FundraisingActivitiesInd |
| Gaming Activities | 0 | GamingActivitiesInd |
| Operate Hospital | 0 | OperateHospitalInd |
| Grants To Organizations | 0 | GrantsToOrganizationsInd |
| Grants To Individuals | 0 | GrantsToIndividualsInd |
| Schedule J Required | 0 | ScheduleJRequiredInd |
| Tax Exempt Bonds | 0 | TaxExemptBondsInd |
| Engaged In Excess Benefit Trans | 0 | EngagedInExcessBenefitTransInd |
| PY Excess Benefit Trans | 0 | PYExcessBenefitTransInd |
| Loan Outstanding | 0 | LoanOutstandingInd |
| Grant To Related Person | 0 | GrantToRelatedPersonInd |
| Business Rln With Org Mem | 0 | BusinessRlnWithOrgMemInd |
| Business Rln With Fam Mem | 0 | BusinessRlnWithFamMemInd |
| Business Rln With Officer Ent | 0 | BusinessRlnWithOfficerEntInd |
| Deductible Non Cash Contri | Yes (1) | DeductibleNonCashContriInd |
| Deductible Art Contribution | 0 | DeductibleArtContributionInd |
| Terminate Operations | 0 | TerminateOperationsInd |
| Partial Liquidation | 0 | PartialLiquidationInd |
| Disregarded Entity | 0 | DisregardedEntityInd |
| Related Entity | 0 | RelatedEntityInd |
| Related Organization Ctrl Ent | 0 | RelatedOrganizationCtrlEntInd |
| Trnsfr Exmpt Non Chrtbl Rltd Org | 0 | TrnsfrExmptNonChrtblRltdOrgInd |
| Activities Conducted Prtshp | 0 | ActivitiesConductedPrtshpInd |
| Schedule O Required | Yes (1) | ScheduleORequiredInd |
| IRP Document | 44 | IRPDocumentCnt |
| IRP Document W2 G | 0 | IRPDocumentW2GCnt |
| Employee | 7 | EmployeeCnt |
| Employment Tax Returns Filed | Yes (1) | EmploymentTaxReturnsFiledInd |
| Unrelated Bus Incm Over Limit | 0 | UnrelatedBusIncmOverLimitInd |
| Foreign Financial Account | 0 | ForeignFinancialAccountInd |
| Prohibited Tax Shelter Trans | 0 | ProhibitedTaxShelterTransInd |
| Taxable Party Notification | 0 | TaxablePartyNotificationInd |
| Nondeductible Contributions | 0 | NondeductibleContributionsInd |
| Quid Pro Quo Contributions | Yes (1) | QuidProQuoContributionsInd |
| Quid Pro Quo Contri Discl | Yes (1) | QuidProQuoContriDisclInd |
| Form8282 Property Disposed Of | 0 | Form8282PropertyDisposedOfInd |
| Rcv Fnds To Pay Prsnl Bnft Cntrct | 0 | RcvFndsToPayPrsnlBnftCntrctInd |
| Pay Premiums Prsnl Bnft Cntrct | 0 | PayPremiumsPrsnlBnftCntrctInd |
| Indoor Tanning Services | 0 | IndoorTanningServicesInd |
| Subj To Tax Rmnrtn Ex Prcht Pymt | 0 | SubjToTaxRmnrtnExPrchtPymtInd |
| Subject To Excs Tax Net Invst Inc | 0 | SubjectToExcsTaxNetInvstIncInd |
| Info In Schedule O Part VI | Yes (X) | InfoInScheduleOPartVIInd |
| Governing Body Voting Members | 8 | GoverningBodyVotingMembersCnt |
| Independent Voting Member | 7 | IndependentVotingMemberCnt |
| Family Or Business Rln | 0 | FamilyOrBusinessRlnInd |
| Delegation Of Mgmt Duties | 0 | DelegationOfMgmtDutiesInd |
| Change To Org Documents | 0 | ChangeToOrgDocumentsInd |
| Material Diversion Or Misuse | 0 | MaterialDiversionOrMisuseInd |
| Members Or Stockholders | 0 | MembersOrStockholdersInd |
| Election Of Board Members | 0 | ElectionOfBoardMembersInd |
| Decisions Subject To Approva | 0 | DecisionsSubjectToApprovaInd |
| Minutes Of Governing Body | Yes (1) | MinutesOfGoverningBodyInd |
| Minutes Of Committees | Yes (1) | MinutesOfCommitteesInd |
| Officer Mailing Address | 0 | OfficerMailingAddressInd |
| Local Chapters | 0 | LocalChaptersInd |
| Form990 Provided To Gvrn Body | 0 | Form990ProvidedToGvrnBodyInd |
| Conflict Of Interest Policy | Yes (1) | ConflictOfInterestPolicyInd |
| Annual Disclosure Covered Prsn | Yes (1) | AnnualDisclosureCoveredPrsnInd |
| Regular Monitoring Enfrc | Yes (1) | RegularMonitoringEnfrcInd |
| Whistleblower Policy | Yes (1) | WhistleblowerPolicyInd |
| Document Retention Policy | Yes (1) | DocumentRetentionPolicyInd |
| Compensation Process CEO | Yes (1) | CompensationProcessCEOInd |
| Compensation Process Other | Yes (1) | CompensationProcessOtherInd |
| Investment In Joint Venture | 0 | InvestmentInJointVentureInd |
| States Where Copy Of Return Is Fld | NY | StatesWhereCopyOfReturnIsFldCd |
| States Where Copy Of Return Is Fld | CA | StatesWhereCopyOfReturnIsFldCd |
| Other Website | Yes (X) | OtherWebsiteInd |
| Upon Request | Yes (X) | UponRequestInd |
Books In Care Of Detail BooksInCareOfDetail
Business Name BusinessName
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Name Line1 | THOMAS LASKAWY | BusinessNameLine1Txt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 2153702765 | PhoneNum |
US Address USAddress
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Address Line1 | 725 WESTVIEW ST | AddressLine1Txt |
| City | PHILADELPHIA | CityNm |
| State Abbreviation | PA | StateAbbreviationCd |
| ZIP | 19119 | ZIPCd |
Form990 Part VII Section A Form990PartVIISectionAGrp (9 entries)
| TitleTitleTxt | Average Hours Per WeekAverageHoursPerWeekRt | Individual Trustee Or DirectorIndividualTrusteeOrDirectorInd | OfficerOfficerInd | Reportable Comp From OrgReportableCompFromOrgAmt | Reportable Comp From Rltd OrgReportableCompFromRltdOrgAmt | Other CompensationOtherCompensationAmt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOANNE KELLEY | ||||||
| CHAIR | 5.00 | Yes (X) | Yes (X) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| NATHANIEL BROWN | ||||||
| TREASURER | 5.00 | Yes (X) | Yes (X) | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| SAMUEL FORMARTZ | ||||||
| SECRETARY/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | 40.00 | Yes (X) | Yes (X) | $87,550 | $0 | $24,500 |
| DANIEL PULLMAN | ||||||
| BOARD MEMBER | 5.00 | Yes (X) | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| SUSAN WEST | ||||||
| BOARD MEMBER | 5.00 | Yes (X) | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| LORRAINE FONTANES | ||||||
| BOARD MEMBER | 5.00 | Yes (X) | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| LESLIE WILLIAMS | ||||||
| BOARD MEMBER | 5.00 | Yes (X) | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| AILEEN BURDICK | ||||||
| BOARD MEMBER | 5.00 | Yes (X) | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
| THOMAS LASKAWY | ||||||
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40.00 | Yes (X) | $84,183 | $0 | $4,209 | |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Reportable Comp From Org | $171,733 | TotalReportableCompFromOrgAmt |
| Tot Reportable Comp Rltd Org | $0 | TotReportableCompRltdOrgAmt |
| Total Other Compensation | $28,709 | TotalOtherCompensationAmt |
| Indiv Rcvd Greater Than100 K | 0 | IndivRcvdGreaterThan100KCnt |
| Former Ofcr Employees Listed | 0 | FormerOfcrEmployeesListedInd |
| Total Comp Greater Than150 K | 0 | TotalCompGreaterThan150KInd |
| Compensation From Other Srcs | 0 | CompensationFromOtherSrcsInd |
| Cntrct Rcvd Greater Than100 K | 0 | CntrctRcvdGreaterThan100KCnt |
| Fundraising | $23,564 | FundraisingAmt |
| All Other Contributions | $980,934 | AllOtherContributionsAmt |
| Noncash Contributions | $30,203 | NoncashContributionsAmt |
| Total Contributions | $1,004,498 | TotalContributionsAmt |
Program Service Revenue ProgramServiceRevenueGrp (2 entries)
| DescDesc | BusinessBusinessCd | Total Revenue ColumnTotalRevenueColumnAmt | Related Or Exempt Func IncomeRelatedOrExemptFuncIncomeAmt |
|---|---|---|---|
| EDITORIAL FEE | 511110 | $76,650 | $76,650 |
| SUBSCRIPTIONS REVENUE | 519130 | $30,627 | $30,627 |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Program Service Revenue | $107,277 | TotalProgramServiceRevenueAmt |
Investment Income InvestmentIncomeGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue Column | $23 | TotalRevenueColumnAmt |
| Exclusion | $23 | ExclusionAmt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Fundraising Gross Income | $10,677 | FundraisingGrossIncomeAmt |
| Contri Rpt Fundraising Event | $23,564 | ContriRptFundraisingEventAmt |
| Fundraising Direct Expenses | $24,404 | FundraisingDirectExpensesAmt |
Net Incm From Fundraising Evt NetIncmFromFundraisingEvtGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue Column | -$13,727 | TotalRevenueColumnAmt |
| Exclusion | -$13,727 | ExclusionAmt |
Other Revenue Misc OtherRevenueMiscGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Desc | REIMBURSEMENT | Desc |
| Business | 900099 | BusinessCd |
| Total Revenue Column | $2,980 | TotalRevenueColumnAmt |
| Exclusion | $2,980 | ExclusionAmt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Other Revenue Total | $2,980 | OtherRevenueTotalAmt |
Total Revenue TotalRevenueGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue Column | $1,101,051 | TotalRevenueColumnAmt |
| Related Or Exempt Func Income | $107,277 | RelatedOrExemptFuncIncomeAmt |
| Unrelated Business Revenue | $0 | UnrelatedBusinessRevenueAmt |
| Exclusion | -$10,724 | ExclusionAmt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Info In Schedule O Part IX | Yes (X) | InfoInScheduleOPartIXInd |
Comp Current Ofcr Directors CompCurrentOfcrDirectorsGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $200,442 | TotalAmt |
| Program Services | $146,130 | ProgramServicesAmt |
| Management And General | $42,546 | ManagementAndGeneralAmt |
| Fundraising | $11,766 | FundraisingAmt |
Other Salaries And Wages OtherSalariesAndWagesGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $284,488 | TotalAmt |
| Program Services | $207,403 | ProgramServicesAmt |
| Management And General | $60,385 | ManagementAndGeneralAmt |
| Fundraising | $16,700 | FundraisingAmt |
Payroll Taxes PayrollTaxesGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $41,336 | TotalAmt |
| Program Services | $28,083 | ProgramServicesAmt |
| Management And General | $10,992 | ManagementAndGeneralAmt |
| Fundraising | $2,261 | FundraisingAmt |
Fees For Services Accounting FeesForServicesAccountingGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $28,250 | TotalAmt |
| Management And General | $28,250 | ManagementAndGeneralAmt |
Fees For Services Other FeesForServicesOtherGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $535,640 | TotalAmt |
| Program Services | $479,485 | ProgramServicesAmt |
| Management And General | $41,555 | ManagementAndGeneralAmt |
| Fundraising | $14,600 | FundraisingAmt |
Office Expenses OfficeExpensesGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $49,836 | TotalAmt |
| Program Services | $12,874 | ProgramServicesAmt |
| Management And General | $29,188 | ManagementAndGeneralAmt |
| Fundraising | $7,774 | FundraisingAmt |
Travel TravelGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $53,543 | TotalAmt |
| Program Services | $33,393 | ProgramServicesAmt |
| Management And General | $18,728 | ManagementAndGeneralAmt |
| Fundraising | $1,422 | FundraisingAmt |
Conferences Meetings ConferencesMeetingsGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $2,299 | TotalAmt |
| Management And General | $2,299 | ManagementAndGeneralAmt |
Insurance InsuranceGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $12,158 | TotalAmt |
| Management And General | $12,158 | ManagementAndGeneralAmt |
Total Functional Expenses TotalFunctionalExpensesGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $1,207,992 | TotalAmt |
| Program Services | $907,368 | ProgramServicesAmt |
| Management And General | $246,101 | ManagementAndGeneralAmt |
| Fundraising | $54,523 | FundraisingAmt |
Cash Non Interest Bearing CashNonInterestBearingGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $102,770 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $76,676 | EOYAmt |
Savings And Temp Cash Invst SavingsAndTempCashInvstGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $17,687 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $3,670 | EOYAmt |
Pledges And Grants Receivable PledgesAndGrantsReceivableGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $60,000 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $52,500 | EOYAmt |
Accounts Receivable AccountsReceivableGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $8,469 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $8,701 | EOYAmt |
Total Assets TotalAssetsGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $188,926 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $141,547 | EOYAmt |
Accounts Payable Accr Expnss AccountsPayableAccrExpnssGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $56,256 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $70,411 | EOYAmt |
Deferred Revenue DeferredRevenueGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $17,391 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $17,798 | EOYAmt |
Unsecured Notes Loans Payable UnsecuredNotesLoansPayableGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| EOY | $45,000 | EOYAmt |
Total Liabilities TotalLiabilitiesGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $73,647 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $133,209 | EOYAmt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Organization Follows SFAS117 | Yes (X) | OrganizationFollowsSFAS117Ind |
Unrestricted Net Assets UnrestrictedNetAssetsGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | -$54,147 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | -$168,007 | EOYAmt |
Temporarily Rstr Net Assets TemporarilyRstrNetAssetsGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $169,426 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $176,345 | EOYAmt |
Total Net Assets Fund Balance TotalNetAssetsFundBalanceGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $115,279 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $8,338 | EOYAmt |
Tot Liab Net Assets Fund Balance TotLiabNetAssetsFundBalanceGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| BOY | $188,926 | BOYAmt |
| EOY | $141,547 | EOYAmt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Reconcilation Revenue Expnss | -$106,941 | ReconcilationRevenueExpnssAmt |
| Other Changes In Net Assets | $0 | OtherChangesInNetAssetsAmt |
| Info In Schedule O Part XII | Yes (X) | InfoInScheduleOPartXIIInd |
| Method Of Accounting Accrual | Yes (X) | MethodOfAccountingAccrualInd |
| Accountant Compile Or Review | 0 | AccountantCompileOrReviewInd |
| FS Audited | Yes (1) | FSAuditedInd |
FS Audited Basis FSAuditedBasisGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Separate Basis Fincl Stmt | Yes (X) | SeparateBasisFinclStmtInd |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Audit Committee | 0 | AuditCommitteeInd |
| Federal Grant Audit Required | 0 | FederalGrantAuditRequiredInd |
Schedule A IRS990ScheduleA
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Public Organization170 | Yes (X) | PublicOrganization170Ind |
Gifts Grants Contri Rcvd170 GiftsGrantsContriRcvd170Grp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Current Tax Year Minus4 Years | $688,331 | CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus3 Years | $738,848 | CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus2 Years | $806,648 | CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus1 Year | $639,205 | CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt |
| Current Tax Year | $1,004,498 | CurrentTaxYearAmt |
| Total | $3,877,530 | TotalAmt |
Total Calendar Year170 TotalCalendarYear170Grp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Current Tax Year Minus4 Years | $688,331 | CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus3 Years | $738,848 | CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus2 Years | $806,648 | CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus1 Year | $639,205 | CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt |
| Current Tax Year | $1,004,498 | CurrentTaxYearAmt |
| Total | $3,877,530 | TotalAmt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Substantial Contributors Tot | $1,388,107 | SubstantialContributorsTotAmt |
| Public Support Total170 | $2,489,423 | PublicSupportTotal170Amt |
Gross Investment Income170 GrossInvestmentIncome170Grp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Current Tax Year Minus4 Years | $1,271 | CurrentTaxYearMinus4YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus3 Years | $1,428 | CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus2 Years | $1,359 | CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus1 Year | $357 | CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt |
| Current Tax Year | $23 | CurrentTaxYearAmt |
| Total | $4,438 | TotalAmt |
Other Income170 OtherIncome170Grp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Current Tax Year Minus3 Years | $1,048 | CurrentTaxYearMinus3YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus2 Years | $1,500 | CurrentTaxYearMinus2YearsAmt |
| Current Tax Year Minus1 Year | $2,533 | CurrentTaxYearMinus1YearAmt |
| Current Tax Year | $2,980 | CurrentTaxYearAmt |
| Total | $8,061 | TotalAmt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Support | $3,890,029 | TotalSupportAmt |
| Gross Receipts Rltd Activities | $356,588 | GrossReceiptsRltdActivitiesAmt |
| Public Support CY170 | 0.63990 | PublicSupportCY170Pct |
| Public Support PY170 | 0.61700 | PublicSupportPY170Pct |
| Thirty Thr Pct Suprt Tests CY170 | Yes (X) | ThirtyThrPctSuprtTestsCY170Ind |
Schedule B IRS990ScheduleB
Schedule D IRS990ScheduleD
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Book Value Land Buildings | $0 | TotalBookValueLandBuildingsAmt |
| Footnote Text | Yes (X) | FootnoteTextInd |
| Total Rev Etc Audited Fincl Stmt | $1,125,455 | TotalRevEtcAuditedFinclStmtAmt |
| Other Revenue | $24,404 | OtherRevenueAmt |
| Revenue Not Reported | $24,404 | RevenueNotReportedAmt |
| Revenue Subtotal | $1,101,051 | RevenueSubtotalAmt |
| Revenue Not Reported Fincl Stmt | $0 | RevenueNotReportedFinclStmtAmt |
| Total Revenue Per Form990 | $1,101,051 | TotalRevenuePerForm990Amt |
| Tot Expns Etc Audited Fincl Stmt | $1,232,396 | TotExpnsEtcAuditedFinclStmtAmt |
| Other Expenses Included | $24,404 | OtherExpensesIncludedAmt |
| Expenses Not Reported | $24,404 | ExpensesNotReportedAmt |
| Expenses Subtotal | $1,207,992 | ExpensesSubtotalAmt |
| Expenses Not Rpt Fincl Stmt | $0 | ExpensesNotRptFinclStmtAmt |
| Total Expenses Per Form990 | $1,207,992 | TotalExpensesPerForm990Amt |
Supplemental Information Detail SupplementalInformationDetail (3 entries)
| Form And Line ReferenceFormAndLineReferenceDesc | ExplanationExplanationTxt |
|---|---|
| PART X, LINE 2: | MANAGEMENT OF FERN HAS DETERMINED THAT THERE ARE NO MATERIAL UNCERTAIN TAX POSITIONS THAT REQUIRE RECOGNITION OR DISCLOSURE IN THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. FERN'S TAX RETURNS FOR ALL YEARS SINCE 2015 REMAIN OPEN TO EXAMINATION BY THE APPLICABLE TAXING AUTHORITIES. THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO EXAMINATIONS IN PROGRESS. |
| PART XI, LINE 2D - OTHER ADJUSTMENTS: | DIRECT FUNDRAISING EXPENSES REPORTED ON FORM 990, PART VIII, LINE 8B 24,404. |
| PART XII, LINE 2D - OTHER ADJUSTMENTS: | DIRECT FUNDRAISING EXPENSES REPORTED ON FORM 990, PART VIII, LINE 8B 24,404. |
Schedule G IRS990ScheduleG
Fundraising Event Information FundraisingEventInformationGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Event1 | DC DINNER | Event1Nm |
| Gross Receipts Event1 | $13,500 | GrossReceiptsEvent1Amt |
| Charitable Contri Event1 | $12,350 | CharitableContriEvent1Amt |
| Gross Revenue Event1 | $1,150 | GrossRevenueEvent1Amt |
| Food And Beverage Event1 | $1,625 | FoodAndBeverageEvent1Amt |
| Other Direct Expenses Event1 | $1,868 | OtherDirectExpensesEvent1Amt |
| Event2 | NY FERN TALKS & EATS | Event2Nm |
| Gross Receipts Event2 | $20,741 | GrossReceiptsEvent2Amt |
| Charitable Contri Event2 | $11,214 | CharitableContriEvent2Amt |
| Gross Revenue Event2 | $9,527 | GrossRevenueEvent2Amt |
| Rent Facility Costs Event2 | $5,000 | RentFacilityCostsEvent2Amt |
| Food And Beverage Event2 | $9,050 | FoodAndBeverageEvent2Amt |
| Other Direct Expenses Event2 | $6,861 | OtherDirectExpensesEvent2Amt |
| Gross Receipts Total | $34,241 | GrossReceiptsTotalAmt |
| Charitable Contributions Tot | $23,564 | CharitableContributionsTotAmt |
| Gross Revenue Total Events | $10,677 | GrossRevenueTotalEventsAmt |
| Rent Fclty Costs Total Events | $5,000 | RentFcltyCostsTotalEventsAmt |
| Food And Beverage Total Events | $10,675 | FoodAndBeverageTotalEventsAmt |
| Oth Direct Expnss Total Events | $8,729 | OthDirectExpnssTotalEventsAmt |
| Direct Expense Summary Events | $24,404 | DirectExpenseSummaryEventsAmt |
| Net Income Summary | -$13,727 | NetIncomeSummaryAmt |
Schedule M IRS990ScheduleM
Securities Publicly Traded SecuritiesPubliclyTradedGrp
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Non Cash Checkbox | Yes (X) | NonCashCheckboxInd |
| Contribution | 3 | ContributionCnt |
| Noncash Contributions Rpt F990 | $30,203 | NoncashContributionsRptF990Amt |
| Method Of Determining Revenues | AVG. SELLING PRICE | MethodOfDeterminingRevenuesTxt |
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Form8283 Received | 0 | Form8283ReceivedCnt |
| Any Property That Must Be Held | 0 | AnyPropertyThatMustBeHeldInd |
| Review Process Unusual NC Gifts | 0 | ReviewProcessUnusualNCGiftsInd |
| Third Parties Used | 0 | ThirdPartiesUsedInd |
Supplemental Information Detail SupplementalInformationDetail
| Field | Value | IRS element (for citing) |
|---|---|---|
| Form And Line Reference | PART I, COLUMN (B): | FormAndLineReferenceDesc |
| Explanation | THE ORGANIZATION IS REPORTING THE NUMBER OF CONTRIBUTORS IN COLUMN(B). | ExplanationTxt |
Schedule O IRS990ScheduleO
Supplemental Information Detail SupplementalInformationDetail (10 entries)
| Form And Line ReferenceFormAndLineReferenceDesc | ExplanationExplanationTxt |
|---|---|
| FORM 990, PART III, LINE 1: | THE FOOD & ENVIRONMENT REPORTING NETWORK (FERN) IS THE FIRST AND ONLY INDEPENDENT, NONPROFIT NEWS ORGANIZATION THAT PRODUCES AWARD-WINNING INVESTIGATIVE AND EXPLANATORY REPORTING ON FOOD, AGRICULTURE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH REGIONAL AND NATIONAL MEDIA OUTLETS. THROUGH IMPARTIAL, FACT-BASED JOURNALISM, FERN EXPLORES THE FULL IMPACT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT. WITHIN THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SPACE, WE SHINE A LIGHT ON INJUSTICES AND ABUSES OF POWER, BOTH CORPORATE AND GOVERNMENTAL, AND ACT AS A BULWARK AGAINST THE GROWING SUPPRESSION OF SCIENCE WITHIN GOVERNMENT. WE UNCOVER AND EXPLAIN NEWS THAT IS CRITICAL TO THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT FOOD, AGRICULTURE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. FERN PRIMARILY PRODUCES NEWS ARTICLES OF BETWEEN 1,500 AND 5,000 WORDS, AND FUNCTIONS AS A FULL-SERVICE NEWS ORGANIZATION. FERN'S PROCESS INCLUDES STORY AND PITCH DEVELOPMENT, CONTRACTING WITH JOURNALISTS, PROVIDING EDITORIAL SUPPORT AND SERVICES AND NEGOTIATING DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENTS WITH MAINSTREAM PUBLICATIONS. FERN COMPLEMENTS ITS WRITTEN REPORTS WITH INFOGRAPHICS AND OTHER VISUALIZATIONS, WITH SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY, THROUGH RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCAST COLLABORATIONS, AND THROUGH LIVE EVENTS. FERN RIGOROUSLY TRACKS THE IMPACT OF ITS STORIES USING A RANGE OF METRICS. THE ISSUES FERN COVERS ARE AT THE HEART OF TODAY'S POLITICAL BATTLES. TRADE, IMMIGRATION, PUBLIC HEALTH, TOXIC CHEMICALS, LABOR, NUTRITION AND WATER QUALITY, ALL FALL WITHIN OUR REPORTING MANDATE AND GROW MORE CONTENTIOUS WITH EACH PASSING DAY. FERN PROVIDES THE EDITORIAL EXPERTISE TO EXPLORE, EXPLAIN AND INVESTIGATE ALL CORNERS OF THE FOOD SYSTEM AS WELL AS TO FILL GAPS IN COVERAGE THAT HAVE ARISEN DUE TO THE ONGOING AND ACCELERATING DISRUPTION OF THE TRADITIONAL MEDIA BUSINESS MODEL. FERN EXPANDS PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF THESE CRUCIAL ISSUES AT A TIME WHEN TRUSTED SOURCES OF FACTS ARE ESSENTIAL. FERN STORIES HAVE APPEARED IN A WIDE RANGE OF OUTLETS, INCLUDING ABC'S WORLD NEWS TONIGHT, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE NEW YORKER, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, EATING WELL, MOTHER JONES, PACIFIC STANDARD, HARPER'S, THE NEW FOOD ECONOMY, THE NATION, FAST COMPANY, REVEAL, THE GUARDIAN, SUNSET MAGAZINE, PRI'S THE WORLD, NPR'S LATINO USA, CALIFORNIA SUNDAY, AND VOGUE. WE HAVE REPEATEDLY DEMONSTRATED AN ABILITY TO DELIVER HIGH-IMPACT JOURNALISM THAT REACHES A LARGE AUDIENCE. IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, SEVERAL OF OUR STORIES HAVE HELPED SPUR POLICY CHANGES AT THE INTERNATIONAL, NATIONAL, AND STATE LEVELS. OUR COLLABORATIVE DISTRIBUTION MODEL GIVES US THE RARE ABILITY TO REACH AUDIENCES THAT ARE NOT ALREADY EXPOSED TO, OR FAMILIAR WITH, THE ISSUES BOUND UP IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURE. OUR CAPACITY TO DELIVER SUCH RESULTS IS SIGNIFICANT AT A TIME WHEN THE PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY IS FOCUSED ON THE SOCIAL RETURN ON ITS INVESTMENTS AND IMPACT. FERN MAINTAINS THAT SUPPORT OF CIVIC COMMUNICATION PARTICULARLY THE STYLE OF INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM WE PRACTICE IS CRITICAL IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A FUNCTIONING DEMOCRACY AND IS A GROWING OBLIGATION OF THE PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY. INDEED, INDEPENDENT REPORTING FROM A TRUSTED SOURCE CAN HAVE AN OUTSIZED EFFECT ON PUBLIC-POLICY DEBATES. WE'VE SHOWN THE POWER OF TAKING THOSE ISSUES AND THE FACTS AND SCIENCE TIED UP WITHIN THEM AND WRAPPING THEM IN CAPTIVATING STORYTELLING. A 501(C)3 NONPROFIT CORPORATION BASED IN NEW YORK AND OPERATING SINCE 2011, FERN HAS WORKED WITH 61 FREELANCE WRITERS ON OVER 151 STORIES THAT HAVE APPEARED IN 61 OUTLETS. FERN IS A MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT NEWS, THE PRIMARY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION FOR NONPROFIT NEWS ORGANIZATIONS, AND HAS BUILT KEY PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER NONPROFIT NEWS OUTLETS LIKE THE INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM, THE PULITZER CENTER FOR CRISIS REPORTING AND PUBLIC RADIO INTERNATIONAL. WE SHARE THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF ALL INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS: TO EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS TO ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE AT THE CORPORATE AND GOVERNMENTAL LEVEL. IN AGGREGATE, OUR STORIES HAVE REACHED OVER 150 MILLION AMERICANS. WE ALSO PRODUCE FERN'S AG INSIDER, A DAILY FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY PAID SUBSCRIPTION NEWS SERVICE AND HAVE RELEASED THREE PRINT COLLECTIONS, THE DIRT: DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINES OF FOOD AND FARMING 2011-2016, AN ANTHOLOGY OF OUR FIRST FIVE YEARS OF REPORTING, THE DIRT 2017 AND THE DIRT 2018. |
| FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4A CONTINUATION: | IN 2018, WE PRODUCED 35 STORIES ON SUBJECTS RANGING FROM THE EFFECTS OF EXTREME DROUGHT ON FARMERS IN CENTRAL AMERICA'S DRY CORRIDOR IN "'EVERY DAY YOU BECOME MORE DESPERATE'," TO THE END OF THE VAQUITA A SMALL PORPOISE FOUND ONLY IN MEXICO'S GULF OF CALIFORNIA. WE ADDED SEVERAL IMPORTANT NEW PARTNERS, INCLUDING THE WORLDPOST, EATER, ADIRONDACK LIFE, EDIBLE BROOKLYN, ARKANSAS LIFE, NET (NEBRASKA PUBLIC RADIO), THE NEW FOOD ECONOMY, AND REVEAL. FERN'S REPORTING GARNERED SEVERAL AWARDS IN 2018. WE WON OUR THIRD JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARD FOR "TERROR IN THE HEARTLAND," A FERN STORY REPORTED BY TED GENOWAYS AND PUBLISHED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW REPUBLIC WHICH WON THE JOURNALISM AWARD IN "INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING." THIS STORY UNCOVERED DETAILS OF HOW AN ELECTION-NIGHT PLOT TO MASSACRE MUSLIM REFUGEES IN A KANSAS MEATPACKING TOWN WAS THWARTED. IN 2018, FERN'S SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE CONTINUED TO EXPAND ITS REACH AND INFLUENCE. WE ARE ACTIVE ON THREE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM. OUR AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EDITOR SUPERVISES ACTIVITY ON THESE PLATFORMS, INCLUDING THE JUDICIOUS USE OF PAID PROMOTION (A.K.A. "BOOSTS") IN ORDER TO REACH BEYOND OUR FOLLOWERS (AND IN THE CASE OF FACEBOOK, TO REACH A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF OUR FOLLOWERS). WE ALSO WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR PUBLICATION PARTNERS' SOCIAL MEDIA STAFF, WHO HELP PROMOTE OUR COLLABORATIONS AS WELL AS "TAGGING" US WITHIN THE INDIVIDUAL PLATFORMS IN WHICH THEY OPERATE. OUR SOCIAL AUDIENCE IS APPROXIMATELY 43,000 USERS AND TOTAL IMPRESSIONS IN 2018 FOR OUR POSTS AND TWEETS WAS APPROXIMATELY 4.4 MILLION PER YEAR. THOUGH THE PAST YEAR SAW MODEST GROWTH IN OUR TOTAL NUMBER OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS, WE DID SEE VERY LARGE GROWTH IN OUR POST AND TWEET IMPRESSIONS, AS WELL AS POST/TWEET ENGAGEMENTS. OUR 2018 SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS SHOWED AN INCREASE OF 27%. WE SAW THE SAME TREND WITH OUR COMBINED SOCIAL MEDIA POST/TWEET ENGAGEMENTS WHICH REGISTERED A 62% INCREASE. RECENTLY, THE NEED FOR SPENDING MONEY TO INCREASE FOLLOWERS HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE IMPORTANCE OF BOOSTING SPECIFIC CONTENT IN ORDER TO BUILD A LOYAL AND ENGAGED AUDIENCE AND THAT DEVELOPMENT GUIDED OUR SOCIAL MEDIA INVESTMENTS. AND THOUGH WE WERE PLEASED WITH THE INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF IMPRESSIONS WE SAW FROM 2017 TO 2018, IT IS THAT 62% INCREASE IN ENGAGEMENT FROM 2017 TO 2018 THAT HOLDS THE MOST WEIGHT FOR US IN TERMS OF A SOLID SOCIAL MEDIA GROWTH FOR FERN OVER THE PAST YEAR. OUR WEBSITE, WHILE NOT DESIGNED TO BE A DESTINATION SITE OUR EXPECTATION IS THAT OUR WORK FINDS ITS AUDIENCE THROUGH OUR PUBLICATION PARTNERS, REACHES 143,000 UNIQUE USERS A YEAR WITH NEARLY 500,000 PAGE VIEWS ANNUALLY. WE HAVE AN EMAIL NEWSLETTER AUDIENCE OF JUST OVER 10,000 PEOPLE. FOR EARNED MEDIA THROUGHOUT 2018, FERN HAS BUILT AN IMPRESSIVE LIST, BOTH FOR OUR STORIES AND FOR AWARENESS OF THE ORGANIZATION ITSELF. OUR STORIES AND REPORTERS HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN INTERVIEWS WITH HARVEST PUBLIC MEDIA, PRI'S LIVING ON EARTH, KCRW'S GOOD FOOD, THE FARM SHOW, HERITAGE RADIO NETWORK, NORTH DAKOTA PUBLIC RADIO, WNYC'S THE TAKEAWAY, AND MORE. FERN STORIES HAVE BEEN MENTIONED BY POPULAR SITES SUCH AS SALON, SCIENCE FRIDAY, THE DAILY CLIMATE, AND YAHOO. INFLUENTIAL GROUPS LIKE UC FOOD OBSERVER, MOTHER JONES FOOD, SLOW FOOD DC, BERKELEY FOOD INSTITUTE, LA FOOD POLICY COUNCIL, CAROLINA FARM STEWARDSHIP ASSOCIATION, CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF FOOD BANKS, NOFA-NY AND FOOD TANK HAVE BEEN VOCAL ABOUT FERN'S WORK. AND INFLUENCERS SUCH AS MARION NESTLE, MARK BITTMAN, MICHAEL POLLAN, AND TOM COLICCHIO CONTINUE TO BOOST FERN'S PROFILE VIA THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA AND PERSONAL BLOGS. AND OUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WAS PART OF A PANEL ON MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS AT THE 2018 IRE CONFERENCE (INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS). IN ADDITION, FERN HAS HAD TWO SESSIONS SELECTED FOR SXSW 2019, ONE ON RURAL REPORTING AND THE OTHER ON THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABILITY AT LARGE FOOD COMPANIES. WE CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN AND SUPPORT FERN'S FRIDAY FEED NEWSLETTER, A.K.A. THE #FFF, A WEEKLY SURVEY OF THE STORIES IN OUR AREAS OF INTEREST THAT HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED BY OTHER OUTLETS. SOME SELECTIONS ARE AT THE TOP OF THE NEWS WHILE OTHERS ARE PRESCIENT OR IN-DEPTH FEATURES THAT WE THINK OUR READERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT. WE SEND THIS NEWSLETTER WEEKLY TO A SUBSCRIBER BASE OF 7,300 AS A WAY TO ENHANCE ENGAGEMENT WITH AN AUDIENCE THAT IS MOSTLY DISTINCT FROM OUR SOCIAL-MEDIA AUDIENCE. THIS INITIATIVE IS DESIGNED TO ESTABLISH FERN AS A SOURCE FOR CURATION AND GUIDANCE IN NAVIGATING FOOD MEDIA, AND NOT ONLY A PRODUCER OF ORIGINAL JOURNALISM. THIS ADDED TOUCH OF ENGAGEMENT HAS ALSO HELPED US TO HONE IN ON WHICH TOPICS RESONATE MOST WITH OUR AUDIENCE. WE CONTINUED TO EXPAND OUR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY NEWS SERVICE, FERN'S AG INSIDER. FOR A SMALL ANNUAL FEE, SUBSCRIBERS GAIN ACCESS TO REPORTING, INCLUDING A FULL ARCHIVE ON OUR WEBSITE, WITH A SUBJECT-TAG ORGANIZATION. THE EMAIL NEWSLETTER, NOW INCLUDING ONLY SUMMARIES OF THE FULL STORIES, REMAINS FREE. WE HAVE A MODEST BUT GROWING NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE SUBSCRIBERS AND A GROWING NUMBER OF ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONAL SUBSCRIBERS, INCLUDING STANFORD UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL, TUFTS, YALE, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY. IN ADDITION, AGRICULTURE.COM (ONE OF THE FOREMOST NEWS OUTLETS FOR COMMODITY FARMERS), SUCCESSFUL FARMER MAGAZINE, NPR'S THE SALT AND MOTHER JONES CURRENTLY SYNDICATE SELECTED AG INSIDER ARTICLES. WE SEE FERN'S AG INSIDER, PARTICULARLY INSTITUTIONAL AND CORPORATE SALES, AS A SIGNIFICANT AREA FOR EARNED REVENUE GROWTH. AT THE END OF THE YEAR, WE PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED OUR THIRD PRINT COLLECTION, THE DIRT 2018 A SELECTION OF OUR FAVORITE STORIES FROM THE PAST YEAR. OUR RANGE OF IMPACT IS RISING. WE CONTINUE TO EMPHASIZE A VARIETY OF PARTNERS AND AUDIENCES. SOME ARE SMALL BUT HIGHLY FOCUSED, SUCH AS ENSIA, WHICH CATERS TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLICYMAKERS, ADVOCATES AND MEDIA, OR ARKANSAS LIFE, A REGIONAL LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE. OTHERS ARE BROAD AND MAINSTREAM, LIKE EATINGWELL, THE WASHINGTON POST AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. WE SUCCEEDED IN ALERTING MILLIONS OF "NEW TO THE ISSUES" READERS AND PRIMING THEM FOR REFORM. "BUILDING A BACKUP BEE", BY PAIGE EMBRY, TELLS THE STORY OF HOW THE WONDERFUL COMPANY, THE WORLD'S LARGEST PRODUCER OF ALMONDS, HIRED A SCIENTIST TO CULTIVATE THE BLUE ORCHARD BEEAT SCALE AND AT A PRICE THAT MADE SENSEAS SUBSTITUTE POLLINATOR FOR THE EMBATTLED HONEYBEE. IT WAS OUR SECOND STORY WITH SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, AND THE FIRST TO MAKE THE CUT FOR THE PRINT MAGAZINE. EMBRY'S PIECE BEGAN AS ONLINE ONLY, BUT BY THE TIME WE DELIVERED THE FIRST DRAFTAS WELL AS SOME AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAY DUNNTHE EDITORS AT SCIAM DECIDED IT WAS WORTH ELEVATING TO THE MAGAZINE. AS SUCH, THE STORY REPRESENTS THE BEST OF WHAT FERN BRINGS TO THE TABLE FOR OUR PARTNERS: FUNDING, OF COURSE, BUT ALSO SHREWD EDITORIAL JUDGMENT, SHARP EDITING, AND THE ABILITY TO DELIVER FIRST-RATE ANCILLARY ELEMENTS, SUCH AS PHOTOS AND INFOGRAPHICS. "WAS YOUR SEAFOOD CAUGHT WITH SLAVE LABOR? NEW TOOL TRIES TO HELP RETAILERS." CLARE LESCHIN-HOAR EXPLAINS HOW A NEW DATABASE, DEVELOPED BY THE MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM'S SEAFOOD WATCH PROGRAM, OFFERS RETAILERS SUCH AS WALMART, KROGER, AND RED LOBSTER A WAY TO DETERMINE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THE FISH THEY'RE BUYING WAS CAUGHT WITH SLAVE LABOR. THE PIECE WAS PUBLISHED WITH NPR'S THE SALT, AND CLARE WAS INTERVIEWED ON ALL THINGS CONSIDERED THE SAME DAY. OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SALT ALLOWED THE STORY TO BE REPUBLISHED ON SEVERAL OF NPR'S AFFILIATES' WEBSITES, INCLUDING WBUR, NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC RADIO, WYOMING PUBLIC RADIO, DELAWARE PUBLIC MEDIA, MAINE PUBLIC RADIO, LAKESHORE PUBLIC MEDIA, INDIANA PUBLIC MEDIA, AND OTHERS. "A SLOW-MOTION CATASTROPHE THREATENS 350-YEAR-OLD FARMS" BY VIRGINIA GEWIN, WAS PUBLISHED WITH THE ATLANTIC. VIRGINIA WAS ON WNYC'S THE TAKEAWAY TALKING ABOUT THE STORY. THE STORY WAS ALSO FEATURED ON AGFUNDERNEWS' BLOG. AGFUNDERNEWS IS AN INDUSTRY NEWS SITE AT THE INTERSECTION OF FOOD & AGRICULTURE, TECHNOLOGY AND INVESTMENT. "CAN AGRICULTURE AND WILDLIFE CO-EXIST? RICE FARMERS THINK SO." BY LISA MOREHOUSE, WAS PUBLISHED WITH KQED'S CALIFORNIA REPORT. ON SOCIAL MEDIA, OUR LINK TO THE STORY REACHED NEARLY 10,000 PEOPLE. THE STORY WAS TWEETED BY THE CA RICE COMMISSION, CALIFORNIA TROUT, AND SOCIETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS (SEJ), ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND, AND KALW (SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RADIO). IT WAS ALSO SHARED ON FACEBOOK BY ROOTS OF CHANGE (NONPROFIT BASED IN OAKLAND, CALIF.). LISA WAS ON WBUR'S HERE AND NOW TALKING ABOUT THE STORY. "IS BPA MAKING US FAT, ANXIOUS AND SICK? A NEW EFFORT TO FIND THE ANSWER MAY BE BREAKING DOWN," BY LINDSEY KONKEL SHOWED HOW THE FDA IS APPARENTLY TRYING TO WHITEWASH THE RESULTS OF A YEARS-LONG EFFORT TO PINPOINT THE BEST WAYS TO MEASURE TOXICITY OF MAN-MADE CHEMICALS. OUR PARTNER ON THIS WAS HUFFPOST, AND THE PIECE GOT 122,000 PAGE VIEWS IN THE FIRST THREE DAYS. |
| FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4A CONTINUATION: | HUFFPOST'S SOCIAL EFFORTS FOR THIS STORY DRAMATICALLY HELPED WITH THE SOCIAL REACH. NOT ONLY DID THEY SHARE THE STORY FROM THEIR GENERAL HUFFPOST TWITTER ACCOUNT (11.4 MILLION FOLLOWERS), BUT THEY ALSO SHARED IT FROM THE HUFFPOST POLITICS TWITTER ACCOUNT (1.43 MILLION FOLLOWERS). AND ON FACEBOOK, THEY SHARED IT FROM THEIR HUFFPOST POLITICS PAGE (OVER 2.1 MILLION FOLLOWERS). WHEN COMBINED, THOSE THREE ACCOUNTS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REACH ABOUT 15 MILLION SOCIAL MEDIA USERS. NOTE THAT HUFFPOST ALSO TAGGED FERN IN ALL OF THESE SHARES. SO NOT ONLY DID THEY HELP SPREAD THE WORD ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT THE STORY, BUT THEY LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT FERN WAS BEHIND THE STORY. WE ALSO HAD A NUMBER OF STORIES FOCUSED ON OR DISTRIBUTED TO RURAL AUDIENCES WITHIN THE PAST YEAR. "THE JAMN WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA" BY MARYN MCKENNA WHICH LOOKED AT FARMERS IN GEORGIA DISCOVERING THE BENEFITS OF HERITAGE BREEDS (IN THIS CASE A TYPE OF HOG THAT TYPICALLY ONLY THRIVES IN SPAIN), WAS PUBLISHED WITH EATER. ON SOCIAL MEDIA, EATER'S LINK TO THE STORY HAD OVER 206,000 SOCIAL SHARES. EATER'S COMBINED SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIENCE FOR TWITTER AND FACEBOOK IS OVER 2.5 MILLION. "DRINKING PROBLEMS," BY ELIZABETH ROYTE, WAS A CLASSIC FERN STORY, A "LETTER FROM PRETTY PRAIRIE, KANSAS"PUBLISHED WITH HARPER'STHAT EXPLAINED WHY THIS TINY FARMING COMMUNITY HAD LIVED FOR DECADES WITH HIGH LEVELS OF NITRATES IN ITS DRINKING WATER. IT OPENED A WINDOW ONTO LIFE IN RURAL AMERICA, AND HOW FARMING STILL HAS EXALTED STATUSEVEN WHEN IT'S FOULING THE TOWN'S WATER SUPPLY. THIS STORY WAS SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY A RANGE OF INFLUENCERS THAT INCLUDE DANIELLE NIERENBERG, MARION NESTLE, AND THE NATIONAL NONPROFIT, PUBLIC JUSTICE. "A DEMOCRAT IN FARM COUNTRY HOPES TO BEAT ONE OF IOWA'S BIGGEST RACISTS," BY BRIAN BARTH, WAS A TIMELY STORY ON FARMER DISCONTENT OVER TRUMP TRADE POLICIES, THROUGH THE LENS OF THE IOWA MIDTERMS. IT EXAMINED A DEMOCRAT WHO WAS VYING IN A PRIMARY TO FACE REP. STEVE KING, PROBABLY THE MOST EXPLICITLY WHITE SUPREMACIST POLITICIAN IN THE HOUSE. IT ILLUSTRATES TWO IMPORTANT THINGS IN TERMS OF FERN'S COVERAGE IN THE TRUMP ERA: FIRST, IT'S A STORY FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY THAT USES FOOD AND AG AS A WAY TO UNDERSTAND POLITICAL AND CULTURAL TRENDS; SECOND, IT WAS A FAIRLY QUICK-TURNAROUND PIECE, SOMETHING THAT OUR ROBUST PARTNERSHIP WITH MOTHER JONES MAKES POSSIBLE. THIS PARTNER HAS A HUGE SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIENCE AT 2.3 MILLION FOLLOWERS (FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM), AND THEIR LINK TO THIS STORY HAD OVER 600 SOCIAL SHARES. THEIR PODCAST, THE BITE, ALSO POINTED TO THE PIECE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. AND UC FOOD OBSERVER INCLUDED THE STORY IN THEIR WEEKLY WRAP. IT WAS PARTICULARLY TIMELY AS THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE, JD SCHOLTEN, WHO WON THE PRIMARY BUT LOST TO KING IN NOVEMBER, NEVERTHELESS OPENED UP A DEBATE THAT CONTINUED POST-ELECTION AS TO WHETHER STEVE KING, AN OPEN WHITE SUPREMACIST, HAS ANY PLACE IN CONGRESS. BY EARLY 2019, KING HAD BEEN STRIPPED OF HIS COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS BY HIS GOP COLLEAGUES AND LEFT AS A VIRTUAL BYSTANDER TO THE WORK OF CONGRESS. IN JUNE 2018, WE RELEASED OUR FIRST EXPLAINER VIDEO. IT WAS AN ANIMATED EXPLORATION OF THE FARM BILL, TIMED PERFECTLY FOR THE DEBATE OVER THE FARM BILL'S RENEWAL, WHICH ONLY OCCURS EVERY FIVE YEARS. WE DISTRIBUTED IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHILE MOTHER JONES AND NPR EMBEDDED IT ON THEIR SITES AS WELL. IN JUST OVER SEVEN MINUTES, WE EXPLAIN WHAT THE FARM BILL IS, WHY IT MATTERS, AND HOW THE COMPROMISES THAT MADE IT WORK FOR DECADES ARE THREATENING TO PULL APART. THE PIECE WAS REPORTED BY BRIDGET HUBER, A REGULAR FERN CONTRIBUTOR, AND OUR DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION, AND ANIMATION TEAM MADE IT AN ESPECIALLY RICH PIECE. IT HAS RECEIVED OVER 15,000 VIEWS (AND COUNTING) AND WAS SHARED WIDELY BY ADVOCATES AND ACTIVISTS. IT WAS PRAISED BY FIGURES ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM, INCLUDING FROM WITHIN USDA ITSELF. THIS EXPLAINER WAS MENTIONED WIDELY ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY INFLUENCERS IN FOOD POLICY SUCH AS MARION NESTLE, MARK BITTMAN, SLOW FOOD DC, BERKELEY FOOD INSTITUTE, LA FOOD POLICY COUNCIL, CAROLINA FARM STEWARDSHIP ASSOCIATION, AND CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF FOOD BANKS. PUBLISHERS WHO SHARED THE VIDEO INCLUDED GRIST, HARVEST PUBLIC MEDIA, NEW FOOD ECONOMY, DAILY YONDER, YES!, UC FOOD OBSERVER, AND MIDWEST CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING. IT ALSO REPRESENTS A PROOF OF CONCEPT, AND IS INTENDED TO BE THE START OF A NEW EDITORIAL SERVICE THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY BRING TO OUR PARTNERSHIPS. AS SUCH, IT WAS AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WE'VE DONE ALL YEAR. "THE ENDING: WATCHING A SPECIES VANISH IN REAL TIME", BY BEN GOLDFARB, IS A GORGEOUS NARRATIVE OF A CONTROVERSIAL BAND OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS WORKED WITH THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT TO TRY TO SAVE THE VAQUITA, A SMALL PORPOISE FOUND ONLY IN THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA THAT IS GOING EXTINCT. THIS WAS THE LATEST IN A BURGEONING PARTNERSHIP WITH PACIFIC STANDARD, A PUBLICATION THAT IS REALLY DOING SOME GREAT JOURNALISM. WE HAD OVER 1.6K SOCIAL SHARES FOR THIS STORY, INCLUDING A TWEET FROM THEIR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WHO STATED, "THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE RECENT FEATURES IN @PACIFICSTAND. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT. AND THANKS, AS ALWAYS, TO THE @FERNNEWS TEAM FOR HELPING MAKE THIS ONE HAPPEN." ON THE WEB, THE PIECE WAS PICKED UP BY SOURCES INCLUDING MINNPOST, MOTHER NATURE NETWORK, AND LONGFORM. "CAN FARMING SAVE PUERTO RICO'S FUTURE?" BY AUDREA LIM, IS THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF ARTICLES FERN IS HELPING TO PRODUCE WITH THE NATION ON PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE. THESE WERE CONCEIVED AS ONLINE-ONLY PIECES, BUT THE EDITORS WERE SO IMPRESSED WITH THIS FIRST ONE THAT THEY INCLUDED IT IN THE PRINT MAGAZINE. THIS STORY WAS SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY INFLUENCERS WHO WORK TOWARD GLOBAL CHANGE IN FOOD SYSTEMS. THESE SHARED INCLUDED FOOD TANK, CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY, AND SIANI (THE SWEDISH INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE NETWORK INITIATIVE). "THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT TO MARKET AND EVERYTHING CHANGED," BY JOHNNY SAIN, IS A FIRSTHAND ACCOUNT, BY A FORMER CONTRACT HOG FARMER FOR CARGILL, OF THE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS THAT CAFOS HAVE HAD ON THE ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT, AND CULTURE OF RURAL ARKANSAS COMMUNITIES. THE FIRST-PERSON NATURE OF THE PIECE IS ATYPICAL FOR FERN STORIES, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF THE ARTICLE'S STRENGTHS. WE WORKED WITH ARKANSAS LIFE, A REGIONAL LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE. WHILE IT LACKED THE REACH OF MANY OF OUR PARTNERS, IT GOT FERN'S WORK INTO RURAL AMERICA IN A WAY THAT MANY OF OUR PARTNERS CANNOT. "HOW'S ORGANIC FARMING FARING IN THE FARM BILL?" BY BARRY YEOMAN, IS AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE FUNDING OF THE ORGANIC MOVEMENT IN THE 2018 FARM BILL DEBATE. LIKE THE VIDEO EXPLAINER LISTED ABOVE, THIS IS PART OF A BROADER EFFORT BY FERN TO DEEPLY COVER THE STORY OF THIS SPRAWLING AND POORLY UNDERSTOOD PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT DETERMINES HOW OUR FOOD IS PRODUCED, AND WHAT HAPPENS TO IT AFTER IT'S PRODUCED. AND LIKE THE STORY WITH ARKANSAS LIFE, WE PARTNERED WITH NEBRASKA PUBLIC BROADCASTING ON THIS PIECE, WHICH AGAIN GETS OUR WORK TO AN IMPORTANT AUDIENCE WE DON'T TYPICALLY REACH. THE STORY WAS ALSO PICKED UP AND SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED WITH THE ISSUES RELATED TO RURAL AMERICA, SUCH AS THE CAROLINA FARM STEWARDSHIP ASSOCIATION (CFSA), WHICH SUPPORTS FARMING THAT IS GOOD FOR CONSUMERS, FOR FARMERS AND FARMWORKERS, AND GOOD FOR THE LAND. A SECOND STORY PUBLISHED WITH NEBRASKA PUBLIC RADIO LOOKED AT PUERTO RICAN FARMERS IN THE AFTERMATH OF MARIA. NOTABLY, WE HAD A MAJOR SUCCESS RECENTLY WHEN JANE BLACK AND LEAH DOUGLAS, IN A FERN COLLABORATION WITH THE WASHINGTON POST, BROKE NEWS ON HOW AN ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR SNAP BENEFITS AT FARMERS MARKETS WAS FLOUNDERING. A KEY VENDOR IN THIS CHAIN OVERSEEN BY THE USDA WAS ABOUT TO EXIT THE BUSINESS, LEAVING 1,700 FARMERS MARKETS NATIONWIDE WITH NO WAY TO PROCESS ELECTRONIC SNAP BENEFITS AND MANY LOW-INCOME RECIPIENTS WITHOUT ACCESS TO FRESH, LOCAL FOOD. AFTER OUR STORY RAN, A NON-PROFIT FUNDER STEPPED INTO THE GAP, HELPING THE PROVIDER CONTINUE IN BUSINESS UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST. POLITICIANS ALSO DEMANDED THAT THE USDA COME UP WITH A NEW SOLUTION TO AVOID SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS. FOURTEEN DEMOCRATIC SENATORS WROTE A LETTER TO THE USDA, ASKING THE DEPARTMENT TO "EXPLORE EVERY POSSIBLE OPTION TO ENSURE THERE IS NO DISRUPTION IN EBT [ELECTRONIC BENEFITS TRANSFER] SERVICE AT FARMERS MARKETS DURING THIS CRITICAL MARKET TIME." NEW YORK GOV. ANDREW CUOMO WROTE A SCATHING LETTER TO THE USDA, AND SEVERAL U.S. REPRESENTATIVES ALSO WEIGHED IN. BUT THIS WAS NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE; MANY CONSERVATIVES SUPPORTED THE PROGRAM AS A MARKET-BASED APPROACH THAT HELPS BOTH FARMERS AND LOW-INCOME CONSUMERS. GOV. CUOMO LATER ANNOUNCED A FUNDING PLAN TO ENSURE MARKETS CAN CONTINUE ACCEPTING SNAP BENEFITS THROUGH THE END OF THE MARKET SEASON. |
| FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4A CONTINUATION: | THE WASHINGTON POST HAS A TOTAL AUDIENCE OF 90.2 MILLION. MODERN FARMER WROTE AN ARTICLE ABOUT OUR STORY AND WHEN WE SHARED THEIR ARTICLE ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, IT PERFORMED NOTICEABLY WELL WITH OUR AUDIENCE. OVERALL, THE STORY WAS SHARED WIDELY ON SOCIAL MEDIA, ESPECIALLY VIA ORGANIZATIONS AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS FOCUSED ON NUTRITION AND ENSURING THAT ALL PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOODS. THIS LIST INCLUDED FAIR FOOD NETWORK, OREGON FOOD BANK, FOOD POLICY ACTION, TUFTS NUTRITION, AND TISCH FOOD CENTER. @WAPOFOOD'S TWEET OF THE STORY REACHED NEARLY 124,000. IN LATE OCTOBER 2018, WE RELEASED TWO STORIES ON THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS AND THEIR IMPACT ON FARM COUNTRY. FROM THE DAIRY FARMS OF PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW YORK TO THE COMMODITY GROWERS IN THE MIDWEST AND THE PRODUCE FIELDS OF CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL VALLEY, THE FARM-COUNTRY VOTE IS VERY MUCH IN PLAY AS THE MIDTERMS APPROACH. WE TOOK A CLOSER LOOK AT A HANDFUL OF CONTESTS THAT WILL DETERMINE WHETHER DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS CAN FLIP THE FARMERS WHO HELPED ELECT DONALD TRUMP. BRIAN BARTH OFFERED A SURVEY OF EIGHT CLOSE RACES IN FARM COUNTRY, HOW THE CANDIDATES' STRATEGIES ARE PLAYING OUT AND WHAT'S AT STAKE WITH TRADE, IMMIGRATION, SNAP, THE FARM BILL, WATER RIGHTS, AND ETHANOL. WE PRODUCED A SHAREABLE INFOGRAPHIC TO GO ALONG WITH THIS STORY. IN ADDITION, LEAH DOUGLAS WENT TO LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, WHERE FIRST-TIME CANDIDATE JESS KING IS WITHIN SINGLE DIGITS OF INCUMBENT REP. LLOYD SMUCKER. KING'S CAMPAIGN, BUILT ON DOOR-TO-DOOR VISITS AND A LOT OF PUBLIC EVENTS, IS WINNING CONVERTS AMONG THE DAIRY FARMERS STRUGGLING WITH LOW PRICES AND A GROWING SENSE THAT THE REPUBLICANS THEY'VE ALWAYS SUPPORTED ARE MORE ABOUT BIG AG THAN SMALL FARMERS. THESE PIECES WERE DISTRIBUTED BY MOTHER JONES AND NEW FOOD ECONOMY. LATE IN THE YEAR, WE PUBLISHED KIMON DE GREEF'S INVESTIGATION OF SEA-CUCUMBER SMUGGLING IN MOROCCO. THIS WAS OUR LATEST "FOOD CRIMES" PIECE WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, AND PROVED TO BE A DIFFICULT AND LENGTHY PROJECT. KIMON, AND PHOTOGRAPHER WILLIAM DANIELS, SPENT MANY MONTHS TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT FIXER TO GET THEM ACCESS TO POOR FISHERMEN WHO ARE AT THE HEART OF THIS SENSITIVE ISSUE. IT WAS AN EXPENSIVE STORY, BUT THE END PRODUCTA POWERFUL STORY ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPLY A GLOBAL BLACK MARKETIS THE KIND OF PIECE THAT FERN WAS CREATED TO PRODUCE. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC HAS 26 MILLION MONTHLY READERS ON THEIR WEBSITE. THEY ALSO HAVE A MASSIVE SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THE STORY HAD EXTRAORDINARY REACH AND APPEAL ON TWITTER. OUR TWEET OF THE PIECE HAD NEARLY 370,000 IMPRESSIONS AND 8,400 ENGAGEMENTS. WE FOLLOWED THAT PIECE UP WITH A CLASSIC DOCUMENT-DRIVEN INVESTIGATION. "SCIENTISTS WARNED THIS WEEDKILLER WOULD DESTROY CROPS. EPA APPROVED IT ANYWAY," FROM LIZA GROSS DETAILED HOW THE EPA IGNORED DECADES OF INDEPENDENT SCIENCE AND EFFECTIVELY TOOK MONSANTO'S WORD THAT ITS NEW VERSION OF DICAMBA WOULD NOT DRIFT OFF TARGET AND DAMAGE NEIGHBORING CROPS. THIS WAS OUR FIRST PIECE WITH REVEAL, A MAJOR NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR INVESTIGATIVE STORIES. A RADIO VERSION WILL BE OUT IN SPRING 2019. THE STORY WAS LINKED TO BY POLITICO IN THEIR MORNING AG BRIEFING. ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THE PIECE WAS SHARED FAR AND WIDE BOTH BY GROUPS FOCUSED ON PESTICIDES/PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES AND PUBLISHERS AND JOURNALISTS INVOLVED WITH INVESTIGATIVE SCIENCE JOURNALISM. SOME EXAMPLES INCLUDE GM WATCH, GMO FREE USA, NATIONAL ORGANIC COALITION, ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY PROJECT, CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK, FOODPRINT, INVESTIGATE MIDWEST, NEW FOOD ECONOMY, AND THE SOCIETY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM. "HOW OAKLAND BECAME A LEADER IN CUTTING SCHOOL FOOD WASTE," BY JONATHAN BLOOM, TOLD THE STORY OF HOW THE HEAD SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT USED COMPOSTING, SHARE TABLES AND DONATIONS TO EFFECTIVELY ELIMINATE FOOD WASTE. THIS WAS A STRONG SOLUTIONS STORY ABOUT A PROBLEM THAT COSTS AMERICAN SCHOOLS $5 MILLION A DAY AND PUBLISHED WITH GRIST. THE STORY WAS FEATURED ON REDDIT AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS BITS (WRITTEN AND MAINTAINED BY LAURA L. BARNES, WHO IS THE SUSTAINABILITY INFORMATION CURATOR AT THE ILLINOIS SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY CENTER). THE PIECE WAS SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN FOOD SECURITY ISSUES, SUCH AS FOODPRINT, FAIR FOOD NETWORK AND SLOW FOOD USA. "THE AIR THEY BREATHE," BY LEAH DOUGLAS, IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A NEWSY PIECE THAT WE PLACED WITH MOTHER JONES, THAT EXPLAINS HOW THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND ITS ALLIES IN CONGRESS EXEMPTED CAFOS FROM AIR-POLLUTION MONITORING. THE STORY WAS RE-PUBLISHED ONLINE BY THE NEW FOOD ECONOMY AND INVESTIGATE MIDWEST. ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THE PIECE WAS SHARED BY FARM FORWARD AND JOHNS HOPKINS CENTER FOR A LIVEABLE FUTURE. LEAH'S TWEET FOR HER STORY GOT NICE ENGAGEMENT FROM FOLKS LIKE ANNA LAPP AND KCRW'S GOOD FOOD. AN INVASIVE, ELUSIVE 20-POUND RODENT THREATENS CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE, IS ANOTHER IN OUR ONGOING RADIO PROJECT WITH LISA MOREHOUSE AND KCRW'S CALIFORNIA REPORT, WHICH HAS 330K LISTENERS IN THE STATE. LIKE SO MANY OF LISA'S STORIES, THIS ONE BLENDS THE ODD WITH THE IMPORTANT, COLORFULLY EXPLAINING HOW THE NUTRIA, A FECUND, VORACIOUS, BEAVER-LIKE RODENT FROM SOUTH AMERICA, IS TEARING UP CROPS, BURROWING INTO FIELDS AND IRRIGATION CANALS, AND GENERALLY MAKING LIFE MISERABLE FOR CENTRAL VALLEY FARMERS. ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THE NUTRIA STORY HAD WIDE REACH AND APPEAL. OUR POST FOR THE STORY RECEIVED REACHED OVER 25,000 AND HAD OVER 3,000 ENGAGEMENTS. OUR INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING PROGRAM CREATED THE FOLLOWING CONTENT AND SERVED THE FOLLOWING AUDIENCES: OUR WORK JANUARY 2018 AN UNLIKELY CLIMATE CRUSADE IN TRUMP COUNTRY WORLDPOST FEBRUARY 2018 WAS YOUR SEAFOOD CAUGHT WITH SLAVE LABOR? NEW TOOL TRIES TO HELP RETAILERS. NPR'S THE SALT FARM FUMES ARE HARMING OUR HEALTH. HERE'S WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT. ENSIA $40 MILLION LATER, A PIONEERING PLAN TO BOOST WILD FISH STOCKS SHOWS LITTLE SUCCESS. NPR'S THE SALT BUILDING A BACKUP BEE SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN IS 'SEED TO TABLE' THE NEXT BIG FOOD TREND? ONE TOP CHEF HOPES SO. THE WASHINGTON POST MARCH 2018 A SLOW-MOTION CATASTROPHE THREATENS 350-YEAR-OLD FARMS THE ATLANTIC APRIL 2018 CAN AGRICULTURE AND WILDLIFE CO-EXIST? RICE FARMERS THINK SO.KQED'S THE CALIFORNIA REPORT THE JAMN WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA EATER HOMES OR GARDENS?NPR'S THE SALT MAY 2018 YOU ARE WHAT YOU EATCOOKING LIGHT SYRIAN SEEDS AND THE FUTURE OF WHEATYALE ENVIRONMENT 360 JUNE 2018 A DEMOCRAT IN FARM COUNTRY HOPES TO FLIP A CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN DISTRICT MOTHER JONES WHAT IS THE FARM BILL AND WHY DOES IT MATTER? THE END OF THE 'PANDA OF THE SEA' PACIFIC STANDARD CAN FARMING SAVE PUERTO RICO'S FUTURE? THE NATION WILL HIGH-TECH INDOOR AGRICULTURE TRANSFORM LOCAL FOOD? EDIBLE BROOKLYN THIS MINE THREATENS AMERICA'S LARGEST WILD SALMON RUN MOTHER JONES JULY 2018 SOME FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS MAY SOON LOSE ACCESS TO FARMERS MARKET BENEFITS THE WASHINGTON POST DRINKING PROBLEMS HARPER'S MAGAZINE TOXIC OVERSIGHT HUFFPOST AUGUST 2018 THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT TO MARKET AND EVERYTHING CHANGED ARKANSAS LIFE HOW'S ORGANIC FARMING FARING IN THE FARM BILL? NET'S ON THE TABLE AFTER A CENTURY'S ABSENCE, A GLIMMER OF POSSIBILITY FOR A NATIVE NEW YORK SALMON ADIRONDACK LIFE SEPTEMBER 2018 INDIA IS AWASH IN PALM OIL, AND HEALTH TAKES A HIT THE NATION A YEAR AFTER HURRICANE MARIA, PUERTO RICO'S FARMERS CLAW BACK NET'S ON THE TABLE OCTOBER 2018 'EVERY DAY YOU BECOME MORE DESPERATE' WEATHER.COM CAN JESS KING FLIP THE FARMERS OF LANCASTER COUNTY? THESE RACES WILL MAKE OR BREAK THE BLUE WAVE IN FARM COUNTRY NOVEMBER 2018 SEA CUCUMBERS ARE BEING EATEN TO DEATH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SCIENTISTS WARNED THIS WEEDKILLER WOULD DESTROY CROPS. EPA APPROVED IT ANYWAY. REVEAL HOW OAKLAND BECAME A LEADER IN CUTTING SCHOOL FOOD WASTE GRIST DECEMBER 2018 AN INVASIVE, ELUSIVE 20-POUND RODENT THREATENS CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURE KQED'S THE CALIFORNIA REPORT IS THE EGG TOAST? THE NEW FOOD ECONOMY THE AIR THEY BREATHE MOTHER JONES |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 11B | THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PRESENTS A DRAFT FORM 990 TO THE CHAIR AND TREASURER OF THE BOARD ELECTRONICALLY, WHO REVIEW AND APPROVE PRIOR TO SUBMISSION TO THE IRS. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 12C | BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS ARE REQUIRED TO DISCLOSE ANY ACTUAL OR POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST WITH THE GOVERNING BOARD. AFTER DISCLOSURE, AN INVESTIGATION IS HELD DURING WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL MUST RECUSE THEMSELVES FROM VOTING ON THE MATTER. IF THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT AN INDIVIDUAL HAS FAILED TO DISCLOSE ANY ACTUAL OR POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST, APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINARY AND CORRECTIVE ACTION WILL BE TAKEN. SUCH MATTERS INVOLVING THE EXISTENCE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST ARE TO BE DOCUMENTED IN THE MINUTES OF THE GOVERNING BOARD. ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, EACH BOARD MEMBER AND OFFICER IS REQUIRED TO SIGN A STATEMENT WHICH AFFIRMS THAT THEY RECEIVED A COPY OF THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 15 | TO DETERMINE COMPENSATION FOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, THE BOARD UTILIZES COMPENSATION DATA FOR EACH POSITION AMONG PEER ORGANIZATIONS. A PROPOSED AMOUNT FOR EACH POSITIION IS THEN APPROVED BY THE BOARD AND RECORDED IN THE MINUTES OF THE GOVERNING BOARD. THE PROCESS WAS LAST CONDUCTED IN 2018. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION C, LINE 19 | THE ORGANIZATION'S FORM 990 AND THE AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENT ARE MADE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION AS REQUIRED UNDER SECTION 6104 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE. IT IS POSTED ON NEW YORK STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL WEBSITE, GUIDESTAR.ORG AND OTHER SIMILAR TYPES OF WEBSITES. IN ADDITION, THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY, ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND BY-LAWS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE UPON WRITTEN REQUEST AT 576 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10036 OR BY CALLING THE ORGANIZATION DIRECTLY AT (646)248-6014. |
| FORM 990, PART IX, LINE 11G | SPECIAL PROJECTS: PROGRAM SERVICE EXPENSES 179,593. MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL EXPENSES 3,100. FUNDRAISING EXPENSES 0. TOTAL EXPENSES 182,693. WRITERS: PROGRAM SERVICE EXPENSES 96,595. MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL EXPENSES 0. FUNDRAISING EXPENSES 0. TOTAL EXPENSES 96,595. EDITORS: PROGRAM SERVICE EXPENSES 54,700. MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL EXPENSES 0. FUNDRAISING EXPENSES 1,750. TOTAL EXPENSES 56,450. DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT: PROGRAM SERVICE EXPENSES 43,379. MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL EXPENSES 18,955. FUNDRAISING EXPENSES 0. TOTAL EXPENSES 62,334. COMMUNICATIONS: PROGRAM SERVICE EXPENSES 45,170. MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL EXPENSES 19,500. FUNDRAISING EXPENSES 7,000. TOTAL EXPENSES 71,670. MULTIMEDIA: PROGRAM SERVICE EXPENSES 35,376. MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL EXPENSES 0. FUNDRAISING EXPENSES 5,850. TOTAL EXPENSES 41,226. PHOTOGRAPHER: PROGRAM SERVICE EXPENSES 24,672. MANAGEMENT AND GENERAL EXPENSES 0. FUNDRAISING EXPENSES 0. TOTAL EXPENSES 24,672. |
| FORM 990, PART XII, LINE 2C: | THE ORGANIZATION HAS A COMMITTEE THAT ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR OVERSIGHT OF THE AUDIT OF ITS FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SELECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANT. THE PROCESS HAS NOT CHANGED FROM THE PRIOR YEAR. |
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