2017-04-25T23:21:19-07:00 2016-12-31 Byeman & Cleary CPAs 412 W Broadway Suite 206 Glendale CA 912041297 990 2016-01-01 571210185 PROCONORG LISTED AS PROCON ORG IN IRS RECORDS PROC 3105871407 233 WILSHIRE BLVD SUITE 200 SANTA MONICA CA 90401 KAMBIZ AKHAVAN CEO 2017-04-25 true DANIEL R MOORE P00293381 8182473223 X 2016 2021-01-29 14:40:06Z KAMBIZ AKHAVAN 233 WILSHIRE BLVD SUITE 200 SANTA MONICA CA 90401 1074035 false false X WWW.PROCON.ORG X 2004 CA PROMOTING CRITICAL THINKING BY PRESENTING THE PROS AND CONS OF CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES. 9 8 9 5 0 874453 1053630 59 20405 0 0 874512 1074035 0 0 684515 597149 2325 31969 194909 184672 879424 784146 -4912 289889 73910 351805 29555 17561 44355 334244 PROMOTING CRITICAL THINKING, EDUCATION, AND INFORMED CITIZENSHIP BY PRESENTING ISSUES IN A STRAIGHTFORWARD, NONPARTISAN PRIMARILY PRO-CON FORMAT. false false 704190 20405 ProCon.org provides nonpartisan research on important policy issues so readers can see both sides of controversial topics, think critically about those issues, and develop or strengthen their own informed opinions. ProCon.org has built and maintains 54 websites dealing with various topics of social interest, which are collectively referred to as the ProCon.org website. The ProCon.org website had more than 27,000,000 unique visitors, over 61,000,000 page views, and over 1,823,000,000 web site hits in 2016. It has been used by more than 8,000 schools in all 50 states and 90 foreign countries. ProCon.org was referenced by the mainstream media over 618 times in 2016 (CNN, BBC, NPR, Forbes, NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post, PBS, Fox News, The Economist etc.). ProCon.org has been referenced by dozens of state governments, federal agencies, and international governments since its inception in July 2004. 704190 true true false false false false false false false false true false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true 9 0 true 9 true false false false false false false false false 0 false false false false false false false false false false X 9 8 true false false false false false false true true false false true true true true true true true true false CA X X MARK HARRIS 6264379020 1605 E ELIZABETH ST PASADENA CA 91104 STEVEN C MARKOFF Chairman 8.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 JADWIGA MARKOFF MD PHD Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 JOHN KURTZ JD Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 STANLEY F SHIMOHARA CPA Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 BRUCE MCNALL Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 MICHELLE M HERZOG Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 JAY RAKOW JD Direc. PAST CEO 40.00 0.00 X X 86636 0 9599 MICHAEL KLEIN Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 PHILIP SMAGARAM LLB Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 KAMBIZ AKHAVAN CEO 55.00 0.00 X 115849 0 7685 ROBERT FRCEK CFO/SECRETARY 2.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 202485 17284 1 false false false 0 1053630 898 1053630 LICENSE FEES 900099 20402 20402 ROYALTIES 900099 3 3 20405 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1074035 20405 0 0 0 0 219769 185222 16147 18400 0 300738 285916 13479 1343 5664 3670 728 1266 32308 30846 1054 408 38670 34850 2328 1492 1281 1281 0 11650 11650 0 2325 2325 0 39761 39761 55936 55936 3804 3651 115 38 0 0 0 3309 3309 0 0 0 0 878 843 26 9 7624 7556 68 COMPUTER AND WEB SITE 25182 25182 PARKING FEES 11746 11394 352 MEALS AND MEETINGS 4924 4730 194 TELEPHONE 3931 3773 119 39 14646 7551 640 6455 784146 704190 47987 31969 45030 330515 0 1496 2033 0 0 0 0 13365 9510 12335 8941 4391 3585 1684 806 0 0 0 0 0 73910 351805 29555 17561 29555 17561 X 21475 328635 22880 5609 44355 334244 73910 351805 289889 X false true X true false X 77362 590535 690362 874453 1052732 3285444 0 0 77362 590535 690362 874453 1052732 3285444 2459613 825831 0 0 0 3285444 0.25140 0.22270 X Current Year Facts and Circumstances: ProCon.org had over 25% of its support from the general public in 2016, an increase of 3% 2015. Procon.org maintains a program for the solicitation of funds from the general public. The ProCon.org website has a section for users to make donations. ProCon.org had 560 unique donors and sponsors in 2016. PROCON.ORG HAS BUILT AND CONTROLS over 55 WEBSITES DEALING WITH VARIOUS TOPICS OF SOCIAL INTEREST, WHICH ARE COLLECTIVELY REFERRED TO AS THE PROCON.ORG WEBSITE.ProCon.org provides nonpartisan research on important policy issues so readers can see both sides of controversial topics, think critically about those issues, and develop or strengthen their own informed opinions. ProCon.org has built and maintains 54 websites dealing with various topics of social interest, which are collectively referred to as the ProCon.org website. The ProCon.org website had more than 27,000,000 unique visitors, over 61,000,000 page views, and over 1,823,000,000 web site hits in 2016. It has been used by more than 8,000 schools in all 50 states and 90 foreign countries. ProCon.org was referenced by the mainstream media over 618 times in 2016 (CNN, BBC, NPR, Forbes, NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post, PBS, Fox News, The Economist etc.). ProCon.org has been referenced by dozens of state governments, federal agencies, and international governments since its inception in July 2004.Highlights for ProCon.org for the year are:Nov. 2016Thanks primarily to our 2016 election website, ProCon.org received 3.9 million visitors in November--an all-time record.Oct. 11, 2016ProCon.org and the historic Santa Monica Pier partnered to launch PRO/CON @ The Pier The Return of Civil Discourse - a nonpartisan discussion series with prominent policy experts and celebrity moderators designed to better inform public discourse on ballot measures and current issues before Election Day. This 4-week series attracted hundreds of attendees and thousands who viewed the debates online.Sep. 29, 2016Kamy Akhavan became the new CEO of ProCon.org.Sep. 22, 2016ProCon.org jointly presented an expert panel discussion on immigration and college affordability titled "Issues Facing Millennials: Listen, Talk, and #JustVote." It took place on Sep. 22, 2016 at the University of Southern California (USC), and was coordinated in conjunction with our partners: the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC, Participant Media, TakePart, USC College Democrats, USC College Republicans, and USA Today College.Aug. 16, 2016We made a new resource for Advanced Placement teachers that ties our content to their coursework by subject. We created this resource at the request of the Talented and Gifted (TAG) magnet school in Dallas, which has been the #1 ranked high school in American for several years according to US News & World Report. The AP materials were presented in person and online to the TAG teachers and to several teachers from the #4 ranked high school in America (Science and Engineering Magnet, also in Dallas). The program was funded by an anonymous Texas donor.July 14, 2016On July 14, 2016, ProCon.org held its first ever VIP salon at the home of Ms. Janet Baszile in Palos Verdes Estates, CA. It was wonderful to connect with so many past, present, and future ProCon.org supporters. We thank Ms. Baszile and the many salon attendees, particularly for their inspired words about our organization's important work. We are grateful that these salon connections will lead to ongoing discussions and actions that forward ProCon.org and help spread our desperately needed public services to millions more people.May 16, 2016ProCon.org was declared a Top-Rated Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits for the 6th year in a row.May 9, 2016Guidestar awarded ProCon.org its highest level of recognition, Platinum, for our "commitment to transparency." Guidestar is the nation's largest charity evaluation organization.Apr. 2016The California Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools (an organization for which we serve on the Steering Committee), made ProCon.org a member of the Advisory Committee to the Los Angeles County Civic Learning Partnership, along with the other partner organizations of the Youth Civic Engagement Collaborative. The Advisory Committee is one of a network of six pilot civic learning partnerships under the auspices of the Power of Democracy Steering Committee, established by California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye.Procon.org continues to expand its outreach to schools. Procon.org functions as a public charity by providing a valuable service to the public, including schools, without the use of any government funding.Apr. 5, 2016ProCon.org conducted a 10-week adult learning course about controversial issues using our pro and con research. The class of 18 seniors met weekly to discuss issues in a structured format. The participants loved the class and the PLATO organization expressed interest in holding the class again. Prior Year Facts and Circumstances: ProCon.org had over 22% of its support from the general public in 2015. Procon.org maintains a program for the solicitation of funds from the general public. The ProCon.org website has a section for users to make donations. ProCon.org had 615 unique donors and sponsors in 2015 an increase of 158% over 2014. PROCON.ORG HAS BUILT AND CONTROLS over 50 WEBSITES DEALING WITH VARIOUS TOPICS OF SOCIAL INTEREST, WHICH ARE COLLECTIVELY REFERRED TO AS THE PROCON.ORG WEBSITE.ProCon.org provides its website as a free public information service. It had over 23,000,000 unique visitors during 2015 and that is a 15% increase over 2014. The website has been cited by various public officials and news services as an unbiased source of information on a wide variety of topics. The website has been cited by educators as a source of information and was used by 7,000 schools in all 50 states. In 2015 ProCon.org was used by 22 Federal and 33 State agencies. The ProCon.org website was also used by 24 international governments since inception in 2004. The use by schools and governmental units provides a valuable public service without using any taxpayer dollars. Highlights for ProCon.org for the year are:Nov. 13, 2015At the invitation of the National Council for the Social Studies, we made a presentation at their annual conference on "Using Election Issues to Teach Civic Participation." The conference was the years largest gathering of social studies teachers in the United States.Oct. 13, 2015Dr. Michelle Herczog, Past President of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and Vice-Chair of the California Instructional Quality Commission, joined the ProCon.org Board of Directors.Sep. 20, 2015We were invited to conduct a 1-hour professional development seminar for high school teachers at the Ronald Reagan Librarys Constitution Day. The seminar was titled "Using the 2016 Presidential Election to Teach Critical Thinking and Civic Engagement."July 29, 2015Our presentation was accepted and we gave a lecture to scholars at the 35th International Conference on Critical Thinking in Berkeley, CA, on the topic "Using Election Issues to Teach Critical Thinking and Civic Participation."July 27, 2015We presented our critical thinking seminar for the 7th consecutive year at UCLA to Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) students attending the Gene Burd Symposium on Politics.June 25, 2015At the invitation of Mikva Challenge, we attended the "New Civics Practitioners Conference" in Chicago on June 25, 2015 and served as a panelist for two sessions called "Elections in Action Making Elections a Dynamic Learning Experience for Youth."Mar. 7, 2015At the invitation of the California Council for the Social Studies, we attended their March 7, 2015 annual conference in Oakland, CA, and jointly presented, with Junior Statesmen of America, a session entitled "Dont Hate. Debate!"Feb. 25, 2015ProCon.org was referenced by the US Department of Labor (DOL) in its Final Rule revising the definition of "spouse" under the Family Medical Leave Act in light of the US Supreme Courts United States v. Windsor decision, which found section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional. The Rule, published in the Federal Register (vol. 80, no. 37), stated that the DOL found it unnecessary to include the status of gay marriage laws in the 50 states on its website because reliable data was already available from ProCon.org.Procon.org continues to expand its outreach to schools. Procon.org functions as a public charity by providing a valuable service to the public, including schools, without the use of any government funding. RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 4391 3585 806 806 1319349 124263 121051 245314 1074035 1074035 1029460 124263 121051 245314 784146 784146 Part XI, Line 2d: Other revenue amounts included in F/S but not included on form 990 CONTRIBUTED ADVERTISING $121051 Part XII, Line 2d: Other expenses and losses per audited F/S CONTRIBUTED ADVERTISING $121051 Form 990, Part VI, Line 2: Description of Business or Family Relationship of Officers, Directors, Et STEVE MARKOFF AND JADWIGA S.Z.-MARKOFF ARE MARRIED.ROBERT FRCEK IS EMPLOYEE OF A COMPANY OWNED BY STEVE MARKOFF. Form 990, Part VI, Line 11b: Form 990 Review Process A COPY OF THE FORM 990 WAS PROVIDED TO ALL OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS FOR REVIEW AND COMMENT, COMMENTS ARE DISCUSSED AMONG BOARD MEMBERS AND REVISIONS ARE COMMUNICATED TO THE ACCOUNTANT PREPARING THE FORM 990. THEN THE FORM IS FINALIZED AND FILED. Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c: Explanation of Monitoring and Enforcement of Conflicts A WRITTEN AND SIGNED CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT IS OBTAINED FROM EACH BOARD MEMBER ANNUALLY. Form 990, Part VI, Line 15a: Compensation Review & Approval Process - CEO, Top Management COMPENSATION OF THE PRESIDENT IS DETERMINED BY THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BASED ON A REVIEW OF COMPARABLE SALARIES AND ON PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS. Form 990, Part VI, Line 15b: Compensation Review and Approval Process for Officers and Key Employees COMPENSATION OF EMPLOYEES IS DETERMINED BY THE INDEPENDENT CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS BASED ON A REVIEW OF COMPARABLE SALARIES AND ON PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS. Form 990, Part VI, Line 19: Other Organization Documents Publicly Available THE GOVERNING DOCUMENTS AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ARE POSTED ON PROCON.ORG WEBSITE.