2016-03-17T18:24:31-07:00 2015-12-31 Byeman & Cleary CPAs 412 W Broadway Suite 206 Glendale CA 912041297 990 2015-01-01 571210185 PROCONORG LISTED AS PROCON ORG IN IRS RECORDS PROC 3102600315 233 WILSHIRE BLVD SUITE 200 SANTA MONICA CA 90401 ROBERT FRCEK CFO 2016-03-17 true DANIEL R MOORE P00293381 8182473223 X 2015 2016-09-27 15:27:22Z JAY RAKOW JD 233 WILSHIRE BLVD SUITE 200 SANTA MONICA CA 90401 874512 false false X WWW.PROCON.ORG X 2004 CA PROMOTING CRITICAL THINKING BY PRESENTING THE PROS AND CONS OF CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES ON THE WEB. 9 8 10 7 0 690362 874453 3033 59 0 0 693395 874512 0 0 551848 684515 5400 0 35412 124753 194909 682001 879424 11394 -4912 66534 73910 17267 29555 49267 44355 PROMOTING CRITICAL THINKING, EDUCATION, AND INFORMED CITIZENSHIP BY PRESENTING ISSUES IN A STRAIGHTFORWARD, NONPARTISAN PRIMARILY PRO-CON FORMAT. false false 787463 59 ProCon.org researches information from various websites and other sources to provide information on various topics of interest to the general public. ProCon.org has built and controls 54 websites dealing with various topics of social interest, which are collectively referred to as the ProCon.org website. The ProCon.org website had over 23,000,000 unique visitors, over 46,000,000 page views, and over 1,363,000,000 web site hits in 2015. It has been used by more than 7,000 schools in all 50 states and 80 foreign countries. Procon.org was referenced in 101 published books in 2015. ProCon.org was referenced by the mainstream media over 514 times in 2015 (CNN, BBC, NPR, Forbes, NY Times, LA Times, Washington Post, PBS, Fox News, The Economist etc.). In 2015 ProCon.org was used by 22 Federal and 33 State governments. The ProCon.org website was also used by 24 international governments since inception in 2004. 787463 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 true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false true 10 0 true 10 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 ROBERT FRCEK 3102600315 233 WILSHIRE BLVD SUITE 200 SANTA MONICA CA 90401 STEVE 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 CEO 40.00 0.00 X X 146027 0 14919 MICHAEL G KLEIN Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 PHILIP SMAGARAM LLB Director 1.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 KAMBIZ AKHAVAN President 55.00 0.00 X 115898 0 12237 ROBERT FRCEK CFO/SECRETARY 2.00 0.00 X 0 0 0 261925 27156 2 false true false 0 874453 15000 874453 LICENSE FEES 900099 46 46 ROYALTIES 900099 13 13 59 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 874512 59 0 0 0 0 289081 241529 22231 25321 0 316940 298393 15420 3127 8606 8176 344 86 22545 21400 397 748 47343 42272 2929 2142 3762 2000 1762 0 11650 11650 0 0 0 33604 33604 73905 73905 3215 3090 94 31 0 0 0 6143 5969 174 0 0 0 0 878 843 26 9 6820 6750 70 COMPUTER AND WEB SITE 21852 21852 PARKING FEES 13854 13438 416 TELEPHONE 3641 3496 109 36 WORKERS COMP INSURANCE 3361 3203 124 34 12224 7543 803 3878 879424 787463 56549 35412 48467 45030 0 7205 1496 0 0 0 0 13365 8300 12335 4391 2707 2562 1684 0 0 0 0 0 66534 73910 17267 29555 17267 29555 X 49267 21475 22880 49267 44355 66534 73910 -4912 X false true X true false X 1284185 77362 590535 690362 874453 3516897 0 0 1284185 77362 590535 690362 874453 3516897 2733748 783149 0 0 0 3516897 0.22270 0.21250 X Current 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. Prior Year Facts and Circumstances: ProCon.org had almost over 21% of its support from the general public in 2014. 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 238 unique donors and sponsors in 2014 an increase of 37% over 2013. 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 20,000,000 unique visitors during 2014 and that is a 20% increase over 2013. 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 5,758 schools in all 50 states. In 2014 ProCon.org was used by 9 Federal and State agencies. The ProCon.org website was also used by 21 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:Oct. 8, 2014 For the first time, ProCon.org decided to bring its unique brand of voter education to local elections, starting with Santa Monica, California. The Local Elections website from ProCon.org gathers opinions from candidates for the Santa Monica City Council, School Board, and College Board on many important community issues. Visitors were able to read about each candidate, click on an issue to read candidate position statements, and take the candidate matching quiz to see which candidate best matched their views. 5,025 people visited the Local Elections website to help them decide which candidates to support. The margins of victory in the three races covered by ProCon.org were 586 votes (City Council), 264 votes (School Board), and 633 (College Board). The Local Elections website was created as part of a collaboration with the Santa Monica Daily Press.Sep. 26, 2014 ProCon.org participated in a panel at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 44th annual legislative conference. Kamy Akhavan represented ProCon.org on the 6-person panel to discuss "Teacher Tenure: Education or Politics?" The panel was hosted by the American Federation of Teachers.Sep. 15, 2014 Jay Rakow succeeds Steve Markoff to become new CEO of ProCon.org. Mr. Rakow previously served as President of The Lincy Foundation, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Paramount Pictures, Senior Executive Vice President of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., and Distinguished Practitioner-in-Residence at Cornell University Law School.July 28, 2014 ProCon.org presented its 6th annual critical thinking seminar to high school students attending the Junior Statesmen of Americas "2014 Gene Burd Institute on L.A. Media and Politics at UCLA. Also, for the 6th year in a row, the ProCon.org seminar was selected by the students as their favorite presentation of the week-long workshop.July 12, 2014 Happy 10th anniversary, ProCon.org! Our little operation that started on July 12, 2004 with six topics and big aspirations has become Americas leading provider of free pro and con research on controversial issues with 50 topics and more in development. Thank you to the more than 70 million people who have visited ProCon.org over the last 10 years and helped us promote critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship. See our 10th anniversary page for more.June 17, 2014 Phil Magaram and Michael Klein are officially voted onto the ProCon.org Board of Directors. Their impressive backgrounds and extensive experience add to the strength of our organization. Welcome aboard.June 2, 2014 ProCon.org was nominated for the 2014 Los Angeles Business Journal Nonprofit & Corporate Citizenship Awards in two categories, Nonprofit Organization of the Year (Small) and Nonprofit Team of the Year. Thank you for the kind recognition.May 8, 2014 Educators in over 5,000 schools have used ProCon.org. Our free resources have been used by teachers, librarians, and administrators in all 50 states and 66 countries (the latest was Egypt). The breakdown is 1,229 elementary and middle schools (24.6%), 2,547 high schools (50.9%), and 1,226 colleges and universities (24.5%). THANK YOU to the educators, our partners in promoting critical thinking, who helped us reach this milestone. Procon.org continues to expand its outreach to schools. Procon.org functions as a public charity by proving a valuable service to the public, including schools, without the use of any government funding. RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 4391 2707 1684 1684 1113660 115942 123206 239148 874512 874512 1118572 115942 123206 239148 879424 879424 Part XI, Line 2d: Other revenue amounts included in F/S but not included on form 990 CONTRIBUTED ADVERTISING $123206 Part XII, Line 2d: Other expenses and losses per audited F/S CONTRIBUTED ADVERTISING $123206 false false false false false false false false false false JAY RAKOW JD CEO 146027 14919 160946 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.