The Center for Investigative Reporting

“The board of directors of the foundation for national progress, dba mother jones magazine, approved the formation of a financial audit commitee and a finance committee in keeping with the corporation's bylaws that state: the board of directors may, by resolution adopted by a majority of the directors then in office, create any number of board committees, each consisting of two or more directors, to serve at the pleasure of the board. Appointments to any board committee shall be made by any method determined by a majority vote of the directors then in office. Board committees may be given all the authority of the board, except for the power to: (a) set the number of directors within a range specified in these bylaws; (b) fill vacancies on the board of directors or on any board committee; (c) elect directors or remove any director without cause; (d) fix compensation of directors for serving on the board or any board committee; (e) amend or repeal these bylaws or adopt new bylaws; (f) adopt amendments to the articles of incorporation of this corporation; (g) amend or repeal any resolution of the board of directors which by its express terms is not so amenable or repealable; (h) create any other board committees or appoint the members of any board committees; or (i) approve any merger, reorganization, voluntary dissolution, or disposition of substantially all of the assets of this corporation. As such, the financial audit committee and finance committee approve the form 990 prior to filing; a complete copy of the form 990 is distributed to the entire board of directors prior to filing.”

“As per the corporation's conflict of interest policy, and to ensure that the foundation operates in a manner consistent with its educational purposes and that it does not engage in activities that could jeopardize its status as an organization exempt from federal income tax, period reviews shall be conducted by the department supervisor (relevant to the transaction or arrangement), publisher, ceo, cfo, and board of director's audit committee. The periodic reviews shall, at a minimum, occur annually and shall include the following subjects: * whether compensation arrangements and benefits are reasonable and are as the result of arm's-length bargaining. * whether acquisitions of services result in inurement or impermissible private benefit. * whether transactions and arrangements with vendors and other organizations conform to written policies, are properly recorded, reflect reasonable payments for goods and services, further the foundation's educational purposes, and do not result in inurement or impermissible private benefit. * whether agreements with employees and third-party payors further the foundation's educational purposes and do not result in inurement or impermissible private benefit. In conducting these periodic reviews, the foundation may, but need not, use outside advisors. If outside experts are used, their use shall not relieve the foundation of its responsibility for ensuring that periodic reviews are conducted.”

“The ceo's salary and performance is reviewed annually by an elected performance review/compensation committee as part of the board of directors. This was last performed and relayed to the ceo in october 2018 pertaining to 2018 performance. The ceo's salary is adjusted according to a cola each year based on the bay area cpi. Any additional wage increase is based on merit and approved by the board of directors. The cfo's salary and performance is reviewed annually by the ceo with input from members of the senior management team. This was last performed and relayed to the cfo in june 2019. The cfo's salary is adjusted according to a cola each year based on the bay area cpi. Any additional wage increase is based on merit and approved by the ceo.”

“The foundation for national progress provides a copy of forms 990 and 990-t for public inspection on request (distributed either through the u.s. Postal office or as a pdf document attached to an email). Additionally, the foundation for national progress provides guidestar (a public nonprofit tracking web site) a copy of forms 990 and 990-t for public inspection. Further, the foundation's website, motherjones.com, publishes the foundation's most current annual audited financial statements for public inspection.”

“Mother jones focuses its investigative resources on those who abuse the public trust -- whether they are in elected office or in the c-suite. Now, with nearly 100 staff around the country and more than two dozen journalists in our washington bureau, mother jones has one of the deepest and most experienced political journalism benches of any dc newsroom. From our timely and deep lead coverage of the russia-trump story, to our investigations into president trump's conflict-ridden business relationships, to reporting on the rise of the surveillance state and the transformation in the american foreign policy agenda, mother jones tells the story deeply, iteratively, and engagingly. Beyond politics, we're also reporting on issues that cross the partisan border; our frontline reporting on baltimore's opioid crisis is an example. Here is journalism that brings a national problem to life, puts a human face on the trouble, and points to ways in which we can change our laws, policies, and practices. And as we do this work, we constantly look for the best possible way to present our work so that it reaches our readers no matter where they find our reporting. Driven by a much richer mix of reportorial voices and by-lines, our work increasingly focuses on the intersection of racial and class inequality and how they shape criminal justice policies, patterns of community violence, public health, political influence, and so much more.”

“Since 1980, mother jones has placed an emphasis on creating opportunities for aspiring journalists through the ben bagdikian fellowship program. The program is named in recognition of bagdikian's many contributions to journalism--as an investigative reporter for the washington post who helped break the pentagon papers story; as a media critic who put the problem of media consolidation on the public agenda; and as an educator who helped guide the journalism program at the university of california, berkeley into the digital era. Ben's professional record, personal integrity, and commitment to social justice inspired us to name mother jones' internship program in his honor. While there are a number of general journalism and reporting internships available for students or recent college graduates, only mother jones puts such an emphasis on investigative reporting. Among the largest training programs in the independent media community, the ben bagdikian fellowship program gives aspiring journalists intensive training in what it takes to publish outstanding, independent journalism, to meet deadlines, and to work as part of a professional team. The ben bagdikian fellowship program is a rare opportunity for new journalists to work alongside some of the top reporters and journalists in the business, and to learn the inner workings of multimedia national reporting with a special focus on investigative journalism. Depending on funding availability, the program also offers internships for those interested in art and photography, nonprofit public affairs and social media, and the business and technology side of publishing. Graduates leave with practical knowledge, work that they can be proud of, and a network of friends and colleagues that will last a lifetime. Mother jones' training program is an essential if also unrecognized element of american journalism's infrastructure. Of the more than 800 interns and fellows who have passed through mother jones' internship program since 1980, more than half moved on to a career in journalism or the media at some of the nation's most prestigious media outlets. Graduates of the program work throughout the national media world at outlets ranging from the new york times and the wall street journal to national public radio and salon.com.”

“The foundation for national progress publishes mother jones, a magazine and multi-platform digital news site, and directs the ben bagdikian fellowship program. Its mission is to produce revelatory journalism that, in its power and reach, seeks to inform and inspire a more just and democratic world. Mother jones delivers groundbreaking investigative journalism via a website, print magazine, social media, and podcasts to an audience of nearly 10 million each month. With a 43-year history, mother jones is a model for a nonprofit journalism organization -- a digital-first newsroom with the journalistic strengths that come from decades of experience in long-form investigative reporting.”

“Consultants: program service expenses 387,767. Management and general expenses 34,216. Fundraising expenses 37,501. Total expenses 459,484. Donor/membership communications: program service expenses 1,103,308. Management and general expenses 1,432. Fundraising expenses 270,748. Total expenses 1,375,488.”

“The process has not changed from prior year.”