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 approves the form 990 prior to filing; a public disclosure 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 february 2022 pertaining to 2021 performance. The ceo's salary may be 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 2021. The cfo's salary may be 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. Governing documents are not available to the public.”

“Voting rights: the battle over voter suppression is one of mother jones' most essential areas of coverage. Mother jones was the first national media outlet to report on this issue regularly and deeply, exploring how the push for minority rule may be the greatest threat to our democracy. Nineteen states passed 34 new laws in 2021 reducing voting access, making it more difficult to vote by mail and easier to remove voters from the rolls, cutting the number of early voting days, erecting new barriers to voter registration, and reducing the number of polling places. Voting rights reporter ari berman documented these overt republican-led efforts at disenfranchisement. National security and democracy: russia's assault on ukraine shocked the world, but mother jones long ago laid the groundwork for understanding this war. As dc bureau chief david corn pointed out in the first days of the war, putin was emboldened by the impunity he enjoyed when he attacked the united states and our election. Corn also revealed the extent to which there is a dangerous feedback loop between us right-wing media and kremlin propaganda: putin's government was sending memos to russian media outlets telling them "it is essential" they feature fox news commentator tucker carlson "as much as possible." we also were able to report from the frontlines, with incredible dispatches from former mother jones fellow molly schwartz who detailed her own escape from russia and took us inside the extensive volunteer efforts in poland to help ukrainian refugees. Disinformation: mother jones consistently explores how right-wing media, tech, and social media platforms amplify disinformation. Reporter ali breland has his finger on the pulse of the alt right movement, investigating and tracking insurrection and disinformation through the far-right ecosystem. He reported a fascinating story about an activist who went undercover in the qanon world and described the movement from the inside before her identity was revealed. Reporters stephanie mencimer and kiera butler have both gone inside online information ecosystems to demonstrate how these groups have corroded public discourse, in stories depicting high profile members of these movements and investigating how disparate corners of this universe are coming together. Extremism: our journalists report on the hard edge of radical and antidemocratic movements and ideologies in americafrom the fringes of the internet to state legislatures and congress. In the run-up to the 2016 election, our reporters were among very few to dig into the way trump's campaign intentionally mainstreamed white supremacist memes and ideas. We wrote about the oath keepers as early as 2010 and have been at the forefront of reporting on militias, white nationalists, and other extremist movements. David corn's essays brought insight and context to the ongoing power struggle over whose truth stands. On the anniversary of the insurrection, he wrote movingly about how americans were remembering the date and noted that, despite the conventional narrative, moments of national tragedy rarely lead to national unity. Political & financial corruption: mother jones continues to pursue the kind of shoe leather investigations for which we are known, examining corruption that doesn't necessarily break the law but points to conflict of interest and self-dealing. Weakened campaign-finance restrictions and transparency requirements in this era have made it possible for corrupt officials to flip an election without disclosure or accountability. Reporter dan friedman investigates political corruption at the top levels of government, for example reporting that top trump officials violated a law restricting partisan political activity by federal employees, but faced no legal consequences. We are also taking on the structural challenges and financial loopholes present in our current systems that generate deeper inequality. In the spring, we rolled out a 15-story-strong, multime”

“Since 1980, mother jones has placed an emphasis on creating opportunities for aspiring journalists through the ben bagdikian fellowship program. 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. It 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. Of the more than 800 interns and fellows who have passed through mother jones' program, 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 the washington post.”

“The foundation for national progress publishes mother jones, a magazine and multi-platform digital news site, and directs the ben bagdikian fellowship program. Since its founding, mother jones' goal has been to produce, in the words of our mission statement, "revelatory journalism that in its power and reach informs and inspires a more just and democratic world." these words signal an important focus: our reporting does not exist in a vacuum but seeks to have an impact for democracy and justice through rigorously researched investigations and compelling storytelling in a widely accessible form. In this time of misinformation and fear for our democracy, mother jones goes deep to get at important truths. This organization is at the forefront of a movement of independent nonprofit journalism changing the way americans find and consume investigative reporting. With almost 50 journalists (and a staff of more than 85) organized into three newsrooms but geographically located across the country, our team covers everything from the future of our democracy and corruption in the white house to the immigration crisis at the southern border, the struggle for change in our criminal justice system, the existential threat of the climate crisis, and the ways corrupt politics endangers the environment. In print, online, via podcasts and video, we reach a younger, growing audience hungry for honest, fierce, deep-digging journalism. Mother jones is proving again that a 46-year-old news organization can change the conversation.”

“The process has not changed from prior year.”