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The OpEd Project Public Knowledge Fund Inc
New York, NY · EIN 272877151 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE B60 · Education · Small ($100K-$1M) · theopedproject.org
revenue
$311K
expenses
$32K
net assets
$1.7M
employees
1
volunteers
10
program ratio
85%
mission · from form 990

Please see Schedule O

profile · synthesized from sources

The OpEd Project Public Knowledge Fund Inc is an educational nonprofit that trains underrepresented experts, particularly women and people of color, to amplify their ideas through op-eds, public speaking, and book publishing. It runs workshops and fellowship programs to increase diversity in public discourse and supports participants in turning expertise into influence across media, policy, and public platforms. The organization operates nationally with a focus on equity in thought leadership.

named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

Book Development Support
Programming and mentorship to help experts develop book proposals and secure publishing deals
Expert Talks & Events
Series of virtual and in-person talks featuring thought leaders on writing, public speaking, digital safety, and thought leadership
Public Voices Fellowship
Year-long program that trains women and underrepresented experts to contribute to public discourse through op-eds, media appearances, and policy engagement
Write To Change The World
Workshop that trains participants to write op-eds and essays that influence public policy and media narratives
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Literary Events & Workshops 1 activity
    • Community engagement and idea development events
      Hosts weekly and monthly interactive sessions, including live editing, expert conversations on voice and identity, and guided writing sessions, along with public talks featuring thought leaders to explore ideas shaping public discourse.
  • Women's Leadership & Career Advancement Networks 1 activity
    • Impact amplification of underrepresented thinkers
      Accelerates the ideas and public impact of underrepresented thinkers, primarily women, through training and fellowship opportunities. Since 2008, has trained nearly 17,000 individuals, resulting in tens of thousands of published op-eds reaching hundreds of millions of people.
  • Mentorship and Professional Development Programs 1 activity
    • Mentor-Editor network
      Engages over 100 media thought leaders—including Pulitzer Prize winners and MacArthur Fellows—as Mentor-Editors who provide coaching and editorial insight, statistically doubling mentees' odds of publication success.
  • Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Public Voices Fellowship Program
      Co-leads and delivers customized one-year fellowships for up to 20 thought leaders at partner institutions nationwide, with the goal of elevating underrepresented expert voices. The program has been launched at a dozen major institutions.
  • Financial Aid and Scholarship Access Programs 1 activity
    • Scholarship program for participation access
      Provides full and partial scholarships to up to 30% of participants in public workshops, including full scholarships for up to 10%, with applicants required to submit a written application outlining their intended op-ed and its potential impact.
  • Professional Development and Standards in Marketing and Communications 1 activity
    • Workshop and training programs for public writing
      Offers "Write To Change The World" and "Accelerating Ideas" workshops, both in-person and virtual, based on an internationally recognized curriculum to help participants develop persuasive arguments, op-eds, and public ideas. Includes two-day intensive programs and advanced alumni workshops.
  • Uncategorized 4 activities
    • Advocacy through op-ed publication and policy influence
      Supports the publication of op-eds that drive public discourse and policy change, including pieces that sparked a movement redefining workplace professionalism—now used in 15 university curricula and to train over 50 judges in New York State—and supported three community members who went on to win elected office representing 1.2 million people.
    • Digital resources and training materials
      Provides access to a video library of expert talks on writing, public speaking, and personal branding, and distributes the "Genius Income Blueprint" digital resource to help social impact leaders monetize their expertise and build sustainable income.
    • Ongoing editorial support and coaching
      Provides one-on-one editorial coaching through 10, 25, and 50-hour packages with journalist mentors, as well as weekly office hours and follow-up support including live editing, pitching advice, and Q&A with an Editor-in-Residence. Includes one month of post-workshop support with "Ask A Journalist" sessions.
    • Training in media engagement and publication processes
      Offers expert-led training sessions to help writers craft effective op-ed pitches and navigate publication with major media outlets, increasing publication success rates—75% for those with mentorship.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$311K
Contributions & grants$311K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$32K
Program expenses85%
Admin / overhead15%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$27K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.45M
Cash$2.08M
Investments$0
Liabilities$779K
Net assets$1.67M
Liquid reserves779.3 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -32.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Catherine Orenstein Executive Director 6 $25K
board members · 4
  • Courtney Baxter — Board Member
  • Elizabeth Scharph — Treasurer
  • Laura Mazur — Secretary
  • Zeba Khan — Board Member
relationships · 19

Who they work with

  • Carolyn Murnick Partner — Mentor-Editor, Fellowship Coach, and Private Editorial Coach with The OpEd Project, providing writing and editorial support.
  • Chicago Tribune Partner — Partners with opinion editors from the Chicago Tribune to offer guidance on op-ed publication best practices.
  • Columbia University’s Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma Partner — Collaborates with safety experts affiliated with Columbia University’s Dart Center to provide media safety training.
  • Echoing Green Funder — Provided seed funding to The OpEd Project in 2008.
  • Echoing Green Network — Project incubated under Echoing Green.
  • Editor-In-Residence Partner — Provides weekly “Ask A Journalist” office hours to workshop participants.
  • Journalist Mentors Partner — Network of journalist mentors connected to participants through workshops and coaching programs.
  • LAURA CASTAÑEDA Partner — Editor in Residence and Mentor-Editor with The OpEd Project, providing live editing and pitching advice during office hours.
  • Luis CARRASCO Partner — Editor in Residence, Fellowship Coach, and Private Editorial Coach with The OpEd Project, offering editorial guidance during office hours.
  • Mentor-Editors Partner — Journalist mentors who provide individual feedback to workshop participants.
  • Princeton University Partner — Partner institution where the Public Voices initiative was piloted.
  • Public Voices Fellowship Partner — Partnership through which The OpEd Project co-leads fellowships to support underrepresented voices in publishing commentary.
  • Right To Be Partner — Partners with Right To Be to deliver digital safety training for public experts facing online harassment.
  • Stanford University Partner — Partner institution where the Public Voices initiative was piloted.
  • The Philadelphia Inquirer Partner — Collaborates with Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial staff from The Philadelphia Inquirer to advise on op-ed publication strategies.
  • The San Francisco Chronicle Partner — Works with editorial leaders from The San Francisco Chronicle to provide insights into successful op-ed pitching.
  • USA Today Opinion Partner — Collaborates with editorial leaders from USA Today Opinion to provide training on op-ed pitching and publication.
  • University of Colorado Partner — Conducted research in 2019 on the impact of The OpEd Project's Public Voices Fellowship on university faculty.
  • Yale University Partner — Partner institution where the Public Voices initiative was piloted.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Amplification of Underrepresented Voices
    methodology: amplification_of_underrepresented_voices
    By amplifying underrepresented thinkers—particularly women of all backgrounds—the organization advances a more inclusive public discourse and shifts who gets to shape societal narratives, because diverse voices challenge dominant paradigms and produce more equitable public thought leadership.
  • Idea Equity Model
    methodology: idea_equity
    By prioritizing the merit of ideas over the identity or status of the speaker, the organization advances a model of idea equity that diversifies public discourse, because equitable amplification based on content quality rather than social capital creates fairer access to platforms of influence.
  • Mentorship-Driven Capacity Building
    methodology: mentorship-driven_capacity_building
    By connecting participants with journalist mentors through micro-mentoring and individualized coaching, the organization increases the likelihood of publication and strengthens public writing skills, because expert guidance and real-time feedback accelerate learning and build confidence in underrepresented voices.
  • Transformational Learning and Embodied Storytelling
    methodology: transformational_learning
    By using transformational learning and embodied storytelling, the organization unlocks participants' knowledge and connects personal narrative to political discourse, because centering lived experience fosters authentic public voice and drives action-oriented engagement in public thought leadership.