irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $62KWE PRODUCED DOZENS OF ORIGINAL REPORTED PIECES FOR OUR FERN'S AG INSIDER POLICY NEWS SERVICE DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE FISCAL YEAR. TOPICS THAT RECEIVED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE THIS YEAR INCLUDED CLIMATE POLICY, CALIFORNIA WATER ISSUES, AND FOOD ACCESS POLICY. HOWEVER, AS OF JANUARY 2025, CHUCK ABBOTT, AG INSIDER'S CREATOR AND EDITOR, RETIRED, AND AFTER 10 YEARS, ORIGINAL REPORTING FOR AG INSIDER, WHICH HAS SERVED AN AUDIENCE OF POLICYMAKERS, ADVOCATES, AND EXPERTS WITH REPORTING ON AGRICULTURE AND FOOD POLICY, WAS TERMINATED. FERN CONTINUES TO MAINTAIN A FULL, FREE, SEARCHABLE ARCHIVE OF OUR DECADE OF AG INSIDER REPORTING AS A RESOURCE TO THE PUBLIC.
named programs · 2 · from sources
What they call their work
Ag Insider
Subscription-based daily policy news service providing original reporting, analysis, and news summaries on federal and state food and agriculture policy for policymakers, advocates, journalists, and industry representatives; discontinued original reporting in January 2025
Public Archive of Ag Insider Reporting
Free, searchable archive of over a decade of Ag Insider journalism maintained as a public resource after cessation of original reporting
activities · 3 groups
What they do
-
Nonprofit Investigative & Community Journalism 2 activities
- Maintains free public archive of Ag Insider reportingPreserves and provides full, free, searchable access to a decade of Ag Insider investigative reporting as a public resource.
- Produces investigative reporting on food and environment policyCreates original reported pieces on climate policy, California water issues, and food access policy, distributed through the Ag Insider policy news service.
-
-
Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
- Distributes free weekday newsletterSends a free weekday newsletter to approximately 2,200 subscribers, providing timely updates on food and environmental issues.
-
-
Member-Exclusive Resource Access 1 activity
- Provides subscription access to Ag Insider policy news serviceOffers paid subscription access to Ag Insider for over 400 individual and corporate subscribers, including academic institutions such as NYU, Harvard Law School, UC Berkeley, Yale, and University of Pennsylvania.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.30M
Contributions & grants$1.19M92%
Program service revenue$113K9%
Investment income$420%
Other revenue$-2K
expenses
Total expenses$1.50M
Program expenses79%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising5%
Salaries & benefits$717K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$223K
Cash$165K
Investments$0
Liabilities$38K
Net assets$185K
Liquid reserves1.3 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -0.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 4
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| THEODORE ROSS | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | 40 | $148K |
| WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM | EXECUTIVE EDITOR | 40 | $108K |
| THOMAS LASKAWY | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $105K |
| SAMUEL FROMARTZ | SECRETARY/EDITOR-AT-LARGE | 5 | $1K |
board members · 4
- NATHANIEL BROWN — CHAIR-TREASURER
- SARENA SNIDER — DIRECTOR
- SUSAN WEST — DIRECTOR
- TANYA HAIDER — DIRECTOR
relationships · 5
Who they work with
- Harvard Law School Partner — Academic institutional subscriber to FERN's Ag Insider subscription service.
- New York University Partner — Academic institutional subscriber to FERN's Ag Insider subscription service.
- University of California, Berkeley Partner — Academic institutional subscriber to FERN's Ag Insider subscription service.
- University of Pennsylvania Partner — Academic institutional subscriber to FERN's Ag Insider subscription service.
- Yale University Partner — Academic institutional subscriber to FERN's Ag Insider subscription service.