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CENTER FOR NEW AMERICAN MEDIA INC
BROOKLYN, NY · EIN 720860902 · Form 990 · FY2025 · Small ($100K-$1M) · cnam.com
revenue
$225K
expenses
$218K
net assets
$15K
employees
0
program ratio
74%
mission · from form 990

Production and distribution of educational motion pictures, television programs, and online content

profile · synthesized from sources

Center for New American Media produces and distributes educational documentaries and online content focused on American culture, politics, and social issues. The organization is led by award-winning filmmakers Louis Alvarez and Andrew Kolker, who create in-depth, character-driven series for public television and classroom use. Their work explores topics such as regional dialects, political campaigns, social class, and the intersection of art, science, and technology.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $0
    Distribution of previous documentary films produced by CNAM to schools and colleges
  2. #2 $65K
    Production of website and documentary TV series CONFLUENCE: Art, Science, and Creativity
named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

American Tongues
Peabody Award-winning documentary exploring regional American accents, linguistic diversity, and social judgments based on speech patterns.
CONFLUENCE: Art, Science, and Creativity
Three-part documentary series examining how art, science, and technology intersect to inspire new forms of creative expression.
People Like Us: Social Class in America
Documentary series examining how income, education, family background, and cultural cues shape social class in the United States.
Postcards from the Great Divide
Series of nine short documentaries exploring political polarization in America through stories from key electoral regions.
Vote for Me: Politics in America
Four-hour public television series exploring American political campaigns, candidates, and voter engagement through behind-the-scenes storytelling and character-driven narratives.
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Documentary Film Production 2 activities
    • Distribution of documentary content to educational institutions
      Distributes previously produced documentary films to schools, colleges, universities, and military installations for use in educational and training contexts; content has been utilized in these settings for over ten years.
    • Production of documentary films and series on social, cultural, and political themes
      Produces long-form documentary films and multi-part series exploring American identity, regional speech, race, politics, class, and culture. Notable works include "American Tongues," "People Like Us: Social Class in America," "Getting Back to Abnormal," and "Vote for Me: Politics in America," many of which have been broadcast nationally on PBS and used in educational settings.
  • Civic Engagement and Voter Mobilization 1 activity
    • Conducting research on U.S. political dynamics and demographic change
      Examines changing demographics, political self-sorting, and partisan division across the United States to understand their impact on American politics, particularly in the context of national elections.
  • History Education Curriculum Development 1 activity
    • Development of digital media and games for history education
      Creates interactive digital tools and video games to teach historical literacy and critical concepts in American history to middle and secondary school students, including the 3-D history game "Past/Present" and the immersive digital game developed under the "CONFLUENCE" project.
  • Archival Digitization and Preservation 1 activity
    • Hosting a digital archive on art, science, technology, and creativity
      Maintains an online archive focused on the intersection of art, science, technology, and creative expression, supporting public access to thematic multimedia content.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Creation of themed YouTube channels showcasing cultural content
      Produced and maintains the YouTube channel "Buckwheat's World," highlighting the music and cultural insights of Louisiana musician Buckwheat Zydeco.
financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$225K
Contributions & grants$193K85%
Program service revenue$7K3%
Investment income$340%
Other revenue$26K
expenses
Total expenses$218K
Program expenses74%
Admin / overhead26%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$72K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$144K
Cash$134K
Investments$0
Liabilities$129K
Net assets$15K
Liquid reserves7.4 mo
6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue +117.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Andrew M Kolker President 40 $9K
Louis L Alvarez Secretary-Treasurer 40 $5K
board members · 3
  • Lois Refkin — Director
  • Lora Myers — Director
  • Peter Odabashian — Director
relationships · 38

Who they work with

  • Andrew Kolker Partner — Co-produced and co-directed the documentary "Getting Back to Abnormal" with the organization.
  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting Funder — Funded the Postcards from the Great Divide series.
  • Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) Partner — Frederic G. Cassidy, Chief Editor of DARE, served as a principal advisor on the film.
  • Ellis Island Museum of Immigration Partner — Commissioned television work from the organization
  • Japanese National Institute of Multi Media Education Partner — Hidetoshi Kato of the Japanese National Institute of Multi Media Education served as a principal advisor on the film.
  • Latino Public Broadcasting Funder — Funded the Postcards from the Great Divide series.
  • Louis Alvarez Partner — Co-produced and co-directed the documentary "Getting Back to Abnormal" with the organization.
  • Louisiana Division of the Arts Funder — Provided grant support for the production of "Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics."
  • Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Funder — Provided grant support for the production of "Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics."
  • Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Funder — Provided grant support for the production of "Yeah You Rite!"
  • Mary Freeman Wisdom Foundation Funder — Provided grant support for the production of "Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics."
  • Midnight Films Partner — Co-produced the documentary "Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics."
  • Midnight Films Partner — Co-production partner on the documentary series "Vote for Me: Politics in America".
  • National Endowment for the Arts Partner — Commissioned television work from the organization
  • National Endowment for the Humanities Funder — Provided grant support for the production of American Tongues.
  • PBS Network — Nationally broadcast the documentary "Small Ball: A Little League Story".
  • PBS Partner — Released the series through its Election 2016 digital initiative.
  • PBS/CPB Funder — Provided grant support for the production of "Vote for Me: Politics in America".
  • Pat Gulden Partner — Subject of a feature on the largest concrete lawn-ornament store on the Eastern Seaboard.
  • Paul Stekler Partner — Co-produced and co-directed the documentary "Getting Back to Abnormal" with the organization.
  • Peter Odabashian Partner — Co-produced and co-directed the documentary "Getting Back to Abnormal" with the organization.
  • Public Television Network — Distributes documentary series through public television.
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Partner — Collaborates with CNAM on the CONFLUENCE Archive initiative.
  • SPC Partner — Awarded a Silver 2012 SPC award to the Past/Present project.
  • SWAMP Funder — Provided grant support for the production of American Tongues.
  • Savannah Music Festival Partner — Commissioned television work from the organization
  • Shin Ami Partner — Featured as a leading love hotel designer in a documentary tour of Tokyo love hotels.
  • Southern Educational Communications Association Funder — Provided grant support for the production of "Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics."
  • The CIT Group, Inc Funder — Provided grant support for the production of "Vote for Me: Politics in America".
  • The Ford Foundation Funder — Provided grant support for the production of "Vote for Me: Politics in America".
+ 8 more
strategies · 3

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.

  • Edutainment through Documentary and Satire
    methodology: edutainment
    By combining entertainment formats like satire, humor, and documentary storytelling with educational content, the organization increases audience engagement and public understanding of complex social issues such as politics, race, and class, because emotionally resonant and accessible narratives are more effective at conveying information than traditional didactic methods.
  • Immersive and Modular Educational Design for Learning
    methodology: immersive_game-based_learning
    By structuring educational documentaries in immersive, game-based, or modular formats, the organization enhances learning retention and classroom usability, because interactive and segmented content aligns with pedagogical best practices for student engagement and teacher adaptability.
  • Linguistic and Cultural Documentation to Challenge Prejudice
    methodology: linguistic_prejudice_analysis
    By documenting vernacular speech, regional dialects, and cultural expressions through observational and community-centered documentary practices, the organization reveals and challenges societal linguistic prejudices, because making marginalized forms of language visible fosters public awareness and shifts attitudes about linguistic legitimacy.