named programs · 7 · from sources
What they call their work
Detained: A Homecoming
Follows the story of Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian woman detained by ICE, from arrest to release, highlighting immigration and civil liberties issues.
Operation Match
Explores the history of the first computer-based dating service created by Harvard students in the 1960s.
Orson Welles and the Blind Soldier
A documentary series uncovering the story of Sergeant Isaac Woodard, a Black WWII veteran blinded by a police officer, and Orson Welles’s campaign for justice.
Prison Diaries
First-person audio documentaries created by incarcerated individuals, sharing their experiences and personal histories.
Teenage Diaries
A long-running series where teenagers document their lives, including stories of identity, foster care, disability, and immigration, revisited years later in follow-up episodes.
The Detainees of Crystal City
Documents the experiences of Latin American families of Japanese and German descent detained in the U.S. during WWII.
The Unmarked Graveyard
A series telling the stories of people buried on Hart Island, New York’s public cemetery, through the voices of their loved ones.
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Podcast and Radio Production 2 activities
- Documenting contemporary social justice issuesProduces and distributes audio documentaries on current social justice issues, including the detention of Palestinian protester Leqaa Kordia by ICE, featuring recorded interviews from detention and her first interview after release, and the 2019 and planned 2025 pilgrimages for survivors of the Crystal City detention camp to revisit the site.
- Production and distribution of first-person audio documentariesProduces unscripted, first-person audio documentaries that highlight personal stories to foster empathy and challenge assumptions about everyday life. Content is distributed through national and international platforms including NPR's All Things Considered, This American Life, Radiolab, BBC World Service, podcast platforms, and public events, reaching over 10 million listeners.
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Oral History Collection and Preservation 1 activity
- Hosting storytelling workshops and providing recording supportProduces educational materials, hosts storytelling workshops for youth and seniors across the United States, and provides recording equipment and editorial support to individuals to document their own lives and histories, including international participants such as a woman in South Africa who recorded her life with AIDS over a year.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Research and production of historical audio documentariesConducts in-depth research and produces narrative audio documentaries on historical topics, including the life of Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle, the Miss Subways beauty contest, the origin of the song “Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down,” the making of Casablanca with real-life refugees, the story of William Cimillo, the first computer-based dating experiment, and the Isaac Woodard case involving Orson Welles.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$601K
Contributions & grants$568K94%
Program service revenue$33K6%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$648K
Program expenses66%
Admin / overhead22%
Fundraising12%
Salaries & benefits$518K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$289K
Cash$228K
Investments$0
Liabilities$8K
Net assets$281K
Liquid reserves4.2 mo
3 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +9.3%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOSEPH RICHMAN | EXECUTIVE DI | 40 | $155K |
board members · 5
- IRA GLASS — BOARD MEMBER
- JAKE SHAPIRO — BOARD MEMBER
- JIMMIE BRIGGS — BOARD MEMBER
- JOHN MCGINN — BOARD MEMBER
- RACHEL BARRETT — CHAIRPERSON
relationships · 34
Who they work with
- APM Music Partner — Supplied music for the podcast series.
- BBC World Service Partner — Platform that has featured Radio Diaries stories.
- Church in San Francisco Partner — Assisted in the release and resettlement of detained individuals, including Libia and Blanca Yamamoto.
- ESPN Partner — Collaborated with ESPN's 30 for 30 on the production of an audio story about the longest professional baseball game.
- Embedded Partner — Platform that has featured Radio Diaries stories.
- Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Funder — Foundation that provides financial support to Radio Diaries.
- Indiana University's Lilly Library Partner — Houses Orson Welles broadcasts used in the series.
- Lily Auchincloss Foundation Funder — Foundation that provides financial support to Radio Diaries.
- NAACP Partner — Collaborated on the case of Isaac Woodard and contributed to the historical record.
- NEA Funder — Provides funding for the organization's programs.
- NPR Partner — Broadcast partner distributing Radio Diaries content on All Things Considered and other platforms.
- NPR Partner — Broadcasts Radio Diaries content regularly on All Things Considered.
- NPR Partner — Collaborates with NPR to air stories on All Things Considered.
- NPR Partner — Collaborates with NPR to distribute radio documentaries to a national audience.
- NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Public funder supporting Radio Diaries.
- NYSCA Funder — Provides funding for the organization's programs.
- National Endowment for the Arts Funder — Financial supporter of Radio Diaries.
- National Public Radio Partner — Broadcast partner for distributing Radio Diaries content in the United States.
- Nelson Mandela Partner — Featured as a central voice in the audio history of the anti-apartheid struggle.
- Nelson Mandela Partner — Featured as a central voice in the production of "Mandela: An Audio History."
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Funder — Provides funding for the organization's programs.
- New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Financial supporter of Radio Diaries.
- Omer Foundation Funder — Foundation that provides financial support to Radio Diaries.
- Operation Match Partner — Featured the history and participants of Operation Match in a narrative project.
- PRX Network — Radio Diaries is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
- Radiolab Partner — Platform that has featured Radio Diaries stories.
- Reveal Partner — Platform that has featured Radio Diaries stories.
- SC Humanities Funder — Provides live event sponsorship.
- The City's Missing Them Partner — Collaborated on reporting about Cesar Irizarry as part of a joint project.
- The Moth Partner — Platform that has featured Radio Diaries stories.
+ 4 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.
- Co-Created Storytelling to Amplify Marginalized Voices in Mainstream Mediamethodology: co_created_mediaBy partnering with individuals to co-create audio narratives and integrating personal stories into mainstream news, we elevate underrepresented perspectives because participatory media production positions everyday experiences as newsworthy and fosters broader public understanding.
- First-Person Narrative Storytelling for Empathy and Historical Insightmethodology: first_person_narrative_storytellingBy centering unscripted, first-person audio narratives and lived experiences in documentary production, we foster empathy and humanize historical and social issues because personal voice and emotional resonance make abstract issues relatable and memorable.
- Longitudinal Audio Diaries to Capture Personal and Social Change Over Timemethodology: longitudinal_audio_diaryBy recording personal audio diaries over extended periods, we document individual transformation and shifting social contexts because sustained, intimate self-documentation reveals deeper truths about identity, resilience, and historical impact that single-event stories cannot.