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International Center for Journalists Inc

EIN 11-2724905 · Washington, DC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak40 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

WE EMPOWER AN UNPARALLELED GLOBAL NETWORK OF JOURNALISTS TO PRODUCE NEWS REPORTS THAT LEAD TO BETTER GOVERNMENTS, STRONGER ECONOMIES, MORE VIBRANT SOCIETIES AND HEALTHIER LIVES.

Income
$3.8 million
Spending
$12.2 million
Spent on programs
70%
Reserves
3.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 83%
Employees
61
Volunteers
31
Highest pay
$318,420, president

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Weak: 40 out of 100. Higher than 7% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 3.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    5 of 20

    It owes 61% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 221% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 65% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    70% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 21 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 64% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    29 of 30 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (4)
  1. $6.5 million spent. ICFJ CONDUCTED HIGH-IMPACT PROGRAMS TO ENABLE JOURNALISTS, MEDIA PROFESSIONALS, AND MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE WORLD TO PRODUCE TIMELY, ACCURATE INFORMATION ON KEY ISSUES THROUGH COMPELLING STORYTELLING. WE SERVE OUR UNPARALLELED GLOBAL NETWORK BY PROVIDING TRAINING, MENTORING, FELLOWSHIPS OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT IN THE FIVE KEY AREAS: MEDIA INNOVATION, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM, CRITICAL-ISSUES REPORTING, FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY AND RESEARCH AND RESOURCES.
  2. $867,198 spent. ICFJ'S KNIGHT INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO INSTILL A CULTURE OF NEWS INNOVATION AND EXPERIMENTATION WORLDWIDE. THE GOAL IS TO SEED NEW IDEAS AND SERVICES THAT DEEPEN COVERAGE, EXPAND NEWS DELIVERY AND ENGAGE CITIZENS IN THE EDITORIAL PROCESS. FUNDED BY THE JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION, FELLOWS BUILD ON PAST SUCCESSES IN THE KNIGHT PROGRAM, WHICH HAS A STRONG RECORD OF ACHIEVING IMPACT. THEY WORK IN COUNTRIES WHERE THERE IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE THE NEWS MEDIA OF THE FUTURE. WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION, KNIGHT FELLOWS ARE EMPOWERING JOURNALISTS IN INDIA TO USE THE LATEST DIGITAL TOOLS TO TELL COMPELLING STORIES ON HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES.
  3. $677,979 spent. IJNET DELIVERS THE LATEST ON GLOBAL MEDIA INNOVATION, NEWS APPS AND TOOLS, TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPERT ADVICE FOR PROFESSIONAL AND EMERGING JOURNALISTS WORLDWIDE. PRODUCED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR JOURNALISTS, IJNET FOLLOWS THE SHIFTING JOURNALISM SCENE FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE IN EIGHT LANGUAGES - ARABIC, CHINESE, ENGLISH, FRENCH, PERSIAN, PORTUGUESE, RUSSIAN AND SPANISH.
  4. $521,747 spent. ICFJ'S COMMUNICATIONS TEAM OF STAFF AND CONSULTANT EDITORS AND CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AROUND THE WORLD PROVIDES JOURNALISTS WITH EXPERTISE TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL COVERAGE OF CRITICAL GLOBAL ISSUES OF LOCAL IMPORTANCE. THE PAMELA HOWARD FORUM ON GLOBAL CRISIS REPORTING PROVIDES REGULAR WEBINAR PROGRAMMING ON URGENT ISSUES OF THE DAY IN FIVE LANGUAGES.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since April 1985.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.