The Paley Center for Media
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O.
- Income
- $17.2 million
- Spending
- $21.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 67%
- Reserves
- 32.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 74%
- Employees
- 173
- Volunteers
- 0
- Highest pay
- $916,044, president & ceo
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
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 32.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 2% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 22% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 1% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1567% 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 34% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2562 of 63 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports 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)
- $8.5 million spent. PUBLIC PROGRAMS: THE PALEY CENTER'S HIGHLY REGARDED PUBLIC PROGRAMS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, EXHIBITS AND SCREENINGS EXPLORE THE EVOLVING ROLE OF MEDIA ACROSS ALL GENRES AND PLATFORMS IN SHAPING CULTURAL AND CIVIC AFFAIRS AND CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC DISCOURSE. PROGRAMS DRAW FROM OUR INCOMPARABLE ARCHIVE TO CONTEXTUALIZE ISSUES AND THE CURRENT ZEITGEIST. PROGRAM SERIES INCLUDE PALEYLIVE SCREENINGS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH NOTED WRITERS, PRODUCERS, ACTORS, AND PRODUCERS; PALEYIMPACT DISCUSSIONS EXAMINING HOW MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY CHANGE PERSPECTIVES AND UNDERSTANDING OF CRITICAL ISSUES; EXHIBITS AND EXPERIENCES, IMMERSIVE EVENTS, AND SCREENINGS, WHICH ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC; AND PALEYFEST ANNUAL TELEVISION FESTIVALS FEATURING SCREENINGS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CASTS AND CREATORS OF HIGHLY ACCLAIMED SERIES. THE PALEY CENTER CONVENES NOTED THOUGHT LEADERS, CONTENT CREATORS, WRITERS, PERFORMERS, PRODUCERS, AND MEDIA INNOVATORS TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC PROGRAMS. DURING 2024, THE PALEY CENTER RELEASED WEEKLY SCREENINGS, PRODUCED OVER 50 PUBLIC EVENTS AND EXHIBITS ATTRACTING TENS OF MILLIONS OF VIEWERS ON THE PALEY CENTER'S WEBSITE, YOUTUBE CHANNEL, AND OTHER VIRTUAL MEANS.
- $2.3 million spent. INDUSTRY PROGRAMS: THE PALEY CENTER OFFERS PROGRAMMING FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS, PROVIDING A NEUTRAL SETTING WHERE THEY MAY ENGAGE IN DISCUSSION AND DEBATE ABOUT THE EVOLVING MEDIA LANDSCAPE. OUR MEDIA COUNCIL IS AN INVITATION-ONLY COMMUNITY FOR MEDIA EXECUTIVES AND PROVIDES AN INDEPENDENT FORUM FOR INDUSTRY LEADERS TO EXPLORE THE EVOLVING WAYS IN WHICH WE CREATE, CONSUME, AND CONNECT THROUGH MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY. FEATURING CANDID CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BEST MINDS OF THE INDUSTRY, THE MEDIA COUNCIL OFFERS EVENTS COVERING THE FULL SPECTRUM OF MEDIA BUSINESSES, INCLUDING PALEYDIALOGUES, ROUNDTABLE BREAKFASTS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, AND INTERACTIVE CONVERSATIONS COVERING THE INDUSTRY'S MOST PRESSING ISSUES, AND PALEY NEXT BIG THING, WHICH PAIRS SEASONED EXECUTIVES WITH EMERGING ENTREPRENEURS. DURING 2024, THE PALEY CENTER HELD 10 MEDIA COUNCIL EVENTS, SERVING THOUSANDS OF ATTENDEES. THE PALEY CENTER'S INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL SUMMIT, AN ACCLAIMED ANNUAL EVENT, BRINGS TOGETHER CEOS AND THOUGHT LEADERS TO ADVANCE THE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS ON CRITICAL ISSUES AND THEIR IMPACT ON SOCIETY. INFORMAL AND ORGANIZED DISCUSSIONS COVER A WIDE RANGE OF CRITICAL ISSUES THAT DEFINE THE MEDIA INDUSTRY AND ITS ROLE IN SOCIETY. IN 2024, THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL CONVENED IN-PERSON WITH OVER 350 PARTICIPANTS.
- $2.0 million spent. COLLECTION: THE PALEY CENTER'S PERMANENT MEDIA COLLECTION INCLUDES OVER 150,000 TELEVISION AND RADIO PROGRAMS AND ADVERTISEMENTS FROM 70 COUNTRIES. CURRENTLY, THE PUBLIC MAY VIEW OVER 49,432 HOURS OF DIGITIZED PROGRAMS IN OUR ON-SITE LIBRARY, WHICH FEATURES PERSONAL COMPUTERS FROM WHICH THE DATABASE MAY BE ACCESSED VIA A USER-FRIENDLY DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. THE PALEY CENTER RECEIVES DONATIONS TO THE ARCHIVE TO PRESERVE AND PROMOTE WIDER PUBLIC ACCESS TO CULTURALLY AND HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT MATERIAL. DONATIONS COME FROM VARIOUS SOURCES-TELEVISION NETWORKS, CABLE TV, INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION COMPANIES, LOCAL RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS, VARIOUS ACADEMIES OR ORGANIZATIONS WITH SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, INDIVIDUALS WITH PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS. WE ASSESS PROPOSED CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THEIR HISTORICAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE. ALL ORIGINAL MATERIAL IS STORED OFFSITE IN A STATE-OF-THE ART ARCHIVAL FACILITY. DIGITIZED MASTERS ARE ALSO STORED AT THIS SECURE FACILITY. DIGITIZED COPIES ARE ALSO PRODUCED FOR ONSITE ACCESS. ALL MATERIAL IS CATALOGED AS PART OF THE GENERAL COLLECTION AND SOME ARE ADDED TO SPECIAL COLLECTIONS. IN 2024, THE PALEY CENTER ADDED 143 PROGRAMS TO ITS COLLECTION, ENCOMPASSING TELEVISION, RADIO, ADVERTISEMENTS, PALEY CENTER ORIGINAL CONTENT, AND NOW NEW MEDIA AS WELL.
- $1.3 million spent. OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES:THE PALEY CENTER'S EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR K-12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS UTILIZE THE PALEY CENTER ARCHIVE TO BUILD PARTICIPANTS' ANALYTICAL THINKING, VIEWING, AND LISTENING SKILLS AND TO DEEPEN STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF MEDIA AS A POWERFUL TOOL TO PERSUADE AND INFORM. CLASSES FOR STUDENTS EXAMINE MEDIA'S SHAPING INFLUENCE ON HISTORIC AND CONTEMPORARY EVENTS AND ITS UNIQUE POWER TO EDUCATE AND ENGAGE AUDIENCES. ALL EDUCATION CLASSES ARE ALIGNED WITH STATE AND LOCAL STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND VISUAL ARTS. DURING CLASSES, STUDENTS VIEW A CURATED SELECTION OF CLIPS FROM THE ARCHIVE TO EXAMINE MEDIA'S COVERAGE OF AND IMPACT ON A PARTICULAR ERA OR THEME, SUCH AS THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, THE COLD WAR, ACTIVISM, AND PORTRAYALS OF WOMEN ON TELEVISION. EDUCATORS THEN GUIDE AN INQUIRY-BASED DISCUSSION WHERE STUDENTS ARE ASKED TO CRITICALLY EVALUATE THE CONTENT THEY HAVE VIEWED AND TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE-BASED RESPONSES. EDUCATORS SPEAK ABOUT TECHNIQUES USED TO CONSTRUCT A NARRATIVE, VISUAL AND AUDITORY CLUES, AND COMPARE AND CONTRACT TECHNIQUES ACROSS DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, EXAMINING THEM FOR PURPOSE AND EFFECT. TO REINFORCE LEARNING AND INTEGRATE IT WITH CLASSROOM CURRICULUM, TEACHERS RECEIVE PRE- AND POST-VISIT MATERIALS THAT COVER KEY VOCABULARY, DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, AND INCLUDE SUGGESTED CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES TO EXTEND THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE. CLASSES AND ONLINE RESOURCES ARE DESIGNED TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR A 21ST CENTURY DIGITAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.EACH YEAR, OUR EDUCATORS LEAD OVER 150 MEDIA LITERACY CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS SERVING MORE THAN 5,000 K-12 SCHOOL CHILDREN AND EDUCATORS. CLASSES ARE ADJUSTED ACCORDING TO GRADE LEVEL, COVER A BROAD RANGE OF SUBJECTS, AND INCORPORATE GUIDED DISCUSSION TO ENCOURAGE ACTIVE OBSERVATION AND CRITICAL THINKING. OVER 80% OF STUDENTS SERVED COME FROM NEW YORK CITY.
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
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 October 13, 2026.
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 November 6, 2026.
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 October 13, 2026.
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 October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since June 1975.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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 November 4, 2026.
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