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Wqed Multimedia

EIN 25-1010296 · Pittsburgh, PA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood79 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

WQED MULTIMEDIA (WQED) CHAMPIONS COMMUNITIES ACROSS SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA BY TELLING STORIES AND CREATING EXPERIENCES THAT EDUCATE, ENTERTAIN AND INSPIRE OUR NEIGHBORS.

Income
$13.2 million
Spending
$13.7 million
Spent on programs
62%
Reserves
8.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 49%
Employees
143
Volunteers
25
Highest pay
$218,100, financial officer (exit 01/12/24)

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 79 out of 100. Higher than 56% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 8.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 7% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 4% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 3% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    61% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 32 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 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 25

    22 of 23 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 September 30, 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 (3)
  1. $5.3 million spent. TELEVISION:WQED MULTIMEDIA OPERATES FIVE LINEAR TELEVISION CHANNELS: WQED-TV (PBS), WQED WORLD, WQED CREATE, WQED SHOWCASE, AND PBS KIDS.IN FY24, WQED CREATED AND DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN 100 ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS, INCLUDING SEVERAL SIGNATURE DOCUMENTARIES SUCH AS "BEYOND THE CANVAS: THE CARNEGIE INTERNATIONAL," "HOPE AND HEALING: THE CHILDREN'S INSTITUTE OF PITTSBURGH," "THE GREEN BOOK: DRIVING THROUGH HISTORY, AND "EQUITY ON ICE: THE WILLIE O'REE ACADEMY."**SEE SCHEDULE O FOR CONTINUATION**WE EVOLVED OUR STORYTELLING PHILOSOPHY TO ALIGN WITH OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES. WE'RE COMMITTED TO ENSURING ALL AUDIENCES SEE THEMSELVES REFLECTED IN OUR CONTENT, AND MAKING SURE OUR PROGRAMS UPLIFT AND SHOWCASE THE STORIES AND VOICES THAT MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES UNIQUE.GIVEN OUR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE TO REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF THE MANY COMMUNITIES WE SERVE, WE JOURNEYED FROM "A SOULFUL TASTE OF THE 'BURGH" TO THE BEAVER FALLS CAR CRUISE AND THE CANONSBURG FOURTH OF JULY PARADE. A NEW SERIES, "AUTHENTIC LIVES," CELEBRATED POSITIVE STORIES ABOUT PITTSBURGH'S LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY, FROM ARTISTS TO ENTREPRENEURS. SUPPORTING OUR OBJECTIVE TO MEANINGFULLY ENGAGE MORE NEIGHBORS, WE PROUDLY BRANCHED OUT AND WENT "OFF THE BEATEN PATH" WITH STORIES PROFILING AN INTER-GENERATIONAL WOMEN'S BOCCE LEAGUE IN MORNINGSIDE AND THE FORAGING EFFORTS OF THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA MUSHROOM CLUB. WE ALSO SET OUT TO EXPERIMENT WITH NEW FORMATS AND CREATED 'SNACKABLE' VERTICAL VIDEOS DESIGNED FOR SOCIAL MEDIA. THESE FEATURED THE BROOKLINE HALLOWEEN PARADE, DJ MIKE'S MUSIC EMPORIUM, FRZY WITH THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, LIGHT UP NIGHT IN RESERVE TOWNSHIP, AND THE RESTORATION OF THE DENIS THEATRE IN MT. LEBANON. WE WRAPPED UP THE FIRST SEASON OF RICK SEBAK'S "GUMBANDS" PODCAST, KICKING OFF A NEW SERIES, "LUCKY TO LIVE IN PITTSBURGH," WITH A DELICIOUS VISIT TO BADAMO'S PIZZA. EACH PRODUCTION REMINDED US WHY WE'RE PROUD TO LIVE AND WORK IN SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA: FROM OUR VIBRANT AND WORLD-RENOWNED ART SCENE, THE PHILANTHROPY SET IN MOTION BY OUR GREAT-GRANDPARENTS, OUR SMITHSONIAN-AFFILIATED HISTORY CENTER, AND HOW OUR PRO SPORTS TEAMS PARTNER WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES TO INVEST IN OUR REGION'S YOUTH.
  2. $2.0 million spent. EDUCATION:WQED'S LEARNING NEIGHBORHOODS BRING TOGETHER SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONNECTION. BY FOSTERING COLLABORATION, WE BUILD VITAL BRIDGES THAT SUPPORT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, STRENGTHENING ENTIRE COMMUNITIES.**SEE SCHEDULE O FOR CONTINUATION**IN FY24, WQED WORKED WITH 51 LIBRARY PARTNERS, 59 COMMUNITY PARTNERS, 94 SCHOOL PARTNERS AND SERVED 37,779 UNIQUE STUDENTS WITH FREE, EFFECTIVE, AND ACCESSIBLE RESOURCES REACHING CHILDREN WHEREVER THEY LEARN, LIVE, AND PLAY.WQED'S PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES EXTEND TO JUNIOR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EXPLORING MEDIA CAREERS THROUGH THE WQED CREATOR ACADEMY, WHICH TEACHES STORYTELLING, CAMERA, AUDIO, LIGHTING, AND EDITING SKILLS. THE CREATOR ACADEMY OFFERS PROFESSIONAL PATHWAYS SUPPORTING A GROWING INDUSTRY OF DIVERSE FILMMAKERS AND DIGITAL STORYTELLERS ACROSS SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA.
  3. $1.2 million spent. RADIO:WQED MULTIMEDIA OPERATES CLASSICAL WQED-FM 89.3/PITTSBURGH, SIMULCAST ON WQEJ-FM 89.7/JOHNSTOWN, ALONG WITH THE PITTSBURGH CONCERT CHANNEL, A 24/7 HD RADIO STATION FEATURING COMPLETE CONCERTS BY THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. WQED OFFERS A VARIETY OF PODCASTS, INCLUDING "THE VOICE OF THE ARTS," A VITAL PLATFORM WHICH AMPLIFIES SOUTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA'S VIBRANT AND DIVERSE CULTURAL ASSETS: MUSICIANS, DANCERS, ARTISTS, ACTORS, DIRECTORS AND MORE. ON WEEKDAYS, LOCAL ARTS PROGRAMMING ON WQED-FM AND WQEJ-FM IS HOSTED LIVE BY JIM CUNNINGHAM (6-10AM) AND ANNA SINGER (2-6PM).**SEE SCHEDULE O FOR CONTINUATION**IN FY24, WE ADDED GOPRO CAMERAS TO OUR FM STUDIO, ENABLING US TO CAPTURE INTERVIEWS AND CONVERSATIONS FROM OUR VOICE OF THE ARTS PODCAST AND SHARE THEM ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 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 September 2025.

    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 November 1954.

    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.