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Wnet

EIN 26-2810489 · New York, NY

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood76 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

WNET IS A MULTI-MEDIA PUBLIC SERVICE NON-PROFIT THAT DELIVERS LIFELONG LEARNING AND MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES TO OUR COMMUNITIES. OUR CONTENT INSPIRES CURIOSITY, ENCOURAGES ACTION AND NURTURES DREAMS.

Income
$119.1 million
Spending
$124.3 million
Spent on programs
66%
Reserves
9.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 62%
Employees
630
Volunteers
45
Highest pay
$851,834, president, ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 76 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, over $100m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 9.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 6% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 4% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 14% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    66% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 19 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 31% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, over $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    30 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 June 30, 2025, 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. $52.9 million spent. NATIONAL AND LOCAL PROGRAM SERVICES: THROUGH THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC, WLIW LLC, INTERACTIVE ENGAGEMENT GROUP LLC, AUDIO ENTERPRISE GROUP LLC, PUBLIC MEDIA NEW JERSEY, INC., WNET PRODUCES BOTH NATIONAL AND LOCAL TELEVISION AND RADIO PROGRAMMING OF THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE QUALITY FOR DISTRIBUTION TO OTHER PUBLIC BROADCASTING STATIONS INCLUDING THIRTEEN. WLIW HAS APPROXIMATELY 22,000 MEMBERS, PUBLIC MEDIA NJ, INC. HAS APPROXIMATELY 15,000 MEMBERS, AND THIRTEEN HAS APPROXIMATELY 216,000 MEMBERS.
  2. $27.2 million spent. TELEVISION BROADCAST STATION AND OPERATIONS: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS PROVIDES THE TRANSMISSION OF THE BROADCAST SIGNAL WITHIN THE NEW YORK CITY TELEVISION MARKET. DURING THE 2024/2025 FISCAL YEAR ON A 24-HOUR DAILY SCHEDULE, WNET BROADCASTS OVER 78,800 HOURS TO THE NEW YORK CITY MARKET ON STATIONS WNET AND WLIW. RADIO BROADCAST STATION OPERATIONS: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS PROVIDES THE TRANSMISSION OF THE RADIO BROADCAST SIGNAL WITHIN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN LONG ISLAND MARKET, DURING THE 2024/2025 FISCAL YEAR ON A 24-HOUR DAILY SCHEDULE,WLIW FM BROADCASTS TO OVER 350,000 LISTENERS ON WLIW-FM AND W245BA.
  3. $1.7 million spent. EDUCATION: WNET PRODUCES A RANGE OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING TARGETED FOR THE FULL RANGE OF OUR AUDIENCE, INCLUDING PRE-K THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, AS WELL AS FOR LIFE-LONG LEARNERS. THIS INCLUDES ORIGINAL EDUCATIONAL VIDEO AND GAME-BASED PROGRAMMING THAT DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF MATH, SCIENCE, FOUNDATIONAL READING, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING SKILLS FOR OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS. DURING THE YEAR, WNET AND THIRTEEN BROADCAST OVER 21,000 HOURS OF INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMMING. IN ADDITION,WNETS EDUCATION TEAM SUPPORTS THIS PROGRAMMING WITH THE CREATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF DIGITAL CURRICULUM RESOURCES THROUGH ITS WEB-BASED PBS LEARNING MEDIA SERVICE, WITH OVER 825,000 NEW YORK STATE USERS IN FISCAL 2025, THE DELIVERY OF ORIGINAL MEDIA-BASED EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS IMPACTING THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN, STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND CAREGIVERS, AND THE DELIVERY OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO THOUSANDS OF EDUCATORS PARTICIPATING IN LOCAL AND NATIONAL TRAININGS .

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.

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

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since March 2009.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 21, 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.