Catchlight
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
CatchLight is a hybrid nonprofit media organization combining the practices of art, journalism and social justice. We are a transformational force, urgently bringing resources and organizations together to nurture and grow a thriving visual ecosystem. We leverage the power of visuals to inform, connect and transform communities.
- Income
- $3.7 million
- Spending
- $3.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 77%
- Reserves
- 0.6 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 91%
- Employees
- 14
- Volunteers
- 10
- Highest pay
- $336,440, 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
Fair: 69 out of 100. Higher than 45% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
4 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 0.6 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 7% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 11% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 19% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1577% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 10 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 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 12 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 (3)
- $1.5 million spent. CatchLight's Local Program works to build a local news ecosystem that is thriving in communities across the US, where everyone sees themselves represented in their local media, and where social cohesion and trust is rebuilt. Our approach to this work is three-pronged: We partner with newsrooms through a collaborative Visual Desk, offering customized visual services, tools, mentorship, and support to strengthen newsrooms capacity to serve as trusted messengers in their communities; We advance trust and representation in local journalism by placing high-quality, community-driven photojournalists in local newsrooms throughout the US; and We convene the public like-minded people across media, academia, technology, and the arts to foster a robust and inclusive community to deepen critical thought, imagine new ways to leverage visuals for connection, and inspire action. In 2024, through the Visual Desk we supported the production of 1,114 local news stories, collectively reaching an audience of more than 546,000 people each month. Our Local Fellows and newsroom partners continued to push the boundaries of visual storytelling, earning nine awards and twelve nominations for their work. We expanded our reach and training efforts through 10 educational workshops attended by over 200 journalists, and through public programs that brought together more than 1,500 people to engage directly with the power of visual journalism.
- $746,542 spent. On April 27, 2024, CatchLight held its 5th annual Visual Storytelling Summit, our signature event connecting artists, innovators, and audiences. Our theme was "Seeing Truths," reflecting the unique power of photography, visual journalism, and creative practices can have to help usher a return to critical thinking. The goal of the Summit is to build an inclusive network, centering CatchLight and our partners as leaders in a relevant, future-facing, diverse, inclusive, and community-building space. As always, the Summit was free and open to the public, inviting audiences of all kinds to connect with a global community of visual storytellers, media, and technology leaders. The event sold out three weeks after the launch and exceeded our targets-and last year's numbers-with 450 registrants and 300 attendees. This year's Summit gathered leaders using photography, art, film, and technology to discuss how the rise of synthetic images undermines our ability to trust what we see and what the role of visual storytellers and journalists is in ushering a return to critical thinking and cooperation.
- $297,684 spent. The CatchLight Global Fellowship supports innovative leaders leveraging visual storytelling to inspire human connection and ignite social change by providing two-year grants for long-form storytelling projects. Since 2017, CatchLight has awarded $30,000 to 26 innovative visual storytellers covering a multitude of topics from all over the world. From working with Indigenous women fighting to defend their land and promote rainforest conservation in Ecuador to documenting the racial divide and reclamation of Black history more than 100 years after a race massacre in Elaine, Arkansas, to recording the civilian experiences of war in eastern Ukraine, CatchLight 2024 Global Fellows Harlan Bozeman, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, and Johanna Alarcon are leaders who are leveraging the power of visual storytelling to inform the world, connect and transform their communities.
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 October 13, 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 January 2011.
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 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.