Food and Environment Reporting Network
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
FERN SEEKS TO MAKE THE FOOD SYSTEM MORE SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE THROUGH POWERFUL JOURNALISM AND STORYTELLING.
- Income
- $1.3 million
- Spending
- $1.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 79%
- Reserves
- -1.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 92%
- Employees
- 10
- Volunteers
- 4
- Highest pay
- $148,464, editor-in-chief
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
Weak: 41 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 17% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 15% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 1% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1579% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 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 74% of charities in its peer group (food and agriculture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 254 of 5 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 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 (2)
- $1.1 million spent. THE FOOD & ENVIRONMENT REPORTING NETWORK CONTINUES TO DEMONSTRATE AN ABILITY TO DELIVER SMART, POWERFUL JOURNALISM THAT HELPS DEFINE, AND OFTEN LEADS, THE MEDIA COVERAGE OF ITS AREAS OF FOCUS. DURING THE GRANT YEAR TO DATE, FERN HAS PUBLISHED FOURTEEN LONG-FORM EXPLANATORY OR INVESTIGATIVE STORIES, SIX AUDIO PROJECTS, EIGHT REPORTED OPINION PIECES, AND ONE MULTI-PART SPECIAL SERIES; THAT WORK HAS BEEN DONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH 23 OUTLETS, INCLUDING THE NEW YORK TIMES, BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK, THE WASHINGTON POST, POLITICO, MOTHER JONES, AND INVERSE, AMONG OTHERS.DURING THE FISCAL YEAR, WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR AUDIO PRODUCTION, THANKS IN LARGE PART TO AN INCREASED CAPACITY FOR PRODUCING FINISHED AUDIO. THESE STORIES ARE DONE WITH THE SAME RIGOROUS, HIGH-IMPACT REPORTING TECHNIQUES WE BRING TO OUR TEXT ARTICLES. WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH PODCASTS, NPR FLAGSHIP PROGRAMS, AND NPR AFFILIATES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY FOR THIS WORK. WE SEE THIS AS A COMPELLING MEANS TO INCREASE THE REACH AND IMPACT OF OUR JOURNALISM.BUZZKILL, FERN'S SECOND LIMITED-SERIES PODCAST DISTRIBUTED BY PRX, WAS COMPLETED AND RELEASED IN JANUARY 2025. ACROSS SEVEN EPISODES, BUZZKILL EXPLORES THE POLLINATOR CRISIS, WHY IT MATTERS AND HOW WE CAN FIX IT. TERESA COTSIRILOS, FERN'S OWN AWARD-WINNING STAFF REPORTER, HOSTS THE SERIES. EPISODE REPORTERS INCLUDED ROWAN JACOBSEN, DAN CHARLES, EVE ABRAMS, ELLIOTT WOODS, AND BRIDGET HUBER. EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ADIZAH EGHAN, FORMERLY OF VICE MEDIA AND THE NEW YORK TIMES, OVERSAW THE PRODUCTION WITH FERN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF THEODORE ROSS, AND ALYSSA JEONG PERRY, FORMERLY OF NPR'S RADIOLAB, WAS SENIOR PRODUCER. TO DATE, THE PODCAST HAS NEARLY 40,000 DOWNLOADS AND WAS FEATURED PROMINENTLY ON BOTH APPLE PODCASTS AND NPR ONE PODCAST APPS. ITS PERFORMANCE PUTS IT IN THE TOP 5% OF ACTIVE PODCASTS, WHILE IT PEAKED AT #26 ON THE APPLE PODCASTS DOCUMENTARY CATEGORY. TO COMMEMORATE BUZZKILL'S RELEASE, FERN HOSTED A PANEL DISCUSSION ON URBAN BEEKEEPING AT NEW YORK CITY'S CIVIC HALL FOR AN AUDIENCE OF NEARLY 100. THE PANEL INCLUDED REBECCA LOUIE OF THE BEE CONSERVANCY, SARA HOBEL OF THE NEW YORK HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, AND TERESA COTSIRILOS, BUZZKILL'S HOST, AND WAS MODERATED BY FORMER COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW'S EXECUTIVE EDITOR SEWELL CHAN. THE CONVERSATION WAS SO COMPELLING THAT WE RELEASED IT AS A BONUS SEVENTH EPISODE OF THE PODCAST.TO SUPPORT BUZZKILL, WE ALSO REVAMPED OUR EXISTING PODCAST FEED, WHICH WE HAD CREATED FOR THE HOT FARM PODCAST SERIES. WE CHANGED THE NAME TO "REAP/SOW: DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINES OF FOOD, FARMING, AND THE ENVIRONMENT, AND ESTABLISHED IT AS FERN'S DEDICATED PODCAST CHANNEL, THE HOME FOR ALL OUR AUDIO WORK, WHETHER LIMITED SERIES, ONE-OFF PODCAST EPISODES, RADIO REPORTS, OR OTHER ITEMS.FERN ALSO INTRODUCED A NEW PODCAST CALLED FORKED, AN INSIDER'S LOOK AT THE POLITICS AND POLICY TURNING THE AMERICAN FOOD SYSTEM ON ITS HEAD. HOSTS THEODORE ROSS (FERN'S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF) AND HELENA BOTTEMILLER EVICH (FOOD FIX) OFFER AN ENGAGING AND CONVERSATIONAL ROUNDUP OF CURRENT POLICY DEVELOPMENTS IN FOOD AND FARMING, MAKING IMPORTANT BELTWAY NEWS ACCESSIBLE TO A CONCERNED, CONNECTED, BUT MAINSTREAM AUDIENCE. THIS IS A SHOW FOR ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT WHAT THEY EAT AND WHERE THEIR FOOD COMES FROM.FERN FURTHER EXPANDED ITS SPECIAL SERIES PACKAGES, FIRST INTRODUCED WITH A FARM BILL SERIES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MOTHER JONES THAT WON A JAMES BEARD AWARD FOR CRITICISM. THIS KIND OF FEATURE ALLOWS US TO COVER A COMPLICATED SUBJECT FROM A RANGE OF ANGLES AND PERSPECTIVES IN SHORTER PIECES WITH DIFFERENT WRITERS. WE FOLLOWED THE FARM BILL SERIES WITH A 2024 SERIES ON FOOD WASTE WITH INVERSE, A DIGITAL CULTURE AND SCIENCE NEWS SITE FROM THE BUSTLE MEDIA GROUP, AND IN 2025 WE PRODUCED ANOTHER SERIES WITH INVERSE LOOKING AT ULTRAPROCESSED FOODS.A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THIS APPROACH COMES IN OUR "TROUBLE ON THE LINE" SERIES ABOUT HAITIAN IMMIGRANT WORKERS AT THE JBS MEATPACKING PLANT IN GREELEY, COLORADO. IT WAS PUBLISHED AS AN OP-ED WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES, ANOTHER OP-ED IN POLITICO, A LONGFORM TEXT PIECE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MOTHER JONES, AN EPISODE OF THE REVEAL PODCAST, AND A RADIO FEATURE WITH HARVEST PUBLIC MEDIA WITH MORE COMPONENTS IN PRODUCTION.BUT EVEN OUR SPECIAL SERIES WITH INVERSE ON ULTRAPROCESSED FOODS ALLOWED US TO EXPERIMENT WITH FORMAT AND AUDIENCE. A Q&A WITH LEGENDARY NUTRITIONIST MARION NESTLE WAS PUBLISHED AS A TEXT ARTICLE, A PODCAST EPISODE ON REAP/SOW, AND AS A YOUTUBE VIDEO. AND IN A FIRST FOR FERN, WE WORKED WITH CORY BRADFORD, A SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT CREATOR, ON FOUR SHORT VIDEOS INSPIRED BY OUR ARTICLES FOR TIKTOK AND INSTAGRAM WHICH COMBINED RECEIVED NEARLY 150,000 VIEWS.FERN WON SEVERAL AWARDS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR, FERN WON A 2025 JAMES BEARD AWARD IN THE CRITICISM AND NEWSLETTERS CATEGORY FOR THREE ARTICLES IN ITS FARM BILL SERIES PUBLISHED WITH MOTHER JONES. AN ADDITIONAL FIVE FERN STORIES RECEIVED NOMINATIONS FOR 2025 JAMES BEARD MEDIA AWARDS ACROSS 3 CATEGORIES: FOODWAYS, HEALTH AND WELLNESS, AND THE CRAIG CLAIBORNE DISTINGUISHED CRITICISM AWARD. FERN WAS NOMINATED FOR A 2025 NATIONAL MAGAZINE AWARD FOR FEATURE WRITING FOR MYA FRAZIER'S "POWER FAILURE" WITH SWITCHYARD. THIS STORY WAS ALSO THE WINNER OF A 2025 CCNOW JOURNALISM AWARD. FERN WON A SOCIETY FOR PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS NORCAL EXPLANATORY JOURNALISM AWARD FOR TERESA COTSIRILOS' AUDIO STORY ON AN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY'S FIGHT FOR ITS WATER IN CALIFORNIA. FERN WAS NAMED A FINALIST FOR THE INSTITUTE OF NONPROFIT NEWS'S INSIGHT AWARD FOR EXPLANATORY JOURNALISM, FOR "REDFISH BLUES," A PODCAST EPISODE ON ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS TO THE REDFISH POPULATION ON THE LOUISIANA GULF COAST, PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WWNO'S SEA CHANGE PODCAST WHILE BUZZKILL WAS ALSO NOMINATED FOR AN INSIGHT AWARD FOR EXPLANATORY JOURNALISM FROM THE INSTITUTE FOR NONPROFIT NEWS.
- $61,577 spent. WE PRODUCED DOZENS OF ORIGINAL REPORTED PIECES FOR OUR FERN'S AG INSIDER POLICY NEWS SERVICE DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE FISCAL YEAR. TOPICS THAT RECEIVED EXTENSIVE COVERAGE THIS YEAR INCLUDED CLIMATE POLICY, CALIFORNIA WATER ISSUES, AND FOOD ACCESS POLICY. HOWEVER, AS OF JANUARY 2025, CHUCK ABBOTT, AG INSIDER'S CREATOR AND EDITOR, RETIRED, AND AFTER 10 YEARS, ORIGINAL REPORTING FOR AG INSIDER, WHICH HAS SERVED AN AUDIENCE OF POLICYMAKERS, ADVOCATES, AND EXPERTS WITH REPORTING ON AGRICULTURE AND FOOD POLICY, WAS TERMINATED. FERN CONTINUES TO MAINTAIN A FULL, FREE, SEARCHABLE ARCHIVE OF OUR DECADE OF AG INSIDER REPORTING AS A RESOURCE TO THE PUBLIC.
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
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 June 2025.
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 July 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.