The Minnesota Daily
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 264 cents.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
1. PROVIDE INDEPENDENT STUDENT JOURNALISM AND COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE OF NEWS, MEDIA AND EVENTS THAT SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND INFORM THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA COMMUNITY.2. OFFER A FORUM FOR THE FREE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND CIVIL DEBATE FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY.3. TRAIN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS, TEACH BEST PRACTICES AND OPERATE AN ETHICAL ORGANIZATION IN ALL AREAS OF JOURNALISM AND THE MEDIA INDUSTRY.4. OPERATE A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATION THAT ENSURES ITS VIABILITY AS AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT MEDIA COMPANY THAT CONTINUALLY SERVES THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY.5. SUPPORT EQUITY, INCLUSIVITY AND REPRESENTATION IN THE WORKPLACE, APPROPRIATELY RESPOND TO THE DIVERSE AND CHANGING NEEDS OF THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY AND CONTINUALLY BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ORGANIZATIONS.
- Income
- $1.5 million
- Spending
- $1.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 56%
- Reserves
- 8.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 93%
- Employees
- 130
- Volunteers
- 12
- Highest pay
- $102,344, director of sales
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 78 out of 100.
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 8.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 13% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 4% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 14% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1557% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 264 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 75 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 12 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give 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 August 31, 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 (1)
- $798,202 spent. THE MINNESOTA DAILY IS THE STUDENT-RUN NEWS ORGANIZATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. IT PUBLISHES ONLINE AT MNDAILY.COM. IT ALSO PUBLISHES SPECIAL SECTIONS SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. WITH ONLINE TRAFFIC AVERAGING OVER 200,000 USERS PER MONTH, AS WELL AS A STRONG SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING, THE DAILY PROVIDES NEWS AND INFORMATION TO 54,900 STUDENTS, 23,700 FACULTY/STAFF, AND THOUSANDS OF ALUMNI, PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS, PARENTS, SPORTS FANS AND OTHERS.OVER 130 STUDENTS ARE EMPLOYED IN THE NEWS, ADVERTISING, BUSINESS, DISTRIBUTION, MARKETING AND FINANCE DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING ALL MAJOR LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. THIS PROVIDES TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE FOR UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA STUDENTS IN ALL MAJORS IN ALL ASPECTS OF JOURNALISM AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 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 August 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 March 1990.
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.