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Community Media Center of Carroll County Inc

EIN 52-2295886 · Westminster, MD

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood82 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE MISSION OF THE COMMUNITY MEDIA CENTER IS TO PROVIDE INNOVATIVE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND CONTENT TO INFORM, ENGAGE AND CONNECT THE MANY VOICES AND INTERESTS OF OUR COMMUNITIES.

Income
$1.4 million
Spending
$1.5 million
Spent on programs
71%
Reserves
6.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 88%
Employees
32
Volunteers
15
Highest pay
$155,504, executive di

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: 82 out of 100. Higher than 64% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 6.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 9% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 10% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 4% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    71% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 4 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 65% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    11 of 11 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 (1)
  1. $1.1 million spent. IN FY25 THE COMMUNITY MEDIA CENTER (CMC) WORKED TO INCREASE THE QUALITY, ENGAGEMENT AND EFFICIENCY OF OUR CONTENT PRODUCTION AND BUILD PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, SCHOOLS AND MEMBERS WHILE FOCUSING ON BEING GOOD STEWARDS OF OUR RESOURCES. THE COMMUNITY MEDIA CENTER AIRED 429 ORIGINAL PROGRAMS ON CABLE CHANNEL HD-1072 RESULTING IN A TOTAL OF 323 PROGRAMMING HOURS. CMC'S LOCAL SPORTS COVERAGE, CENTRAL MARYLAND SPORTS NETWORK BRANDED AS CMSPORTSNET, CONSTITUTED 280 OF THOSE ORIGINAL PROGRAMS, GENERATING 189 TOTAL HOURS OF LOCAL SPORTS PROGRAMMING. CABLE CHANNEL 19 AIRED 106 PROGRAMS THAT WERE COMMUNITY PRODUCED OR SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR A TOTAL OF 86 PROGRAMMING HOURS CHANNEL 23 AIRED 235 ORIGINAL PROGRAMS FOR A TOTAL OF 234 HOURS OF PROGRAMMING THIS IS A 21% INCREASE IN COVERAGE COMPARED TO FY24 AND 10% INCREASE IN TOTAL PROGRAMMING HOURS INTEREST IN CMC'S ONLINE CONTENT GREW ACROSS MULTIPLE PLATFORMS. IN FEBRUARY 2025, THE CMC LAUNCHED A NEW WEBSITE. THE GOAL WAS TO CREATE A ROBUST WEB CONTENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTION THAT USES CURRENT TECHNOLOGY, AT A LOWER COST TO MAINTAIN, INCLUDING SUBSEQUENT UPGRADES, AND WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A ROBUST COMMUNITY OF ACTIVE CONTRIBUTORS TOWARD CODE ENHANCEMENT, LIBRARIES AND TEMPLATES. CMC'S WEBSITE (HTTPS://WWW.CARROLLMEDIACENTER.ORG/) HAD 65,000 VIEWS AND 26,694 USERS IN FY25. THIS IS A 16% INCREASE IN VIEWS OVER FY24. THERE WERE 59,643 VISITS TO CMC'S FACEBOOK PAGE IN FY 25 VS 25,668 VISITS IN FY24. THIS IS A 32% INCREASE FROM LAST FISCAL YEAR. CMC'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL INCREASED TOTAL VIEWS BY 26% IN FY25 CMC HAD A TOTAL OF 220,000 YOUTUBE VIEWS VS 175,000 IN FY24 AND CMC ADDED 710 SUBSCRIBERS RESULTING IN A 31% INCREASE IN GROWTH OVER THE LAST FISCAL YEAR. CMC'S CMSPORTSNET'S INSTAGRAM PAGE GREW FROM 708 FOLLOWERS IN FY24 TO 3,376 IN FY25. (AVERAGE MONTHLY TOTAL VIEWS WERE 209,2845) THE CMC ESTABLISHED THE POSITION OF DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN NOVEMBER 2024 TO INCREASE ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY TO DIVERSIFY FUNDING SOURCES DUE TO THE DECLINE OF CABLE FRANCHISE FEE REVENUES. TOTAL REVENUES FROM SPONSORSHIPS FOR FY25 WAS 81,800, A 97% INCREASE FROM FY24. CMSPORTSNET SPONSORSHIPS WERE THE TOP PRIORITY. SPONSORSHIP REVENUE COMMITMENTS WERE 22,000 THROUGH 12/30 AND SUBSEQUENTLY INCREASED RESULTING IN 72,800 RAISED. THIS INCLUDED EIGHT NEW SPONSORS AND TWO RENEWING SPONSORS. AN ADDITIONAL 9,000 WAS RAISED THROUGH SPONSORSHIPS OF THE VETERANS ORAL HISTORY PROJECT, INTRODUCING TWO NEW SPONSORS AND ONE EXISTING SPONSOR. THE CMC PROVIDES A COMPREHENSIVE ARRAY OF DIGITAL MEDIA SERVICES FOR CARROLL COUNTY, MARYLAND AND ADJACENT COMMUNITIES. SERVICES INCLUDE OUTREACH, TRAINING, PRODUCTION FACILITATION, PRODUCTION AND CREATIVE SERVICES AND DIGITAL MEDIA DISTRIBUTION VIA CABLE, VIDEO STREAMING, WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA. THE CMC PROVIDES VIDEO COVERAGE FOR EIGHT MUNICIPALITIES IN CARROLL COUNTY, MARYLAND. THIS INCLUDES ROUTINE GAVEL-TO-GAVEL MEETING COVERAGE AS WELL AS SPECIAL MEETINGS AND EVENTS. MEETINGS ARE STREAMED LIVE ON THE CMC'S WEBSITE, ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS AND ON CABLE CHANNEL 23 TO ENSURE ACCESS FOR THE PUBLIC TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. IN FY25, CMC INCREASED THE MUNICIPAL MEETING COVERAGE BY 21% COMPARED TO THE PRIOR YEAR. IN FY25, CMC AIRED 235 MUNICIPAL MEETINGS AND EVENTS, AIRING A TOTAL OF 234 HOURS OF MUNICIPAL PROGRAMMING. CMC CONTINUES TO BE A SOURCE OF INDEPENDENT UNBIASED INFORMATION REGARDING CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE. CMC PROVIDED NO-COST PRODUCTION SERVICES WITH STRICT GUIDELINES TO ENSURE NONPARTISAN EQUAL TREATMENT, IN THE FORM OF CANDIDATE VIDEO PROFILES TO ALL LOCAL CANDIDATES RUNNING IN CONTESTED RACES IN THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTION AND THE 2025 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. IN ADDITION, CMC CREATED AN ONLINE VOTERS' GUIDE TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC IMPORTANT DATES, ELECTION INFORMATION, POLLING LOCATIONS, VIDEO PROFILES AND LIVE COVERAGE OF LOCAL CANDIDATE FORUMS. ALL CANDIDATE PROFILES AND ELECTION FORUMS WERE STREAMED LIVE ON FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE, THE CMC WEBSITE. IN TOTAL 11.5 HOURS OF ORIGINAL ELECTIONS CONTENT AIRED ON CABLE CHANNELS HD-1072 AND CHANNEL 19. IN THE FALL OF 2024, CMC HELD FORUMS FOR THE CARROLL COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION AND IN THE SPRING, CMC HELD 3 FORUMS FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. CMC PRODUCED 12 CANDIDATE PROFILES. COVERAGE GENERATED 3,296 TOTAL YOUTUBE VIEWS AND 27% OF ALL ONLINE WEB TRAFFIC IN APRIL WAS TO THE CMC VOTERS GUIDE. PROVIDING RESIDENTS WITH TIMELY INFORMATION ABOUT ISSUES THAT AFFECT THEIR LIVES ISN'T LIMITED TO JUST MUNICIPAL MEETINGS. CMC PROVIDED LIVE COVERAGE OF THE PROPOSED ROUTE AND PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION FOR THE MARYLAND PIEDMONT RELIABILITY PROJECT (MPRP) ATTENDED BY HUNDREDS OF CONCERNED RESIDENTS. THE LIVE STREAM RECEIVED 1300 VIEWS ON YOUTUBE. THE COMMUNITY MEDIA CENTER HELD A VETERANS ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION DAY TO RECORD INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL VETERANS. THE INTERVIEWS ARE ADDED TO THE CARROLL COUNTY HISTORY PROJECTS ONLINE ARCHIVE. CMC AIRED A SPECIAL ALL-DAY BROADCAST FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL VETERANS ON CABLE CHANNELS 19 AND HD-1072 ON NOVEMBER 11TH TO HONOR OUR LOCAL SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN. CMC CONTINUES TO EXPAND ITS LOCAL CMSPORTSNET COVERAGE. CMC PROVIDED COVERAGE OF 83 LOCAL SPORTING EVENTS INCLUDING; HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL, BOYS & GIRLS SOCCER, BOYS & GIRLS' BASKETBALL, HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING, BOYS AND GIRLS LACROSSE AND SELECT HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL AND CARROLL COMMUNITY COLLEGE SPORTS COVERAGE. DURING FY25, CMSPORTSNET AIRED 280 INDIVIDUAL SPORTS PROGRAMS INCLUDING "SPORTSTALK", "GAME ON" - OUR MID-WEEK MAGAZINE SHOW, INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHLIGHTS, CMSPORTSNET'S ATHLETE OF THE WEEK AND SPECIAL PRE AND POST SEASON PROGRAMS. LIVE GAME COVERAGE WAS DISTRIBUTED ON CABLE CHANNEL HD- 1072, YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK AND ON CMC'S WEBSITE (WWW.CMSPORTSNET.COM) WHEN MULTIPLE HIGH-PROFILE GAMES HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY, CMSPORTSNET HAS IMPLEMENTED MULTI-GAME COVERAGE, HOSTED FROM OUR STUDIO AND FEATURING 'ROUND ROBIN' COVERAGE, ALLOWING US TO PROVIDE HI

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 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 June 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 August 2001.

    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.