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Passes our checks

Capital of Texas Public Telecommunications Council

EIN 75-7126012 · Austin, TX

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

KLRU IS A LEADER IN PUBLIC MEDIA, DISTINGUISHED BY ITS ENERGETIC ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THE QUALITY AND CREATIVITY OF CONTENT. KLRU ILLUMINATES THE WIDER WORLD OF KNOWLEDGE; THE IMPORTANCE OF DISCOURSE; AND THE MANY POSSIBILITIES LIFE PRESENTS US ALL.

Income
$20.2 million
Spending
$19.8 million
Spent on programs
62%
Reserves
10.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 62%
Employees
131
Volunteers
100
Highest pay
$582,335, ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Good: 82 out of 100. Higher than 58% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 10.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 30% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 10% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    62% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 24 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 34% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    37 of 37 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 September 30, 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. $6.5 million spent. PUBLIC TV PROGRAMMING - THIS INCLUDES PROGRAMMING, BROADCAST OPERATIONS, COMMUNICATIONSPROVIDES NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION PROGRAMMING TO THE AUSTIN, TEXAS AREA REACHING A POTENTIAL AUDIENCE EXCEEDING 1,000,680 HOUSEHOLDS. PROVIDES PROGRAMMING TO MULTIPLE CABLE OPERATORS, TWO SATELLITE OPERATORS AND A WIDE RANGE OF ONLINE/DIGITAL DISTRIBUTIONCHANNELS/SITES.
  2. $5.2 million spent. CONTENT CREATION - PRODUCTION CREATE APPROXIMATELY 35.5 HOURS OF EDUCATIONAL, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AND CULTURAL ARTS AND THE CONTENT FOR THE CENTRAL TEXAS REGION AND BEYOND; TRAIN STUDENTS IN PRODUCTION OPERATIONS; CONDUCT COMMUNITY OUTREACH AROUND CONTENT. FUNDED BY DONORS, OTHER NONPROFITS AND BUSINESSES. PROVIDE SUPPORT AND FEEDBACK FROM LOCAL AND REGIONAL FILMMAKERS SEEKING A WIDER AUDIENCE.
  3. $646,412 spent. EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH SERVICES - EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL AND OUTREACH SERVICES PROVIDE PROGRAMMING, SUPPLIES FOR SCHOOLS, CHILD CARE FACILITIES AND PARENTS. SERVE APPROXIMATELY 7779 INDIVIDUALS DURING THE FISCAL YEAR THROUGH OUR READY-TO-LEARN, PLAY-TO-LEARN RELATED WORKSHOPS AND PROJECTS THAT ENCOMPASSED 23 EVENTS AND 131 WORKSHOPS. PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATIONAL VIDEO THROUGH PBS LEARNING MEDIA AND OTHER MEDIA. DIRECT COSTS ONLY FUNDED BY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, BUSINESSES, PRIVATE DONATIONS AND OTHER NON-PROFITS.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, 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 September 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 1987.

    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.