Streetcar Suburbs Publishing Inc
Public records raise at least one point you should look into before giving.
What it says it does
Publish and distribute free community newspapers and maintain an associated website to provide citizens with news and information and to build social capital.
- Income
- $369,983
- Spending
- $360,049
- Spent on programs
- 80%
- Reserves
- 4.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 72%
- Employees
- 5
- Volunteers
- 50
- Highest pay
- $56,232, executive director
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: 80 out of 100.
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 4.8 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 9% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 3% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 4% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1580% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 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
Good: 82 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2510 of 10 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
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
12 of 15Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.
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 (4)
- $120,011 spent. Streetcar Suburbs Publishing continued to publish for a fourth year The Laurel Independent, a free newspaper in and around the city of Laurel, Md. It had a circulation of 29,646, with almost all homes in the area receiving the paper through the mail. An additional 1,100 copies are mailed to businesses and organizations, and another 1,100 are placed in newsstands. Each newspaper edition contains a four-page newsletter prepared by the municipal government with important information for its residents. The newspaper won two editorial awards in the National Newspaper Association's annual editorial contest.
- $73,714 spent. The Hyattsville Life & Times continued in its 21st year of publishing a free monthly newspaper that was mailed to all 10,000 residences in Hyattsville, Md. It continued to carry a four-page newsletter in English and Spanish prepared by the municipal government with important information for its citizens. The Life & Times continued its tradition of strong reporting on local civic and environmental issues, and it won five awards in the National Newspaper Association's annual editorial contest.
- $73,713 spent. The College Park Here & Now continued into its sixth year of providing free monthly news and information by mailing its newspaper to almost all 9,000 residences in College Park, Md. It continued to carry a four-page newsletter prepared by the municipal government with important information for its citizens. The paper won two awards in the National Newspaper Association's annual editorial contest, as well as receiving an honorable mention for general excellence.
- $21,347 spent. Our website, https://streetcarsuburbs.news, includes the contents of all three of our papers. We used a grant to redesign the website and add new functions, such as an event calendar. We publish a biweekly email newsletter alerting readers to stories posted on the site; the newsletter had 1,200 subscribers and 15,000 monthly users in FY 2025.
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Caution.
Not 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.
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.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since December 2004.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.