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Community Information Now

EIN 81-5286030 · San Antonio, TX

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak20 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • It owes more than it owns.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

COMMUNITY INFORMATION NOW (CINOW) PROVIDES DATA, TOOLS, ANALYSIS, AND TRAINING TO INFORM DECISIONS TO IMPROVE TEXAS COMMUNITIES. CINOW'S VISION IS IMPROVED LIVES AND DECREASED DISPARITIES THROUGH DEMOCRATIZED DATA.

Income
$567,887
Spending
$716,800
Spent on programs
88%
Reserves
-0.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 44%
Employees
0
Highest pay
$150,280, executive dir.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Weak: 20 out of 100. Higher than 2% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    0 of 35

    Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.

  • Debt

    0 of 20

    It owes 120% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 26% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 19% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    88% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 92% of charities in its peer group (community improvement, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    7 of 7 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 December 31, 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. $588,043 spent. DATA INTEGRATION, ANALYSIS, VISUALIZATION, AND TRAINING FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC:THROUGH FREE ONLINE TOOLS AND PRINT MEDIA, COMMUNITY INFORMATION NOW (CINOW) MAKES LOCAL DATA AND HELP UNDERSTANDING AND USING THAT DATA WIDELY AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. CINOW EXPANDS PUBLIC ACCESS TO DATA THROUGH ITS VIZ-A-LYZER AND OTHER DATA TOOLS, COMMUNITY ASSESSMENTS AND OTHER REPORTS, DATA DASHBOARDS AND INDICATOR PROJECTS, DATA LITERACY RESOURCES, AND ITS CURATED DATA EXPLORER WEBSITE THAT HELPS PEOPLE FIND TRUSTWORTHY DATA PUBLISHED BY OTHERS. CINOW DEVELOPS LOCAL DATA TOOLS AND CONTENT TAILORED TO PUBLIC USERS OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT LEVELS OF TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL. THE DATA CONTENT ITSELF COVERS A WIDE VARIETY OF ISSUES LIKE DEMOGRAPHICS, INCOME AND POVERTY, EDUCATION, HEALTH, HOUSING, EMPLOYMENT, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, AND NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION.
  2. $26,471 spent. DATA INTEGRATION, ANALYSIS, AND/OR VISUALIZATION FOR TARGETED PARTNER NEEDS:COMMUNITY INFORMATION NOW (CINOW) PROVIDES MISSION-FOCUSED DATA SERVICES TO LOCAL NONPROFITS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, AND COLLABORATIONS TO IMPROVE THEIR ABILITY TO SERVE THE PUBLIC GOOD. KEY SERVICES INCLUDE:1. DATA SUPPORT TO COLLABORATIVE AND COLLECTIVE IMPACT INITIATIVES, SUCH AS STAFFING RESULTS-BASED ACCOUNTABILITY AND OUTCOME-FOCUSED PLANNING PROCESSES; DEVELOPING OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS; IDENTIFYING APPORPRIATE DATA SOURCES; ANALYZING, MAPPING, AND OTHERWISE VISUALIZING THE DATA; AND ASSISTING THE PARTNERS IN UNDERSTANDING AND USING THE DATA. 2. EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING DEVELOPING EVALUATION PLANS AND PROGRESS METRICS; ACCESSSING APPROPRIATE DATA SOURCES; INTEGRATING DATA ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS; ANALYZING AND COMMUNICATING THE DATA; AND ASSISTING PARTNERS IN USING THE DATA TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE.3. OTHER TARGETED-NEED COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, GEOCODING, MAPPING AND PRESENTATIONS.
  3. $15,757 spent. NATIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD INDICATORS PARTNERSHIP (NNIP):COMMUNITY INFORMATION NOW (CINOW) IS AN ACTIVE LOCAL PARTNER IN THE NATIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD INDICATORS PARTNERSHIP, A NETWORK OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT CONNECT PEOPLE WITH NEIGHBORHOOD DATA. SUPPORTED AND COORDINATED BY THE URBAN INSTITUTE, NNIP NETWORK ACTIVITIES BUILD LOCAL PARTNERS' CAPACITY TO DEMOCRATIZE DATA TO INFORM LOCAL DECISIONMAKING AND SUPPORT RESIDENTS WORKING TO STRENGTHEN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES. CINOW CONTRIBUTES TO AND IS STRENGTHENED THROUGH NNIP THROUGH PEER LEARNING BY ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN-PERSON MEETINGS AND WEBINARS, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CALLS, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF WRITTEN AND ONLINE TOOLS AND GUIDES. CINOW'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ALSO SERVES IN A THREE-YEAR TERM ON NNIP'S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, WHICH SETS NETWORK POLICY, PLANS MEETINGS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES, AND MONITORS NETWORK PERFORMANCE.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since April 2017.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 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.