Longmont Observer
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Raising each dollar of donations cost 110 cents.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
Longmont Public Media is devoted to the education, production, and distribution of local media.
- Income
- $376,165
- Spending
- $352,451
- Spent on programs
- 57%
- Reserves
- 6.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 98%
- Employees
- 4
- Volunteers
- 35
- Highest pay
- $94,596, 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
Good: 73 out of 100. Higher than 46% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 6.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 6% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1557% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 110 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
Good: 79 out of 100. Higher than 61% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 256 of 7 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 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 (1)
- $200,226 spent. In 2024, Longmont Public Media (LPM) continued to grow as a creative hub for media makers in the Longmont community. Total membership increased by 41%, from 504 in 2023 to 712 in 2024. Paid memberships also saw notable growth, rising to 174 - a 25% increase - generating $40,310 in revenue. Studio usage saw a substantial surge, with 3,931 hours of studio time reserved by creators - a 45% increase over the previous year. This growth reflects LPM's expanding role as a media makerspace and resource for local content creators. In terms of content engagement, LPM's digital platforms collectively logged 5,593 hours of content watched in 2024 (excluding Comcast cable, which does not share viewership data). Cumulatively, 39,488 hours of LPM content have now been consumed across platforms including YouTube, Roku, and the LPM website. Other notable metrics include: Total users/viewers: 149,909 Impressions: 1,058,793 Average percentage of a video watched: 11.12% Average view duration: 2 minutes and 26 seconds LPM also produced some of its most popular content to date, including the 2024 Longmont 4th of July Drone & Fireworks Show, which topped the charts as the most viewed and most liked video of the year. In addition to its growth in content and community engagement, LPM maintained its commitment to public service media through educational programming and support of civic events. As LPM continues to evolve, 2024 marked another year of progress in building a vibrant, inclusive, and accessible platform for media creation and distribution in Longmont.
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
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 December 2024.
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 May 2017.
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.