Arizona Freedom Foundation
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Foundation's mission is to foster independent journalism and provide the general public with access to news, research and information not covered by traditional corporate media outlets. To that end, the Foundation operates AZ Free News (www.azfreenews.com), an online news site that offers reporting, analysis and occasional commentary on a wide array of local news stories in Arizona. Although some national and international news stories are compiled from reputable third party news sources (such as the Wall Street Journal), the site consists primarily of original local news content generated by journalists and analysts commissioned by the Foundation.
- Income
- $328,840
- Spending
- $321,910
- Spent on programs
- 88%
- Reserves
- 3.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 0
- Highest pay
- $91,800, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 85 out of 100.
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 25% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1588% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Weak: 21 out of 100.
Independent board
5 of 250 of 4 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no 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
0 of 5Reports that it does not keep minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give 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, 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 (3)
- $153,939 spent. Independent News: The organization managed its website, azfreenews.com, which is made available free of charge. Website traffic exceeded 750,000 page views for the year. Free newsletter subscriptions also maintained at more than 18,000 subscribers. The content of the website is generated by freelance journalists and promoted primarily through social media channels, free email newsletters, and search engines.
- $117,000 spent. Investigative Journalism: The organization contracted with five freelance journalists during the year. These journalists wrote 914 original news stories on a wide array of topics related to Arizonamany of which often elude attention from mainstream commercial media outlets. In these stories, readers are provided with the pertinent facts to help them form their own opinions and conclusions.
- $12,000 spent. Research: The organization contracts with a Researcher on an ongoing basis. This person is responsible for initiating public records requests and doing other necessary research as needed for the journalists to ensure that they have the proper facts and documents. By performing these duties, the Researcher helps the journalists to be more efficient and focus on telling the stories that the people of Arizona need to hear. In 2025, the Researcher filed multiple public records requests to assist with these stories and assisted with research on dozens of stories and investigative pieces.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 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? 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.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 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 May 2022.
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.