Cardinal Productions
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Cardinal News, an independent, nonprofit news organization, reports the untold stories of Southwest and Southside Virginia, and strengthens the voices of the people in our communities who have been sidelined in the commonwealth's political, economic and cultural conversations simply because of where they live.
- Income
- $1.4 million
- Spending
- $1.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 79%
- Reserves
- 5.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 91%
- Employees
- 21
- Volunteers
- 27
- Highest pay
- $108,323, executive director
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: 78 out of 100. Higher than 51% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.5 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 5% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 4% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1579% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 17 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: 93 out of 100. Higher than 58% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 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
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited 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)
- $1.1 million spent. Cardinal News continued to grow during 2024 and added an executive editor, reporter and part-time copy editor, and enjoyed its first full year with a development team. Cardinal Productions Inc. board of directors enlarged its membership from three to five members, updated the bylaws and activated two committees: governance and development. Cardinal News is managed in a thoughtful, considered manner in order to serve its mission and to secure a sustainable financial path. During 2024, Cardinal News doubled the readers of its newsletters, published 2,000 stories and hosted 2.7 million visitors to its websites, who accounted for more than 4.7 million page views. It published a daily, weekly, political, weather and events newsletters, and created a podcast to complement its 3-year project, Cardinal 250, to tell the little-known stories of Virginia's role in the march to independence in advance of the nation's semiquincentennial. Cardinal News won numerous awards from the Virginia Press Association, including the sweepstakes award for online organizations and Young Journalist of the Year. Through our journalism, we continue to provide independent information to the people of our communities, and to elevate their stories to Virginians living elsewhere.
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 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 2024.
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 February 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.