Catholic Film Institute
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
The specific purpose of Catholic Film Institute is to save souls by making accessible to all the treasury of truths contained in the Deposit of Faith, including the timeless traditions of the Catholic Church, by and through cinema and other visual arts. Catholic Film Institute seeks, in the best traditions of the Catholic artistic heritage, to reclaim modern culture from the clutches of sin and death by rallying creative artists worldwide around the standard of Christ Jesus, forming a fellowship of Catholic filmmakers in His holy name, equipping them with the Armor of God, mobilizing them to courageously consummate the Great Commission via cinema and other visual media, thereby answering the call by Pope St. John Paul II for a "New Evangelization."
- Income
- $77,442
- Spending
- $46,324
- Reserves
- 8.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Highest pay
- $12,000, chairman
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
Source: Form 990EZ for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
This organization files the short tax form, which does not ask about boards, policies or audits. That is normal for a small charity and is not a mark against it.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 (1)
- $34,714 spent. We went public with the apostolate on the Feast of St. Veronica--July 12, 2025--and had a public Mass celebrated to commemorate the occasion. In early August, we traveled to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, WI, to consecrate the apostolate to her and put it under her special patronage and protection. Since then, we have been building out the online infrastructure of the apostolate, including its website and membership portal, and undertook no other specific programs.
Source: Form 990EZ 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 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 2025.
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 August 2024.
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.