Cityside Journalism Initiative
Cityside Journalism Initiative (Cityside) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization committed to building community through local journalism. Cityside provides readers with fact-driven, nonpartisan, informative reporting that seeks to …
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Make your donationAbout Cityside Journalism Initiative
We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization committed to building community and offer a model for sustainable local journalism.
Verified certifications
Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.
Mission
Cityside Journalism Initiative (Cityside) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization committed to building community through local journalism. Cityside provides readers with fact-driven, nonpartisan, informative reporting that seeks to reflect the diversity and complexity of the communities it serves. Cityside operates three newsrooms, Berkeleyside, The Oaklandside and Richmondside, to provide local journalism in these cities.
Focus areas & reach
· What they work on and whereHow it stacks up against peers
· vs. 8 similar arts & culture in United StatesConcerns
· None foundWhere every $1 goes
· FY2024 · IRS 990 (FY2024)GiveRadar Analysis
Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations
From what GiveRadar has verified so far, Cityside Journalism Initiative has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the IRS.
- It is one of the better-documented arts & culture charities in the United States GiveRadar currently tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
- By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 87% of the 55,580 arts & culture charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
- It has more complete contact information than nearly all comparable charities, with a verified website, email, phone and address on record. See national comparisons
- government registration
- financial records (5 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
- a donation page
- an owner-submitted profile claim
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Common questions
· Auto-generated from filings + methodologyCityside Journalism Initiative is a registered arts & culture nonprofit based in Oakland, CA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 2019 and has been operating for 7 years. Its EIN is 843448887. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 80/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $5M in annual revenue. 66 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.
Cityside Journalism Initiative's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 843448887. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.
Cityside Journalism Initiative has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 80 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 75% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for arts & culture charities in United States is 90/100.
Cityside Journalism Initiative is located in Oakland, CA, United States. The organization was established in 2019 and has been active for 7 years.
Based on official tax filings, Cityside Journalism Initiative has $5M in annual revenue. It allocates 75% of expenses to programs and services. This is in line with the average of 75% for arts & culture charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $1M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
Cityside Journalism Initiative is classified as an Arts & Culture organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has $5M in annual revenue. The organization has 66 disclosed officers and directors.
No red flags have been detected for Cityside Journalism Initiative. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.
According to GiveRadar's records, Cityside Journalism Initiative holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 75% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 75%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.
We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization committed to building community and offer a model for sustainable local journalism. Cityside Journalism Initiative is classified as an arts & culture organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 2019.
Among arts & culture charities registered in United States: It allocates 75% of expenses to programs, in line with the peer average of 75%. Its annual revenue of $5M is well above the peer average of $1M.
Yes, donations to Cityside Journalism Initiative are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Its EIN is 843448887, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.
Filing history
5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
Sign up to viewTaxes
Tax-deductibility for donors
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.
CITYSIDE JOURNALISM INITIATIVE is registered in United States. Donations from the Netherlands to charities outside the EU/EEA are generally not tax-deductible for Dutch donors unless the charity is listed on the Dutch ANBI register with foreign-recognized status.
Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.
Staff & volunteers
From filings and published profiles
Leadership
From FY2024 filing
Officers & trustees (19)
Source: Public filings
19 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.
Latest news
From global news sources
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
Activity timeline
Filings and press mentions, merged
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How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.
Most common causes in United States
Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.
Sources and verification
- Registration and legal identity
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
- Financial filings
- IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
- Officers and trustees
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 66 disclosed in the public registry.
- Supplementary verification
- Charity Navigator
Data freshness
What we know and don't know
Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.
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Financial data · FY2024 on record
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Named leadership · 66 officers on file
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Executive pay · Disclosed
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Government registration · Registered with an official registry
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Mission statement · Published
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Official website · On record
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Headquarters address · On file
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Direct contact · Email or phone published
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Tax-deductibility · Verified
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Founding date · 2019
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Programs & activitiesNo named programs listed by the charity
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
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Quick facts about Cityside Journalism Initiative
- What is Cityside Journalism Initiative?
- Cityside Journalism Initiative is a arts & culture publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Oakland, United States. We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization committed to building community and offer a model for sustainable local journalism.
- When was Cityside Journalism Initiative founded?
- Cityside Journalism Initiative was founded in 2019.
- Who leads Cityside Journalism Initiative?
- Lance Knobel serves as Pres. & CEO.
- Where is Cityside Journalism Initiative located?
- Headquartered in Oakland, CA, United States.
- What is Cityside Journalism Initiative's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $1M-$10M. 75% of expenses go to program services.
- Is Cityside Journalism Initiative trustworthy?
- Cityside Journalism Initiative has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 80 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is Cityside Journalism Initiative's registration number?
- IRS EIN: 843448887.
- What is Cityside Journalism Initiative's website?
- http://www.citysidejournalism.org