Fostering Media Connections logo

Fostering Media Connections

Public charity · Grantmaker Los Angeles, CA EIN: 45-3860344 Website

Fostering Media Connections is a non-profit news organization that uses a mix of investigative, accountability and solution-oriented journalism to drive reform within the systems that serve vulnerable children, youth and their families.

Fostering Media Connections at a glance

Total assets
$1,823,786
+12.7% vs 2024
Revenue (2025)
$2,194,297
-5.8% vs 2024
Net investment income (2025)
$3,482
+55.4% vs 2024
Expenses (2025)
$2,026,312
+1.6% vs 2024
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.

Who Fostering Media Connections funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Grant Size Distribution

2 grants across all recorded years

2<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 2 grants of 2 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

Grant Distribution by State

1state

States

Cities

Brooklyn

Giving History

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$10K$20K$30K0 grants2019 0 grants2020 0 grants2021 1 grant2022 1 grant2023 0 grants2024 0 grants2025

From 2022 to 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $17K (2023) to $24K (2022). In 2023 it made 1 grant totaling $17K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
You Gotta Believe Brooklyn, NYFiscal Sponsor for Fundraising Event$17,007
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsNet Investment Income
2025$1,823,786$2,194,297$2,026,312——$3,482
2024$1,618,695$2,330,145$1,993,666——$2,240
2023$1,060,632$1,644,273$2,017,722$17,0071$473
2022$1,099,804$1,829,305$1,772,370$24,1881$109
2021$1,219,378$1,628,212$1,468,249——$94
2020$660,277$1,585,891$1,198,841——$36
2019$149,841$960,395$1,167,086——$124

About Fostering Media Connections

Based on IRS filings

Fostering Media Connections is a public charity focused on Human Services, based in Los Angeles, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $1.8M in total assets. Net investment income was $3K.

Focus Areas

Leadership & Key People

Officers and directors from IRS filings

Fostering Media Connections is led by Daniel Heimpel To, Board Chair on the 2025 filing; 3 of 11 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Daniel Heimpel To

    Board Chair

    New on the 2025 filing

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • John Kelly

    Co-Execuive Director

    Co-Executive → Co-Executive Director, 2022

    Co-Executive Director → Co-Execuive Director, 2025

    On filings since 2021

    40 hrs/week

    $99K (2022) → $113K (2025)

  • Chrisite Renick

    Co-Execuive Director & Secretary

    Co-Executive Director & Secretary → Co-Execuive Director & Secretary, 2025

    On filings since 2022

    40 hrs/week

    $95K (2022) → $109K (2025)

  • Karen S. Davidson De Sa

    Executive Editor

    On filings since 2023

    40 hrs/week

    $110K (2023) → $119K (2025)

  • Tara Wilson

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Simone Maxwell

    Board Member

    Director → Board Member, 2022

    On filings since 2021

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • John Drebinger III

    Board Member

    On filings since 2023

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sharon L. McDaniel

    Board Member

    On filings since 2023

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Annie Tsang

    Board Member

    On filings since 2024

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Hoang Murphy

    Board Member

    On filings since 2024

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jason Fuiman

    Board Member

    On filings since 2024

    0.3 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (13)
  • Former: Daniel Heimpel (2019–2024) — Board Chair
  • Former: Lisa Ling To Oct (2024) — Board Member
  • Former: Lisa Ling (2019–2023) — Board Member
  • Former: Jeremy Pelphrey To Jul (2023) — Board Member
  • Former: Lindsay Ellenbogen To Nov (2023) — Board Member
  • Former: Jeremy Pelphrey (2019–2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Lindsay Ellenbogen (2019–2022) — Board Member
  • Former: Daniel Heimpel - See Schedule O. (2022) — Board Chair
  • Former: Christie Renick (2021) — Co-Executive
  • Former: Aileen Adams (2019–2020) — Director
  • Former: Jeffrey Nicolai (2019–2020) — Board Chair
  • Former: Kathleen Strottman (2019–2020) — Secretary
  • Former: Leslie Gilbert-Lurie (2019–2020) — Director

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Karen S Davidson De Sa — Executive Editor: $119KKaren S Davidson De SaExecutive Editor$119KJohn Kelly — Co-Execuive Director: $113KJohn KellyCo-Execuive Director$113KChrisite Renick — Co-Execuive Director/Secretary: $109KChrisite RenickCo-Execuive Director/Secretary$109K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $119K, to Karen S Davidson De Sa (Executive Editor). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.

Frequently asked questions about Fostering Media Connections

How large is Fostering Media Connections?

Fostering Media Connections reported $1.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $2.2M.

What is Fostering Media Connections?

Fostering Media Connections is a public charity focused on Human Services, based in Los Angeles, CA. It holds $1.8M in total assets as of 2025.

Where does Fostering Media Connections operate?

Fostering Media Connections has awarded grants in New York.

What is Fostering Media Connections's EIN?

Fostering Media Connections's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-3860344. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.

Data update history

(3)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 8, 2024)
  3. Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)

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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open

Figures come from Fostering Media Connections's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.

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