Free Press
Free Press was created to give people a voice in the crucial decisions that shape our media. We believe that positive social change, racial justice and meaningful engagement in public life require equitable access to technology, diverse and independent ownership of media platforms, and journalism that holds leaders accountable and tells people what's actually happening in their communities. Free Press closely monitors decisions shaping the media landscape are made and sounds the alarm when people's rights to connect and communicate are in danger. We focus on achieving affordable internet for all, saving net neutrality, uplifting the voices of people of color in the media, challenging old and new media gatekeepers to serve the public interest, ending unwarranted surveillance, defending press freedom, and reimagining local journalism.
Free Press at a glance
In short: Free Press gave $1.1M across 2 grants in 2025 (avg $575K), mostly in California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,150,000
- +27.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 2
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $575,000
- +27.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $575,000
- Total assets
- $11,235,662
- -1.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (78% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who Free Press funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Media Freedom Foundation ($900K). Together the top 2 received $1.1M.
Grant Size Distribution
13 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 4 grants of 13 (31%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 2 itemized grants.
Cities
How Free Press gives
- Giving grew 283% from 2022 to 2025. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $125K (2020) to $1.1M (2025). In 2025 it made 2 grants totaling $1.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Media Freedom Foundation Fair Oaks, CA | General support of media freedom foundation's project censored activities | $900,000 |
| Free Press Action Fund Washington, DC | Programmatic Support | $250,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $11,235,662 | $8,769,507 | $8,725,813 | $1,150,000 | 2 | $335,564 |
| 2024 | $11,404,620 | $5,837,022 | $7,341,969 | $900,000 | 2 | $353,577 |
| 2023 | $13,125,528 | $8,915,775 | $6,512,640 | $749,999 | 6 | $295,311 |
| 2022 | $10,689,315 | $10,157,505 | $5,255,618 | $300,000 | 1 | $34,530 |
| 2021 | $5,225,748 | $3,064,544 | $4,562,115 | $300,000 | 2 | $8,441 |
| 2020 | $6,868,412 | $6,325,612 | $4,161,139 | $125,000 | 1 | $16,381 |
| 2019 | $4,545,191 | $4,674,603 | $4,555,721 | $165,400 | 2 | $45,389 |
About Free Press
Based on IRS filings
Free Press is a public charity focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in Washington, DC. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $11.2M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 2 grants totaling $1.1M. Net investment income was $336K.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Free Press is led by Craig Aaron, President & Co-Ceo since 2025 (on filings since 2019); 8 of 13 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Craig Aaron
President & Co-Ceo
President & Co-Ceo → Co-Ceo, 2023
Co-Ceo → President & Co-Ceo, 2025
On filings since 2019
34 hrs/week
$118K (2019) → $155K (2025)
Jessica Gonzalez
Co-Ceo
Deputy Director & Senior Counsel → Co-Ceo, 2020
On filings since 2019
34 hrs/week
$119K (2019) → $161K (2025)
Victor Pickard
Director & Chair
Director & Treasurer → Director & Chair, 2021
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Candace Clement
Managing Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$121K (2024) → $136K (2025)
Nora Benavidez
Senior Counsel, Director, Digital Justice & C
Senior Counsel & Director → Senior Counsel, Director, Digital Justice & C, 2025
On filings since 2022
39 hrs/week
$114K (2022) → $137K (2025)
Dutch Cosiman
Senior Product Director
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$140K (2025)
Martha Fuentes-Bautista
Director
Director → Director & Secretary, 2024
Director & Secretary → Director, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vanessa Cardenas
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Henry Fernandez
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Heidi Beirich
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kimberly Longey
COO, CFO, Assistant Treasurer & Assistant Secretary
COO, Assistant Treasurer & Secretary → CFO, COO, Assistant Treasurer & Secretary, 2024
CFO, COO, Assistant Treasurer & Secretary → COO, CFO, Assistant Treasurer & Assistant Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
37 hrs/week
$120K (2019) → $165K (2025)
Matthew Wood
Vice President of Policy & General Counsel
Vice President of Policy & General Counsel → Vice President, 2024
Vice President → Vice President of Policy & General Counsel, 2025
On filings since 2019
33 hrs/week
$116K (2019) → $145K (2025)
Misty Perez Truedson
Chief of Staff
Managing Director → Chief of Staff, 2020
On filings since 2019
39 hrs/week
$109K (2019) → $170K (2025)
Former officers (17)
- Former: Joan Donovan (2019–2024) — Director
- Former: Olga Davidson (2019–2024) — Director & Secretary
- Former: Brandi Collins Dexter (2022–2024) — Director & Treasurer
- Former: Derek Turner (2023–2024) — Research Director
- Former: Misty Perez-Truedson (2023–2024) — Chief of Staff
- Former: Ashley Allison (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Josh Stager (2023) — Policy Director
- Former: Bryan Mercer (2019–2022) — Director & Treasurer
- Former: D. Benjamin Scott (2019–2022) — Director
- Former: S. Derek Turner (2020–2022) — Research Director
- Former: Collette Blakeny Watson (2021–2022) — Vice President of Cultural Strategies
- Former: Joseph Torres (2019–2021) — Senior Director of Strateg
- Former: Alvaro Bedoya (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Michael Copps (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Tim Karr (2020) — Senior Director of Strategy & Communications
- Former: Liza Pike (2019) — Director & Treasurer
- Former: Steven Turner (2019) — Research 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
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $170K, to Misty Perez Truedson (Chief of Staff). 8 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Free Press
How much does Free Press give each year?
Free Press gave $1.1M across 2 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $900K across 2 grants.
How large is Free Press?
Free Press reported $11.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $8.8M.
What is Free Press?
Free Press is a public charity focused on Arts, Culture & Humanities, based in Washington, DC. It holds $11.2M in total assets as of 2025.
Where does Free Press operate?
Free Press has awarded grants in California, District of Columbia, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
What is Free Press's EIN?
Free Press's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 41-2106721. 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 21, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 19, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 13, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 11, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 8, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2023
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Free Press's focus areas in our free grants database
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Free Press'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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