The Center for Media Justice
Our mission is to build a powerful movement for a more just and participatory media and digital world.
The Center for Media Justice at a glance
- Total assets
- $4,850,959
- -25.8% vs 2024
- Revenue (2025)
- $2,789,962
- -34.4% vs 2024
- Net investment income (2025)
- $187,294
- -11.5% vs 2024
- Expenses (2025)
- $4,458,848
- +2.4% vs 2024
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who The Center for Media Justice funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
21 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 19 grants of 21 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
How The Center for Media Justice gives
- Giving fell 98% from 2021 to 2024. 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $6K (2022) to $261K (2021). In 2024 it made 1 grant totaling $6K.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Equalhealth Inc Brookline, MA | MJ Network Fellowship | $6,000 |
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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 | $4,850,959 | $2,789,962 | $4,458,848 | — | — | $187,294 |
| 2024 | $6,538,252 | $4,250,232 | $4,356,129 | $6,000 | 1 | $211,707 |
| 2023 | $6,663,739 | $3,618,412 | $4,327,308 | $218,900 | 8 | $95,886 |
| 2022 | $7,326,196 | $4,316,153 | $2,743,309 | $6,000 | Total only | $2,975 |
| 2021 | $5,682,624 | $5,038,769 | $2,335,254 | $260,750 | 12 | $2,411 |
| 2020 | $3,135,805 | $2,875,123 | $1,893,780 | $18,500 | 3 | $3,245 |
| 2019 | $1,964,392 | $1,858,165 | $1,692,781 | — | — | $7,357 |
"Total only": grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
About The Center for Media Justice
Based on IRS filings
The Center for Media Justice is a public charity focused on Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, based in Oakland, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $4.9M in total assets. Net investment income was $187K.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The Center for Media Justice is led by Steven Renderos, Executive Director on every filing since 2020; 6 of 15 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Steven Renderos
Executive Director
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$82K (2020) → $172K (2025)
Joseph Torres
Board Chair
Board Member → Board Chair, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Myaisha Hayes
Campaigns Director
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$103K (2023) → $127K (2025)
Eteng Ettah
Narrative Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$114K (2024) → $121K (2025)
Shubha Balabaer
Operations Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$114K (2024) → $130K (2025)
Teresa Basilio
Network Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$114K (2024) → $140K (2025)
Malkia Devich-Cyril
Senior Fellow
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$110K (2023) → $136K (2025)
Jumana Musa
Secretary
Board Member → Secretary, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrea Figueroa
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Payal Patel
Treasurer
Board Member → Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
DeMarcus Akeem Suggs
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Bateman
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Venita Griffin
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vickie Suggs-Jones
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Angella Bellota
Vice Chair
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (14)
- Former: Daniel Carrillo (2023–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Gabriella Anas Deal-Mrquez (2023–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Pia Infante (2019–2023) — Vice Chair
- Former: Malkia Cyril (2019–2022) — Mj Senior Fellow
- Former: Sheri Sage Crump (2020–2022) — Board Chair
- Former: Bryan Mercer (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Alfredo Lopez (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Amy Sonnie (2019–2020) — Secretary
- Former: Carlton Turner (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Lisa Jervis (2019–2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Naomi Ishisaka (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Sage Crump (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Shahid Buttar (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Wendy Yale (2019) — Board Member
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 $172K, to Steven Renderos (Executive Dir.). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Center for Media Justice
How large is The Center for Media Justice?
The Center for Media Justice reported $4.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $2.8M.
What is The Center for Media Justice?
The Center for Media Justice is a public charity focused on Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, based in Oakland, CA. It holds $4.9M in total assets as of 2025.
Where does The Center for Media Justice operate?
The Center for Media Justice has awarded grants in Arizona, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania.
What is The Center for Media Justice's EIN?
The Center for Media Justice's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 30-0520981. 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
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 7, 2023)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Center for Media Justice'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 The Center for Media Justice'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.
The Center for Media Justice down — hundreds of funders to go?