Attach to Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
Go to
www.irs.gov/Form990 for instructions and the latest information.
| (i) Name of supported organization | (ii) EIN | (iii) Type of organization (described on lines 1- 10 above (see instructions)) | (iv) Is the organization listed in your governing document? | (v) Amount of monetary support (see instructions) | (vi) Amount of other support (see instructions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | |||||
|
Total |
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Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2015 | (b) 2016 | (c) 2017 | (d) 2018 | (e) 2019 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grant.") .. | 5,754,420 | 3,122,437 | 2,777,078 | 3,129,291 | 3,901,768 | 18,684,994 |
| 2 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf.... | ||||||
| 3 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge.. | ||||||
| 4 | Total. Add lines 1 through 3 | 5,754,420 | 3,122,437 | 2,777,078 | 3,129,291 | 3,901,768 | 18,684,994 |
| 5 | The portion of total contributions by each person (other than a governmental unit or publicly supported organization) included on line 1 that exceeds 2% of the amount shown on line 11, column (f).. | 7,995,447 | |||||
| 6 | Public support. Subtract line 5 from line 4. | 10,689,547 | |||||
Calendar year
(or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2015 | (b) 2016 | (c) 2017 | (d) 2018 | (e) 2019 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Amounts from line 4.. | 5,754,420 | 3,122,437 | 2,777,078 | 3,129,291 | 3,901,768 | 18,684,994 |
| 8 | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources... | 50,906 | 17,207 | 30,406 | 18,182 | 50,533 | 167,234 |
| 9 | Net income from unrelated business activities, whether or not the business is regularly carried on.. | ||||||
| 10 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.).. | 27,320 | 32,009 | 46,256 | 70,920 | 50,096 | 226,601 |
| 11 | Total support. Add lines 7 through 10 | 19,078,829 | |||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2015 | (b) 2016 | (c) 2017 | (d) 2018 | (e) 2019 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grants.") . | ||||||
| 2 | Gross receipts from admissions, merchandise sold or services performed, or facilities furnished in any activity that is related to the organization's tax-exempt purpose | ||||||
| 3 | Gross receipts from activities that are not an unrelated trade or business under section 513 ..... | ||||||
| 4 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf... | ||||||
| 5 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge | ||||||
| 6 | Total. Add lines 1 through 5 | ||||||
| 7a | Amounts included on lines 1, 2, and 3 received from disqualified persons | ||||||
| b | Amounts included on lines 2 and 3 received from other than disqualified persons that exceed the greater of $5,000 or 1% of the amount on line 13 for the year. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 7a and 7b.. | ||||||
| 8 | Public support. (Subtract line 7c from line 6.) | ||||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2015 | (b) 2016 | (c) 2017 | (d) 2018 | (e) 2019 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Amounts from line 6... | ||||||
| 10a | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources.. | ||||||
| b | Unrelated business taxable income (less section 511 taxes) from businesses acquired after June 30, 1975. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 10a and 10b. | ||||||
| 11 | Net income from unrelated business activities not included in line 10b, whether or not the business is regularly carried on. | ||||||
| 12 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.) .. | ||||||
| 13 | Total support. (Add lines 9, 10c, 11, and 12.).. | ||||||
| Section A - Adjusted Net Income | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
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| 1 | Net short-term capital gain | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Other gross income (see instructions) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Add lines 1 through 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Depreciation and depletion | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Portion of operating expenses paid or incurred for production or collection of gross income or for management, conservation, or maintenance of property held for production of income (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Other expenses (see instructions) | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Adjusted Net Income (subtract lines 5, 6 and 7 from line 4) | 8 | ||||
| Section B - Minimum Asset Amount | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
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| 1 | Aggregate fair market value of all non-exempt-use assets (see instructions for short tax year or assets held for part of year): | 1 | ||||
| a | Average monthly value of securities | 1a | ||||
| b | Average monthly cash balances | 1b | ||||
| c | Fair market value of other non-exempt-use assets | 1c | ||||
| d | Total (add lines 1a, 1b, and 1c) | 1d | ||||
| e |
Discount claimed for blockage or other factors (explain in detail in Part VI): |
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| 2 | Acquisition indebtedness applicable to non-exempt use assets | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Subtract line 2 from line 1d | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Cash deemed held for exempt use. Enter 1-1/2% of line 3 (for greater amount, see instructions). | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Net value of non-exempt-use assets (subtract line 4 from line 3) | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Multiply line 5 by .035 | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Minimum Asset Amount (add line 7 to line 6) | 8 | ||||
| Section C - Distributable Amount | Current Year | |||||
| 1 | Adjusted net income for prior year (from Section A, line 8, Column A) | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Enter 85% of line 1 | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Minimum asset amount for prior year (from Section B, line 8, Column A) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Enter greater of line 2 or line 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Income tax imposed in prior year | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Distributable Amount. Subtract line 5 from line 4, unless subject to emergency temporary reduction (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| Section D - Distributions | Current Year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Amounts paid to supported organizations to accomplish exempt purposes | ||
|
2
Amounts paid to perform activity that directly furthers exempt purposes of supported organizations, in excess of income from activity |
||
| 3 Administrative expenses paid to accomplish exempt purposes of supported organizations | ||
| 4 Amounts paid to acquire exempt-use assets | ||
| 5 Qualified set-aside amounts (prior IRS approval required) | ||
| 6 Other distributions (describe in Part VI). See instructions | ||
| 7Total annual distributions. Add lines 1 through 6. | ||
|
8
Distributions to attentive supported organizations to which the organization is responsive (provide details in Part VI). See instructions |
||
| 9 Distributable amount for 2019 from Section C, line 6 | ||
| 10 Line 8 amount divided by Line 9 amount | ||
| Section E - Distribution Allocations (see instructions) |
(i) Excess Distributions |
(ii) Underdistributions Pre-2019 |
(iii) Distributable Amount for 2019 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Distributable amount for 2019 from Section C, line 6 | ||||
|
2
Underdistributions, if any, for years prior to 2019 (reasonable cause required-- explain in Part VI). See instructions. |
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| 3 Excess distributions carryover, if any, to 2019: | ||||
| a From 2014....... | ||||
| b From 2015....... | ||||
| c From 2016....... | ||||
| d From 2017....... | ||||
| e From 2018....... | ||||
| fTotal of lines 3a through e | ||||
| g Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| h Applied to 2019 distributable amount | ||||
|
i
Carryover from 2014 not applied (see instructions) |
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| j Remainder. Subtract lines 3g, 3h, and 3i from 3f. | ||||
| 4Distributions for 2019 from Section D, line 7: | ||||
| $ | ||||
| a Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| b Applied to 2019 distributable amount | ||||
| c Remainder. Subtract lines 4a and 4b from 4. | ||||
|
5
Remaining underdistributions for years prior to 2019, if any. Subtract lines 3g and 4a from line 2. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
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|
6
Remaining underdistributions for 2019. Subtract lines 3h and 4b from line 1. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
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|
7 Excess distributions carryover to 2020. Add lines 3j and 4c. |
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| 8 Breakdown of line 7: | ||||
| a Excess from 2015..... | ||||
| b Excess from 2016..... | ||||
| c Excess from 2017..... | ||||
| d Excess from 2018..... | ||||
| e Excess from 2019..... | ||||
| Facts And Circumstances Test |
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| Return Reference | Explanation |
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| Software ID: | |
| Software Version: |
Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Go to www.irs.gov/Form990 for the latest information.
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| FORM 990, PART I, LINE 1 | WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO DIGITAL TOOLS THAT MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE. UNFORTUNATELY, BAD ACTORS ARE UTILIZING THE SAME TOOLS TO WEAPONIZE AND MANIPULATE MEDIA, SPREAD MAL-INFORMATION, SILENCE DISSENTING VOICES, PERPETUATE HATE SPEECH, AND PUT ACTIVISTS AT RISK. THE RISE OF POPULISM AND AUTHORITARIANISM AND GENERAL CRACKDOWN ON CIVIL SOCIETY RAISES NEW AND PRONOUNCED CHALLENGES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES ARE MOST AT RISK, AS DISINFORMATION IS ALREADY RIFE, A CRISIS OF TRUST PREVAILS, AND PRIVATE INTERESTS WIELD DANGEROUS POWER OVER REGULATION OF THE PLATFORMS THEY USE FOR TO COMMUNICATE AND ADVOCATE. WITNESS' STRATEGY IS DESIGNED TO ADDRESS TODAY'S CHALLENGES HEAD-ON. WE MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR ANYONE, ANYWHERE TO USE VIDEO AND TECHNOLOGY TO PROTECT AND DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS. OUR GLOBAL TEAM DESIGNS SOLUTIONS, PROVIDES GUIDANCE, AND DEVELOPS STRATEGIES THAT ENABLE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND ORDINARY PEOPLE TO HOLD THE POWERFUL TO ACCOUNT AND STAND UP FOR JUSTICE. WITNESS AIMS TO ENSURE THAT VIDEOS CAN BE TRUSTED AND IMPACTFUL, THAT HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS CAN BE SAFER, AND THAT MANY MORE PEOPLE CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE FIGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. CO-FOUNDED IN 1992 BY ADVOCATE AND MUSICIAN PETER GABRIEL, TO DATE, WITNESS HAS PARTNERED WITH MORE THAN 600 HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS REPRESENTING 130+ COUNTRIES, TRAINED 11,000+ HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND CIVIC ACTIVISTS, AND REACHED OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE WITH WITNESS RESOURCES IN THE LAST YEAR ALONE. AS A RESULT OF WITNESS' GUIDANCE, ACTIVISTS AROUND THE WORLD ARE BETTER EQUIPPED TO USE VIDEO AND TECHNOLOGY MORE SAFELY, ETHICALLY, AND EFFECTIVELY TO DEFEND THEIR RIGHTS AND REALIZE OPPORTUNITIES, PROTECT RULE OF LAW, FIGHT OPPRESSION AND INEQUALITY, HOLD GOVERNMENTS ACCOUNTABLE, AND FULLY PARTICIPATE IN SOCIETY. HIGHLIGHT ACTIVITIES FROM THE LAST YEAR INCLUDE: 1) IN RESPONSE TO THE PROLIFERATION OF HATEFUL NARRATIVES AND THE WEAPONIZATION OF MEDIA AGAINST IMMIGRANTS, WE PROVIDE TAILORED GUIDANCE (AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, ARABIC, HAITIAN CREOLE, AND FRENCH) ON TIMELY SUBJECTS SUCH AS FILMING AND SHARING VIDEOS OF ENCOUNTERS WITH IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT, USING FACEBOOK IN AN ERA OF MASS DEPORTATION, AND THE RIGHT TO RECORD ICE OFFICIALS AT OR NEAR COURTHOUSES IN NY. TOGETHER WITH THE EQUAL VOICE NETWORK, WE TRAINED 150+ ACTIVISTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY TO USE VIDEO TO EXPOSE ABUSES BY BORDER PATROL AND ADVOCATE FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS. 2) ACTIVISTS IN RIO'S FAVELAS ARE DEPLOYING WITNESS' LOCALIZED VIDEO AS EVIDENCE RESOURCES, ACCESSING OUR TIP SHEETS ON HOW TO FILM POLICE WITH A CELL PHONE, HOW TO USE VIDEO AS LEGAL PROOF, AND THE RIGHT TO FILM. WE ARE ALSO SUPPORTING MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES TO USE VIDEO TO COUNTER HARMFUL NARRATIVES AMID RISING POPULISM, AND TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD AS POWERFUL ACTORS ARE COMMITTED TO SILENCING THEM. IN RESPONSE TO JAIR BOLSONARO'S ELECTION, AND AS THREATS AGAINST MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES INCREASE, OUR GUIDANCE IS MORE CRITICAL THAN EVER. AS PART OF THIS WORK, WITNESS COLLABORATES CLOSELY WITH COLETIVO PAPO RETO, A FAVELA-BASED MEDIA COLLECTIVE IN RIO, TO IMPROVE THEIR FILMING TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES TO HOLD OFFICERS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR CRIMES. MEDIA GATHERED BY CPR WERE USED BY THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE TO CHARGE TWO HIGH-RANKING MILITARY POLICE COMMANDERS FOR THEIR CRIMES - AN UNPRECEDENTED VICTORY IN BRAZIL WHERE IMPUNITY IS THE NORM. 3) WE HELPED PRESERVE HUMAN RIGHTS CONTENT COMING OUT OF SYRIA BEING REMOVED DUE TO MACHINE LEARNING, AND ARE INFLUENCING GLOBAL NORM-SETTING AROUND HOW TO HANDLE THE INADEQUACY OF CONTENT MODERATION RESPONSES. IN JUNE 2017, GOOGLE ANNOUNCED AN INITIATIVE TO USE MACHINE LEARNING TO DETECT SO-CALLED "EXTREMIST" CONTENT. OUR PARTNERS AT SYRIAN ARCHIVE CONTACTED US WHEN THEY NOTICED MASSIVE TAKEDOWNS OF VIDEOS DEPICTING RIGHTS ABUSES - DUE TO THE FLAWED IMPLEMENTATION OF GOOGLE'S MACHINE LEARNING STRATEGY. WE HELPED RESTORE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VIDEOS, AND YOUTUBE PUBLISHED A NEW RESOURCE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT, INFORMED BY OUR FEEDBACK. IN JUNE 2018, WE SUBMITTED A REPORT TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL THAT FED INTO A NEW REPORT PUBLISHED BY DAVID KAYE. WE ARE ALSO A MEMBER OF THE PARTNERSHIP ON AI (PAI) WORKING GROUP FOCUSED ON CONTENT MODERATION, WHICH WILL BRING A HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE INTO PAI'S LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 11B | SENIOR MANAGEMENT REVIEWS AND EVALUATES THE INFORMATION BEING COMPILED FOR THE 990 IN ADVANCE OF PREPARING A DRAFT, AND REVIEWS THE FINAL 990 PRIOR TO IRS FILING. THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS REVIEWS A FINAL DRAFT OF THE 990, AND THEN THE FINAL 990 IS CIRCULATED TO THE FULL BOARD PRIOR TO IRS FILING. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 12C | ALL APPLICABLE PERSONNEL, INCLUDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS AND KEY EMPLOYEES, SIGN A CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT, IN CONJUNCTION WITH WITNESS'S PUBLISHED CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY, ON AN ONGOING BASIS. ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS ARE DISCUSSED AS THEY MAY ARISE, AND RESOLVED AT THE SEMIANNUAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION B, LINE 15 | BASE SALARY AND SALARY INCREASES FOR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ARE REVIEWED AND APPROVED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION, AND STAYING WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THE ORGANIZATION'S SALARY STRUCTURE, WHICH IS UPDATED EVERY TWO YEARS AFTER ORIGINALLY BEING CREATED BY AN EXTERNAL COMPENSATION CONSULTING FIRM IN 2005. THIS SALARY STRUCTURE INCLUDES SALARIES FOR ALL STAFF, INCLUDING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND OTHER KEY STAFF. |
| FORM 990, PART VI, SECTION C, LINE 19 | THE ORGANIZATION'S CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. THE ORGANIZATION'S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC ON ITS WEBSITE, WWW.WITNESS.ORG, AND BY REQUEST. |
| FORM 990, PART XI, LINE 9: | FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE LOSS -7,304. |
| Software ID: | |
| Software Version: |