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American Ideas Institute

The American Conservative

Organization summary

Type of Nonprofit

Designated as a Organizations for any of the following purposes: religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition (as long as it doesn’t provide athletic facilities or equipment), or the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.

Category: Arts, Culture and Humanities / Printing, Publishing (NTEE)

Donations to this organization are tax deductible.

Summary charts: organization finances over time

Revenue
$2.25M (2022)

Expenses
$2.6M (2022)

Total Assets
$1.58M (2022)

Total Liabilities
$24.6k (2022)

Source: Form 990 tax filings from 2011 to 2022

Tax Filings by Year

Form 990 is an information return that most organizations claiming federal tax-exempt status must file yearly with the IRS. Nonprofit Explorer has IRS digitized Form 990 data for filings processed in 2012 and later. If this organization filed an amended return, it may not be reflected below. Duplicate download links may indicate a resubmission or amendment to this organization's original return. Form 990 data is from the IRS.

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2022

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,254,203
Expenses
$2,597,330
Net Income
-$343,127
Net Assets
$1,552,289
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,878,417
83.3%
Program Services $315,060
14.0%
Investment Income $7,473
0.3%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $53,253
2.4%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $0
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $931,387
35.9%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,576,863
Total Liabilities $24,574
Net Assets $1,552,289
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Ray Dreher (Senior Editor) $0 $0 $0
Rachel Bovard (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ed Grier (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Scott Mcconnell (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Howard Ahmanson Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
George O'neill Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Michael C Desch (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Robert W Merry (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Dominique Watkins (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
William Ruger (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Jeremy Beer (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Emile Doak (Executive Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2021

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,327,401
Expenses
$2,308,261
Net Income
$19,140
Net Assets
$1,646,305
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,950,557
83.8%
Program Services $305,363
13.1%
Investment Income $90
0.0%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $71,391
3.1%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $154,758
6.7%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $765,172
33.1%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,916,037
Total Liabilities $269,732
Net Assets $1,646,305
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Emile Doak (Executive Director) $144,258 $0 $0
Ray Dreher (Senior Editor) $140,053 $0 $0
Robert W Merry (Board Member) $10,500 $0 $0
Rachel Bovard (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Ed Grier (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Scott Mcconnell (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Howard Ahmanson Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
George O'neill Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
C Boyden Gray (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Michael C Desch (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Dominique Watkins (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
William Ruger (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Jeremy Beer (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2020

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,973,531
Expenses
$2,252,422
Net Income
$721,109
Net Assets
$1,585,090
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $2,634,978
88.6%
Program Services $167,313
5.6%
Investment Income $6,302
0.2%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $164,938
5.5%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $296,701
13.2%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $736,477
32.7%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $1,714,285
Total Liabilities $129,195
Net Assets $1,585,090
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Emile Doak (Executive Di) $106,474 $0 $0
John A Burtka Iv (Executive Di) $88,826 $0 $0
Ronald Burr (Secretary/Tr) $83,400 $0 $0
Robert W Merry (Board Member) $18,000 $0 $0
Jeremy Beer (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Michael C Desch (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
C Boyden Gray (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
George O'neill Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Howard Ahmanson Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Scott Mcconnell (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
William Ruger (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Jon Utley (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Dominique Watkins (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2019

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,571,744
Expenses
$2,005,010
Net Income
$566,734
Net Assets
$863,981
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $2,320,285
90.2%
Program Services $114,630
4.5%
Investment Income $9,728
0.4%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $127,101
4.9%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $237,013
11.8%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $651,258
32.5%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $941,790
Total Liabilities $77,809
Net Assets $863,981
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
John A Burtka Iv (Executive Di) $110,760 $0 $0
Ronald Burr (Secretary/Tr) $82,600 $0 $0
Jeremy Beer (Chairman) $48,418 $0 $0
Scott Mcconnell (Board Member) $2,000 $0 $0
Jon Utley (Board Member) $600 $0 $0
Michael C Desch (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
C Boyden Gray (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
George O'neill Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Howard Ahmanson Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Robert W Merry (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
William Ruger (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Emile Doak (Vice Preside) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2018

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$1,662,821
Expenses
$1,746,482
Net Income
-$83,661
Net Assets
$297,247
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,460,491
87.8%
Program Services $199,816
12.0%
Investment Income $2,514
0.2%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $190,966
10.9%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $583,994
33.4%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $398,683
Total Liabilities $101,436
Net Assets $297,247
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
John A Burtka Iv (Executive Di) $105,167 $0 $0
Ronald Burr (Secretary/Tr) $88,465 $0 $0
Robert W Merry (Board Member) $64,799 $0 $0
Bradley Birzer (President) $21,000 $0 $0
Jon Utley (Board Member) $1,650 $0 $0
William Ruger (Board Member) $750 $0 $0
Wick Allison (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Jeremy Beer (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Michael C Desch (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
C Boyden Gray (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
George O'neill Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Howard Ahmanson Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Scott Mcconnell (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2017

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$1,478,599
Expenses
$1,494,032
Net Income
-$15,433
Net Assets
$340,908
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,288,363
87.1%
Program Services $190,392
12.9%
Investment Income $684
0.0%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets -$840
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $361,134
24.2%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $327,078
21.9%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $468,763
Total Liabilities $127,855
Net Assets $340,908
Other
Reported conflict of interest transactions
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Robert Merry (Board Member) $125,016 $0 $0
Ray Dreher (Senior Editor) $103,508 $0 $0
Ronald Burr (Secretary) $73,435 $0 $0
Jeremy Beer (Chairman) $42,175 $0 $0
Bradley Birzer (President) $15,000 $0 $0
Jon Utley (Board Member) $1,000 $0 $0
Scott Mcconnell (Board Member) $1,000 $0 $0
Wick Allison (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Howard Ahmanson (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
George O'neill (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
William Ruger (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
C Boyden Gray (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Michael Desch (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2016

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$1,283,840
Expenses
$1,097,043
Net Income
$186,797
Net Assets
$356,341
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,011,517
78.8%
Program Services $272,110
21.2%
Investment Income $213
0.0%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $327,399
29.8%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $265,731
24.2%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $484,648
Total Liabilities $128,307
Net Assets $356,341
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Daniel Mccarthy (Executive Dir.) $101,016 $0 $0
Ray Dreher (Senior Editor) $100,008 $0 $0
Ronald Burr (Secretary) $74,965 $0 $0
Jeremy Beer (President) $36,000 $0 $0
Robert Merry (Board Member) $11,860 $0 $0
Scott Mcconnell (Board Member) $2,700 $0 $0
C Boyden Gray (Board Member) $550 $0 $0
Jon Utley (Board Member) $300 $0 $0
Wick Allison (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Howard Ahmanson (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Michael Desch (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
George D O'neill Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2015

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$1,032,265
Expenses
$872,674
Net Income
$159,591
Net Assets
$209,544
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $790,113
76.5%
Program Services $242,056
23.4%
Investment Income $96
0.0%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $295,743
33.9%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $46,226
5.3%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $315,672
Total Liabilities $106,128
Net Assets $209,544
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Ray Dreher (Senior Editor) $100,008 $0 $0
Daniel Mccarthy (Executive Dir.) $78,225 $0 $0
Ronald Burr (Secretary) $70,465 $0 $0
Jeremy Beer (President) $41,445 $0 $0
Scott Mcconnell (Board Member) $3,650 $0 $0
Jon Utley (Board Member) $750 $0 $0
Michael Desch (Board Member) $600 $0 $0
Robert Merry (Board Member) $600 $0 $0
Wick Allison (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Howard Ahmanson (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
C Boyden Gray (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
George D O'neill Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2014

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$737,265
Expenses
$852,779
Net Income
-$115,514
Net Assets
$83,897
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $542,691
73.6%
Program Services $194,469
26.4%
Investment Income $105
0.0%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $174,571
20.5%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $287,984
33.8%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $83,897
Total Liabilities $0
Net Assets $83,897
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Daniel Mccarthy (Executive Director) $70,008 $0 $4,500
Ronald Burr (Secretary Treasurer) $65,213 $0 $0
Jeremy Beer (President) $28,500 $0 $0
Scott Mcconnell (Board Member) $5,200 $0 $0
Jon Utley (Board Member) $1,150 $0 $0
Wick Allison (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Howard Ahmanson (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Michael Desch (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Robert Merry (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
C Boyden Gray (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
George D O'neill Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2013

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$880,918
Expenses
$824,683
Net Income
$56,235
Net Assets
$199,411
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $675,294
76.7%
Program Services $205,477
23.3%
Investment Income $147
0.0%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $162,343
19.7%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $297,454
36.1%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $199,411
Total Liabilities $0
Net Assets $199,411
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Daniel Mccarthy (Executive Director) $70,008 $0 $4,500
Ronald Burr (Secretary Treasurer) $69,335 $0 $0
William S Lind (Board Member) $13,200 $0 $0
Scott Mcconnell (Board Member) $5,000 $0 $0
Michael Desch (Board Member) $300 $0 $0
Wick Allison (President) $0 $0 $0
Patrick Buchannan (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
Jon Utley (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
C Boyden Gray (Board Member) $0 $0 $0
George D O'neill Jr (Board Member) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2012

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$873,457
Expenses
$989,299
Net Income
-$115,842
Net Assets
$143,176
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $655,931
75.1%
Program Services $217,302
24.9%
Investment Income $224
0.0%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $69,174
7.0%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $372,057
37.6%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $143,176
Total Liabilities $0
Net Assets $143,176

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2011

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$911,423
Expenses
$779,056
Net Income
$132,367
Net Assets
$259,018
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $751,744
82.5%
Program Services $159,130
17.5%
Investment Income $549
0.1%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $62,144
8.0%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $180,781
23.2%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $259,018
Total Liabilities $0
Net Assets $259,018

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2010

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2009

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

About This Data

Nonprofit Explorer includes summary data for nonprofit tax returns and full Form 990 documents, in both PDF and digital formats.

The summary data contains information processed by the IRS during the 2012-2019 calendar years; this generally consists of filings for the 2011-2018 fiscal years, but may include older records. This data release includes only a subset of what can be found in the full Form 990s.

In addition to the raw summary data, we link to PDFs and digital copies of full Form 990 documents wherever possible. This consists of separate releases by the IRS of Form 990 documents processed by the agency, which we update regularly.

We also link to copies of audits nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year since 2016. These audits are copied from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

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Every organization that has been recognized as tax exempt by the IRS has to file Form 990 every year, unless they make less than $200,000 in revenue and have less than $500,000 in assets, in which case they have to file form 990-EZ. Organizations making less than $50,000 don’t have to file either form but do have to let the IRS they’re still in business via a Form 990N "e-Postcard."

Nonprofit Explorer has organizations claiming tax exemption in each of the 27 subsections of the 501(c) section of the tax code, and which have filed a Form 990, Form 990EZ or Form 990PF. Taxable trusts and private foundations that are required to file a form 990PF are also included. Small organizations filing a Form 990N "e-Postcard" are not included in this data.

Types of Nonprofits

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For those interested in acquiring the original data from the source, here’s where our data comes from:

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  • Audits. PDFs of single or program-specific audits for nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year. Available for fiscal year 2015 and later.

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