Nonprofit · EIN 54-1429009
MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC
Tax-exempt · HERNDON, VA 20171
Financials
| Year ended | Form | Revenue | Expenses | Net income | Total assets | Liabilities | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2025 | 990 | $14,573,615 | $12,935,742 | $1,637,873 | $17,946,012 | $10,787,156 | $7,158,856 |
| December 31, 2024 | 990 | $15,150,121 | $13,052,906 | $2,097,215 | $18,749,928 | $11,965,650 | $6,784,278 |
| December 31, 2023 | 990 | $18,700,765 | $16,296,481 | $2,404,284 | $16,474,757 | $11,505,140 | $4,969,617 |
Financial details: 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025
Revenue
- Contributions, gifts and grants
- $11,886,017
- Program service revenue
- $82,686
- Investment income
- $2,546,351
- Royalties
- $18,460
- Net gain from sales of assets
- $2,328,073
- Other revenue
- $58,561
Expenses
- Grants and similar amounts paid
- $0
- Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
- $692,412
- Other salaries and wages
- $5,364,282
- Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
- $7,814,974
- Professional fundraising fees
- $180,561
- Legal fees
- $56,455
- Accounting fees
- $100,982
- Occupancy
- $1,062,531
- Travel
- $234,893
- Depreciation
- $89,119
- Program services (functional)
- $10,381,575
- Management and general (functional)
- $1,476,082
- Fundraising (functional)
- $1,078,085
Balance sheet and other
- Total assets, start of year
- $18,749,928
- Total assets, end of year
- $17,946,012
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $10,787,156
- Net assets, end of year
- $7,158,856
- Land, buildings and equipment
- $541,637
- Publicly traded securities
- $8,919,514
- Net assets without donor restrictions
- $4,358,344
- Net assets with donor restrictions
- $2,800,512
- Gross receipts
- $25,277,438
- Employees
- 97
- Volunteers
- 10
- Year formed
- 1987
- State of legal domicile
- VA
From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.
Officers, directors and key employees
As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025, highest compensation first.
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Molchany | Chief Operating Officer Key employee | 40 | $314,882 | $55,027 |
| L Brent Bozell | President Emeritus Highest-paid employee | 40 | $297,250 | $20,741 |
| Daniel Schneider | VP of Free Speech America Highest-paid employee | 40 | $223,082 | $54,053 |
| Eric Pairel | VP & Chief Technology Officer Highest-paid employee | 40 | $187,150 | $62,138 |
| Larry Gourlay | Director of Major Gifts Highest-paid employee | 40 | $222,990 | $6,986 |
| David Bozell | President/Director Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $214,922 | $0 |
| Brent Baker | VP of Research & Publications Highest-paid employee | 40 | $189,554 | $22,502 |
| Melissa Lopez | Secretary Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $85,880 | $21,700 |
| Karl Ottosen | Chairman Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| William Walton | Treasurer Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Don Cooper | Director Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Jacques Dubois | Director Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Melissa Emery | Director Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Seymour Fein | Director Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| Joan Holt Lindsey | Director Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
3 more people on this return
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hon Bob McEwen | Director Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Terry Schilling | Director Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
| Cameron Smith | Director Trustee or director | 1 | $0 |
990 for the year ended December 31, 2024: 20 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L BRENT BOZELL III | PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $395,600 | $29,995 |
| EDWARD MOLCHANY | SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Key employee | 40 | $283,831 | $20,000 |
| DANIEL SCHNEIDER | VICE PRESIDENT OF FSA Highest-paid employee | 40 | $215,160 | $30,087 |
| ERIC PAIREL | VP & CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFI Highest-paid employee | 40 | $183,520 | $52,512 |
| BRENT BAKER | VP OF RESEARCH & PUBLICATI Highest-paid employee | 40 | $182,740 | $18,874 |
| TIMOTHY GRAHAM | EXECUTIVE EDITOR Highest-paid employee | 40 | $149,375 | $38,867 |
| CHERYL MICHENER | DIRECTOR FINANCIAL OPERA Highest-paid employee | 40 | $161,000 | $17,524 |
| DAVID MARTIN | EXECUTIVE VP/ASST TREASURE Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $143,756 | $10,875 |
| MELISSA LOPEZ | SECRETARY Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $85,925 | $13,819 |
| KARL OTTOSEN | CHAIRMAN/DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| DR SEYMOUR FEIN | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| MELISSA EMERY | TREASURER / DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| CAMERON SMITH | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| JACQUES DUBOIS | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| KAREN WRIGHT | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| DON COOPER | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| JOAN HOLT LINDSEY | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| WILLIAM WALTON | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| HON BOB MCEWEN | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| TERRY SCHILLING | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 |
990 for the year ended December 31, 2023: 20 people
| Name | Title | Hours / week | Compensation | From related orgs | Other / benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAVID MARTIN | EXECUTIVE VP/ASST TREASURER Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $304,450 | $0 | $242,550 |
| L BRENT BOZELL III | PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $296,000 | $0 | $22,308 |
| EDWARD MOLCHANY | SENIOR VP Highest-paid employee | 40 | $240,510 | $0 | $40,266 |
| COLEY JACKSON | VP OF DEVELOPMENT Highest-paid employee | 40 | $220,718 | $0 | $22,926 |
| DANIEL SCHNEIDER | VICE PRESIDENT OF FSA Highest-paid employee | 40 | $207,600 | $0 | $24,710 |
| ERIC PAIREL | VP & CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER Highest-paid employee | 40 | $174,095 | $0 | $24,273 |
| BRENT BAKER | VP OF RESEARCH & PUBLICATI Highest-paid employee | 40 | $177,620 | $0 | $10,220 |
| MELISSA LOPEZ | SECRETARY Trustee or director, Officer | 40 | $78,775 | $11,450 | $6,483 |
| KARL OTTOSEN | CHAIRMAN/DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| TIM DONNER | TREASURER/DIRECTOR Trustee or director, Officer | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| DR SEYMOUR FEIN | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| MELISSA EMERY | TREASURER / DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| CAMERON SMITH | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| JACQUES DUBOIS | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| HON CURTIN WINSOR JR | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| KAREN WRIGHT | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| DON COOPER | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| JOAN HOLT LINDSEY | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| WILLIAM WALTON | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| MS ABBY MOFFAT | DIRECTOR Trustee or director | 1 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Address and contacts
- Address (IRS master file)
- 2340 DULLES CORNER BLVD STE 1000, HERNDON, VA 20171-3638
- Principal officer (990 for 2025)
- Ed Molchany, 2340 Dulles Corner Blvd 1000, Herndon, VA 20171
- Signed the 990
- Ed Molchany, COO
- Phone
- (571) 267-3500
- Website
- www.mrc.org
- Return prepared by
- Rogers & Company PLLC
Mission
The Media Research Center documents and combats the falsehoods and censorship of the news media, entertainment media and big tech in order to defend and preserve America's founding principles and Judeo-Christian values.
Program accomplishments
- News Analysis Division - brings political balance to the nation's news media by documenting and countering liberal bias from television network news shows and major print publications. Newsbusters' news archives reached over 1,035,000 hours of programming, storing important historical references that are available to anyone upon request. There were 2,182 related stories, studies, and videos produced in 2025 with over 12 million video views and 222.1 million impressions online. Newsbusters was able to educate its 2.7 million Facebook followers, nearly 250k x followers and over 3.5 million Truth Social followers about biased reporting in the media.Expenses $4,057,453
- MRC Free Speech America - a movement to stop big tech censorship of conservatives. There were 594 stories, studies, and videos used to educate the MRC Free Speech America audience in 2025. In addition, there were 5.5 million video views related to free speech content and 73.2 million impressions online. MRC Free Speech America was able to reach its 815k Facebook followers and nearly 123k x followers throughout the year.Expenses $3,328,213
- MRC Video - an online media platform designed to broadcast conservative values, culture, politics, liberal media bias, and entertainment to a new and diverse audience on a social media optimized sight. MRC Video educated the public with 168.4 million video views in 2025. This contributed to 504.3 million impressions online with 1.000 related stories, studies, and videos created. MRC Video was able to educate its 3.2 million Facebook followers and 97k followers on x throughout the year.Expenses $2,619,296
- Youth Education and Intern Program - mentors America's youth and educates and trains students to recognize bias and the need for balanced journalism.Expenses $376,613
What it must file and when
IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.
| Tax year | Year ended | Due | IRS public records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | December 31, 2025 | May 15, 2026 | 990 on file |
| 2024 | December 31, 2024 | May 15, 2025 | 990 on file |
| 2023 | December 31, 2023 | May 15, 2024 | 990 on file |
IRS record
- EIN
- 54-1429009
- Tax-exempt status
- 501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization
- Foundation status
- Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))
- Donations deductible (Pub 78)
- Public charity, 50% deduction limit
- Exempt since
- 1988
- Accounting year ends
- December
- Files
- Form 990 or 990-EZ
- Category (NTEE)
- Arts, culture and humanities (A050)
- Assets (IRS master file)
- $17,946,012
- Income (IRS master file)
- $25,277,438
Filing history
| Form | Year ended | Revenue | Expenses | Assets | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 990 | December 2025 | $14,573,615 | $12,935,742 | $17,946,012 | XML |
| 990-T | December 2025 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2024 | $15,150,121 | $13,052,906 | $18,749,928 | XML |
| 990 | December 2023 | $18,700,765 | $16,296,481 | $16,474,757 | XML |
| 990-T | December 2023 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2022 | $12,605,323 | $16,454,978 | $13,690,685 | IRS |
| 990-T | December 2022 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2021 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990-T | December 2021 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2020 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990-T | December 2020 | – | – | – | IRS |
| 990 | December 2018 | – | – | – | IRS |
990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 54-1429009).
Questions about MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC
- What is the EIN of MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC?
- The employer identification number (EIN) of MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC is 54-1429009.
- Is MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC tax-exempt?
- Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1988.
- Are donations to MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC tax-deductible?
- Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
- Which annual return does MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC file?
- Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.
- When is the next return of MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC due?
- The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.
- When did MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC last file with the IRS?
- The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2025.
- Who is the principal officer of MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC?
- The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 names Ed Molchany.
- Who are the officers and directors of MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC?
- The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 18 people; 8 received compensation from the organization, the highest $314,882 (Ed Molchany, Chief Operating Officer).
- How much revenue does MEDIA RESEARCH CENTER INC have?
- On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $14,573,615, expenses of $12,935,742 and total assets of $17,946,012 at year end.
Other nonprofits in HERNDON
- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MUSIC EDUCATION EIN 52-6045043 · last filed 990 for 2025
- CLARE BOOTHE LUCE CENTER FOR CONSERVATIVE WOMEN EIN 54-1672138 · last filed 990 for 2025
- THE ELDEN STREET PLAYERS EIN 54-1503154 · last filed 990 for 2025
- OSS SOCIETY INC EIN 55-0810619 · last filed 990 for 2024
- ARTISTS IN MOTION EIN 87-4797652 · last filed 990 for 2025
- FOUNDERS BENEFACTORS SUPERVISORS & FRIENDS OF FRYING PAN FRM PARK INC EIN 54-2000959 · last filed 990 for 2025
- ANIME USA EIN 06-1654851 · last filed 990 for 2025
- HCTV CORPORATION EIN 54-1536764 · last filed 990-EZ for 2024
All nonprofits in HERNDON · Virginia · Arts, culture and humanities