`Democracy Now!' Host/Producer's Amy Goodman's Total Annual Compensation: $176,000 in 2015

In 2015, the majority of people who work at straight jobs in the United States were paid annual salaries of less than $50,000. Yet according to its Form 990 financial filing for 2015, the co-host and president of the Lannan Foundation and Park Foundation-subsidized Democracy Now! Productions Inc. alternative media group, Amy Goodman, apparently took home a base salary of $150,000 and $26,632 in speaking fees income, for a total annual compensation of $176,632 in 2015. 

Although Goodman's Democracy Now! Productions Inc. alternative media firm is a tax-exempt, "non-profit" organization, in 2015 its total revenues of over $8.1 million exceeded its total expenses of $6.2 million by nearly $1.9 million, according to its Form 990 financial filing; and the Democracy Now! Production Inc. firm's total assets increased from over $18 million to over $19.9 million between the beginning and end of 2015.

Of the $8.1 million that Democracy Now! Productions Inc. took in during 2015, a significant percentage of money came from the "charitable grants" of tax-exempt foundations like the Santa Fe, New Mexico-based Lannan Foundation. According to the "non-profit" and tax-exempt Lannan Foundation's Form 990 financial filing for 2015, for example, in 2015 two charitable grants, totalling $400,000, were given to "Democracy Now! Productions" for "general operating support" and "internship support."

And, coincidentally, the "philanthropic" Lannan Foundation's Form 990 financial filing also indicated that the Lannan family's "non-profit" Lannan Foundation--whose board of directors currently includes Patrick Lannan, John R. Lannan and Lawrence P. Lannan Jr.--also paid the Lannan Foundation president--"J. Patrick Lannan"--an annual salary of $298,358 in 2015--despite the post-2008 endless economic recession for working-class people in the United States.

Between 2015 and 2017, Democracy Now! Productions has also received, for example, some additional grant money from the following other tax-exempt foundations:

1. A $25,000 grant from the Park Foundation in 2015;
2. Six grants, totalling $302,000, from the Tides Foundation in 2016;
3. A $30,000 grant from the Park Foundation in 2016; and
4. A $30,000 grant from the Park Foundation in 2017.

In 2015, the Lannan Foundation also gave another left gatekeeper/alternative media group, The Nation magazine/Nation Institute, a $75,000 "charitable" grant. In addition,in 2015 and 2016, The Nation/Nation Institute also received, for example, grant money from the following other tax-exempt foundations:

1. A $50,000 grant from the Ford Foundation in 2015;
2. Two grants, totalling $58,000, from the Park Foundation in 2015; and
3. A $750,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation in 2016.