Editorial Standards > Ownership and Funding
Highlands Current Inc. is a New York State not-for-profit news organization begun in 2010 as Philipstown.Info, Inc. Through its print edition, The Highlands Current, and its website, highlandscurrent.org, it is dedicated to providing balanced reporting of the news in the communities of Philipstown (Cold Spring, Garrison, Nelsonville, North Highlands and Continental Village) and Beacon in the Hudson Highlands region.
Highlands Current Inc. is governed by a volunteer board of directors responsible for the financial health and mission-driven activity of the organization.
In order to provide our content free to the communities we serve, we rely on the generosity of members who believe in our mission. Our corporation has tax-exempt status as a federal 501(c)(3) enterprise, and donations to it are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law. As a nonprofit that operates as a public trust, we do not pay certain taxes. We also may receive funds from government programs offered to nonprofits or similar businesses.
Highlands Current Inc. is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News and subscribes to the guidelines it sets forth. We retain full authority over editorial and advertising content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships for the general support of our activities, but our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of support from any donors or other revenue source. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute an endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions.
Consistent with the INN guidelines, our organization will make public the names of all donors who give $5,000 or more annually. We will accept anonymous donations for general support below that threshold only if it is clear that sufficient safeguards have been put into place that our expenditure of that donation is made independently. No more than 15 percent of our total annual revenue may come from anonymous sources.
As a news nonprofit, we do not accept donations from any source that, as deemed by our board, presents a conflict of interest with our work or compromises our independence.
Our website contains links to our annual 990 tax filings with the Internal Revenue Service. A copy of our most recently filed financial report is available by contacting the New York State Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 28 Liberty St., New York, NY 10005. You also may obtain information on charitable organizations from the New York State Office of the Attorney General at charitiesnys.com or 212-416-8401.
