Manager of Special Projects, The Chronicle of Philanthropy

Expertise:  Finances and data about charities and foundations | Executive compensation | Fund raising | IRS Forms 990, 990-PF, and 990-T

Background:  As The Chronicle of Philanthropy's special projects manager, Noelle Barton oversees the paper's annual surveys on topics such as foundation grant making, fund raising by the biggest charities, and executive pay at charities and foundations. The Chronicle's original research often provides key data -- in some cases, data that few or no other entities compile -- about charities and foundations. Barton has experience working with the IRS Form 990, the informational tax return that all charities and foundations are required to file annually, and has a solid understanding of nonprofit (and municipal) finance. She researches some of the country's biggest donors each year to assist with compiling the Philanthropy 50. She contributes to The Chronicle of Philanthropy blogs and the paper's daily news compendium, Philanthropy Today.

Before joining The Chronicle in 2006, Barton spent four years as a Rockville, Md., municipal reporter for The Gazette, where she wrote about downtown redevelopment, City Hall, and the Washington-area snipers in 2003. She also reported for The Citizen in Auburn, N.Y. (2002), and for The Cape Cod Times (1999 and 2000 to 2001) in Hyannis, Mass, where she covered the fatal plane crash of John F. Kennedy Jr.  As a college intern, Barton wrote for the Arizona Daily Sun about Sen. John McCain's 2000 presidential primary runs in New Hampshire and New York and covered Congress and various legislators for the States News Service.

Barton has a bachelor's degree in newspaper journalism and political science at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School for Public Communication and College of Arts and Sciences.

Honors:  First place for local government coverage, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association, 2003 | First place for spot news coverage, MDDC Press Association, 2002 | Second place for in-depth reporting, New York State Associated Press Association, 2002 | Story of the Year in the diversity category, from the Associated Collegiate Press and Los Angeles Times, 1998 | N.Y. Press Association Grace Anton Memorial Scholarship, 1998

Media Appearances:  Barton frequently speaks with reporters, typically on background, regarding nonprofit finance issues and the IRS Form 990. The Chronicle's data findings have been cited in local and national media, including CNN, the Financial Times, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Social Media

Twitter: @noellebarton