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Rferl
Also known as Radio Free Europeradio Liberty
Rferl reported $129.0 million in revenue and $133.1 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $76.40 went to program services, $23.60 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 97.4% of the total. Government grants made up 97.3%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $304,481 (PRESIDENT AND CEO). 97 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 5% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $133MFor context, the median across 876 covered arts, culture & humanities charities: $79.98 programs, $13.89 management, $6.13 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $129MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 76.4% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 23.6% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.00 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 97.4% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 97.3% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 2.5% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $304,481 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.23% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 97 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | -0.3 | 36.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 6 of 6 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseRfe/rl's mission is to promote democratic values by providing accurate, uncensored news and open debate in countries where a free press is under threat. In fy2025, rfe/rl reported in 27 languages to 23 countries from central europe to the pacific ocean, reaching more than 48 million people every week. To protect our far-flung operations and our most important assets - our journalists. Rfe/rl invests in the security of our physical and digital operations, as well as personal and professional safety of our staff. These investments include a robust journalist advocacy program that supports…
Rfe/rl's russian-language programming offers russian speakers across russia, ukraine, central asia, the caucasus, the baltics, and eastern europe professional, trustworthy news that counters the narratives of hostile governments while promoting democracy and accountability. In a highly controlled and repressed media environment, rfe/rl offers a rare option to russians who seek something beyond state-controlled propaganda.radio svoboda, rfe/rl's russian service, and its two regional reporting projects - siberia.realities for residents in the trans-urals region and north.realities aimed at…
Rfe/rl's ukrainian service, radio svoboda, is a trusted, award-winning outlet providing comprehensive coverage of russia's full-scale war from bureaus in kyiv, lviv, and the front lines. The service's investigative unit, schemes, acts as a critical watchdog over american aid flowing into ukraine, providing journalistic oversight that holds authorities accountable and exposes corruption. A schemes investigation uncovered corrupt practices by ukraine's deputy prosecutor general, dmytro verbytskyi, leading to an internal investigation and his resignation. According to a 2024 national survey…
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT AND CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $271,685 | $0 | $32,796 | $304,481 |
| GENERAL COUNSEL & SECRETARY Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $194,725 | $0 | $55,749 | $250,474 |
| HEAD OF CORPORATE SECURITY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $227,537 | $0 | $12,913 | $240,450 |
| ACTING CFO, ASST. TREASURER, DIR. FP&A Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $201,746 | $0 | $33,386 | $235,132 |
| VICE PRES. AND EDITOR IN CHIEF Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $201,710 | $0 | $25,542 | $227,252 |
| DEPUTY HEAD, CORP SECURITY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $190,865 | $0 | $24,160 | $215,025 |
| JOURNALIST Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $188,830 | $0 | $19,188 | $208,018 |
| HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $178,001 | $0 | $29,403 | $207,404 |
97 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Rferl (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $2.3M (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b6 · 6 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aNo
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 5177
- Volunteers Part I, line 627
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| CSI LEASING CZECH SRO Equipment leasing | $3,407,441 |
| MARK2 CORPORATION CZECH AS Facility security services | $2,146,073 |
| RSM TECHNOLOGY CZ It contractor | $762,902 |
| HM GASTRO GROUP SRO Facility management | $737,872 |
| DELL BANK INTERNATIONAL DAC Equipment leasing | $684,433 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 16 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Rferl's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Rferl, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Rferl spent in FY2025, $76.40 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Chicago Symphony OrchestraChicago, IL · revenue $126M · programs 76.5% · FY2025
- Crystal Bridges-Museum of American ArtBentonville, AR · revenue $131M · programs 39.0% · 2024
- The Epoch Times AssociationNew York, NY · revenue $126M · programs 89.7% · 2024
- Robert W Woodruff Arts CenterAtlanta, GA · revenue $135M · programs 74.0% · FY2025
- California Institute of the ArtsValencia, CA · revenue $122M · programs 85.2% · FY2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of Rferl's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, Rferl reported that 76.4% of its $133.1 million in expenses went to program services, 23.6% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Rferl pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Rferl reported for one person in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 was $304,481, for the role of PRESIDENT AND CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Rferl get its money?
Of $129.0 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, 97.4% came from contributions and grants (including 97.3% from government grants) and 2.5% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Rferl a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 52-1068522 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, object 202622019349300627 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, object 202522269349301952 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, object 202422279349302752 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, object 202312269349302136 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, object 202212279349303561 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, object 202102289349303905 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 52-1068522: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.