The Hack Foundation
Also known as Hack Club
The Hack Foundation reported $22.4 million in revenue and $14.2 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $93.83 went to program services, $4.21 to management and general costs and $1.96 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 95.4% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $219,305 (COO AND BOAR). 3 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 1256% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $14MFor context, the median across 192 covered science & technology charities: $84.33 programs, $15.67 management, $0.00 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $22MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 93.8% | 83.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 4.2% | 15.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 2.0% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.01 | $0.00 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 95.4% | 51.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 1.5% | 3.2% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 3.6% | 19.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $219,305 | $513,729 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.54% | 1.72% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 3 | 27 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 15.5 | 14.7 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 2 of 4 | 94.3% |
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
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseHack club. Total revenue: 5,238,425. Total expenses: 3,792,052 hack club is the world's largest charity for teenagers interested in computers and electronics. We serve tens of thousands of high schoolers each year through educational competitions and in-person hackathons, we give over 1m each year to teenagers in grants and components for their projects, and more. We help teenagers learn technical skills to thrive in the 21st century, form lifelong friendships, and build life skills through going on incredible adventures like hackathons. Almost all of our staff and operations are within hack…
Fiscally sponsored projects. Total revenue: 16,085,394. Total expenses: 9,545,562. Note: this is the sum total of all funds raised and spent across all fiscal sponsees. This is not revenue or expenses of hack club. Started in 2018, the Hack Foundation started offering fiscal sponsorship services to nonprofit charitable projects - many of which are led by high schoolers. Today we sponsor a wide variety of for-good nonprofit charitable projects through our in-house developed financial transparency software to help grassroots groups do more with less. Hcb by hack club
Highest reported compensation
2024 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COO AND BOAR Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $219,305 | $0 | $0 | $219,305 |
| HCB TECH LEA Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $140,000 | $0 | $0 | $140,000 |
| E.D. & PRESI Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $119,146 | $0 | $0 | $119,146 |
3 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Hack Foundation (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $338K (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
2024 · 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–1b4 · 2 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aNo
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14No
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- 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 569
- Volunteers Part I, line 62
Private foundation grants it received
17 private foundations reported grants to The Hack Foundation totaling $5.0M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from The Hack Foundation's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for The Hack Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 The Hack Foundation spent in 2024, $93.83 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Climate CentralPrinceton, NJ · revenue $22M · programs 78.4% · 2025
- National Society of Black EngineersAlexandria, VA · revenue $23M · programs 70.4% · FY2025
- American Astronomical SocietyWashington, DC · revenue $22M · programs 80.2% · 2024
- Tall Timbers ResearchTallahassee, FL · revenue $23M · programs 95.8% · 2025
- Future of Life InstituteNarberth, PA · revenue $21M · programs 91.1% · 2024
All science & technology charities · Largest charities in California
Questions people ask
How much of The Hack Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, The Hack Foundation reported that 93.8% of its $14.2 million in expenses went to program services, 4.2% to management and general and 2.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Hack Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Hack Foundation reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $219,305, for the role of COO AND BOAR (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Hack Foundation get its money?
Of $22.4 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 95.4% came from contributions and grants (including 1.5% from government grants) and 3.6% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Hack Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 81-2908499 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
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202533219349309698 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202423209349312247 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202333199349306488 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202243189349308489 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202103239349300740 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202043159349300849 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 81-2908499: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.