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Internet Society Foundation
Internet Society Foundation reported $32.7 million in revenue and $33.9 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $75.45 went to program services, $20.58 to management and general costs and $3.97 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 88.7% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $771,861 (President and Chief Executive Officer (Thru 08/24)). Revenue fell 5% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $34MFor context, the median across 469 covered international, foreign affairs & national security charities: $89.04 programs, $8.28 management, $2.68 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 $33MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 75.5% | 86.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 20.6% | 8.0% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 4.0% | 2.6% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.05 | $0.03 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 88.7% | 96.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $771,861 | $341,362 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.28% | 1.06% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | Not reported | 10 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 31.4 | 7.5 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 13 of 13 | 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
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expensePhilanthropic funding programs: fund initiatives that strengthen the internet in function and reach so that it can effectively serve all people. Focus areas include research, resilience & emergency response, strengthening communities/improving lives and livelihoods, building opportunities/leveraging technologies (bolt), and internet governance forum (igf) & other opportunities
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President and Chief Executive Officer (Thru 08/24) Officer, 5.0 hrs/week | $182,046 | $546,137 | $43,678 | $771,861 |
| President and Chief Executive Officer (As of 09/24) Officer, 5.0 hrs/week | $36,281 | $399,090 | $95,958 | $531,329 |
| Senior Vice President and General Counsel Officer, 5.0 hrs/week | $110,777 | $215,038 | $89,279 | $415,094 |
| Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Officer, 5.0 hrs/week | $104,289 | $202,444 | $93,921 | $400,654 |
| Executive Director Key employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $307,953 | $0 | $60,436 | $368,389 |
| Vice President, Communications Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $261,446 | $0 | $39,105 | $300,551 |
| Vice President, Empowerment and Outreach Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $281,233 | $0 | $0 | $281,233 |
| Senior Director of Institutional & Grant Funding Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $154,982 | $0 | $47,406 | $202,388 |
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–1b13 · 13 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 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 4Yes
- 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 526
- Volunteers Part I, line 615
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| APCO Worldwide Holdings Inc Public Relations | $280,000 |
| GOLDMAN SACHS & CO LLC Management of Investment Portfolios | $259,374 |
| Torchbox Limited Communications Services | $184,360 |
| Straker Translations Inc Translation Services | $184,278 |
| Sparks Stephens Consulting LLC Business Consulting Services | $169,094 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 7 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Internet Society 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 Internet Society Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Internet Society Foundation spent in 2024, $75.45 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Internet Society Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Internet Society Foundation reported that 75.5% of its $33.9 million in expenses went to program services, 20.6% to management and general and 4.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Internet Society Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Internet Society Foundation reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $771,861, for the role of President and Chief Executive Officer (Thru 08/24) (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Internet Society Foundation get its money?
Of $32.7 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 88.7% came from contributions and grants and 0.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Internet Society Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 82-3285688 as a 501(c)(3) organization (supporting organization, type i), 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 202533209349302153 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202423209349304462 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202313179349306671 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202233089349303128 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202103139349301110 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202003169349300800 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 82-3285688: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.