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Signal Technology Foundation
Signal Technology Foundation reported $29.4 million in revenue and $38.0 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $81.52 went to program services, $18.48 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 74.3% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $795,228 (DIRECTOR / PRES OF SIGNAL MESSENGER). 47 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 52% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $38MFor context, the median across 479 covered community improvement & capacity building charities: $90.45 programs, $9.31 management, $0.24 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 $29MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 81.5% | 89.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 18.5% | 9.2% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 74.3% | 80.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 14.9% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 21.7% | 11.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $795,228 | $291,103 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.09% | 1.49% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 47 | 5 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | -1.5 | 9.2 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 3 of 5 | 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 expenseFollowing its formation in early 2018, Signal Foundation's primary activity was the continuous improvement to signal messenger in order to ensure global access to a secure, end-to-end encrypted voice and text communications platform. Through signal messenger, users can securely call and text one another. The content of those communications are securely encrypted by the app
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIRECTOR / PRES OF SIGNAL MESSENGER Director/trustee, 40.00 hrs/week | $743,531 | $0 | $51,697 | $795,228 |
| VP, ENGINEERING Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $715,212 | $0 | $34,111 | $749,323 |
| CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $709,890 | $0 | $9,274 | $719,164 |
| CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $589,160 | $0 | $20,500 | $609,660 |
| DIRECTOR, ENGINEERING Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $547,338 | $0 | $46,338 | $593,676 |
| CHIEF PRODUCT OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $551,565 | $0 | $20,500 | $572,065 |
| SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $460,097 | $0 | $29,869 | $489,966 |
47 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Signal Technology Foundation (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.4M (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–1b5 · 3 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14No
- 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 26Yes
- 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 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 552
- Volunteers Part I, line 65
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| TWILIO INC Phone verification services | $2,798,943 |
| AMAZON WEB SERVICES Cloud hosting services | $2,665,591 |
| GOOGLE LLC Cloud hosting services | $2,244,772 |
| MESSAGEBIRD Phone verification services | $1,270,470 |
| MICROSOFT Cloud hosting services | $832,970 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 21 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
11 private foundations reported grants to Signal Technology Foundation totaling $39,091 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 Signal Technology 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 Signal Technology Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Signal Technology Foundation spent in 2024, $81.52 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Signal Technology Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Signal Technology Foundation reported that 81.5% of its $38.0 million in expenses went to program services, 18.5% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Signal Technology Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Signal Technology Foundation reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $795,228, for the role of DIRECTOR / PRES OF SIGNAL MESSENGER (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Signal Technology Foundation get its money?
Of $29.4 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 74.3% came from contributions and grants and 21.7% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Signal Technology Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 82-4506840 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 202512629349300421 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202412689349301826 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202342569349300244 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202212729349301631 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202143069349302804 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202013109349300401 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 82-4506840: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.