The Sia Foundation
The Sia Foundation reported $12.3 million in revenue and $4.8 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $79.50 went to program services, $20.50 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 82.6% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $340,954 (President/Core Developer). 5 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue fell 73% between 2021 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $4.8MFor 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 $12MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 79.5% | 83.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 20.5% | 15.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 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 | 82.6% | 51.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 3.2% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 19.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $340,954 | $513,729 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 7.04% | 1.72% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 5 | 27 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 105.4 | 14.7 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 0 of 3 | 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 expenseProtocol - The Sia Foundation exists to strengthen the Sia protocol through research and development by funding developers and other protocol needs
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/Core Developer Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $305,000 | $0 | $35,954 | $340,954 |
| Front-end Engineer Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $253,565 | $0 | $33,473 | $287,038 |
| Treasurer/Core Developer Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $250,836 | $0 | $34,703 | $285,539 |
| Director of People and Support Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $195,652 | $0 | $48,861 | $244,513 |
| Director of Operations Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $199,921 | $0 | $37,602 | $237,523 |
5 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Sia Foundation (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $626K (Part IX, line 5).
4 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–1b3 · 0 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 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 59
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Schinnerl Engineering Consultancy GmbH Research, software architecture, softwar | $434,946 |
| Brone Engineering and Consultancy CommV Research, software architecture, softwar | $350,362 |
| Ikenna Oliver Olufemi Developer support, content production, c | $107,813 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 3 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from The Sia 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 Sia Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 The Sia Foundation spent in 2024, $79.50 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All science & technology charities · Largest charities in Massachusetts
Questions people ask
How much of The Sia Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, The Sia Foundation reported that 79.5% of its $4.8 million in expenses went to program services, 20.5% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Sia Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Sia Foundation reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $340,954, for the role of President/Core Developer (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Sia Foundation get its money?
Of $12.3 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 82.6% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Sia Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 85-4329649 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 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 202533179349308073 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202433199349313193 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202313179349308326 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202233189349318608 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 85-4329649: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.