Amateur Radio Digital Communications

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
453751971
IRS 990-PF coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2019, Form 990-PF 2025, Form 990-N 2017
Location
San Diego, CA, USA
Phone
8584779900
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Arts, Culture, and Humanities

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,545,900
Expenses
$5,254,019

Source: IRS Form 990-PF. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Overview

Mission

Radio

What it reported funding in 2025

The foundation reported 111 grants totaling $3,467,865. The stated grant purposes included develop a high speed ofdm-based digital modem for the 400 mhz amateur radio band, enabling significantly higher data rates and modern digital linking capabilities., provide 12 undergraduate scholarships to indigenous students pursuing stem fields related to amateur radio and digital communications., and funded purchasing of radio kits that enable eighth grade engineering students to learn hands-on about radio technology., plus 105 other reported purposes.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 99% of the foundation's positive operating resources came from recurring investment income.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The foundation distributed 66% of its reported charitable disbursements as grants.
  • Includes asset-sale income: Asset-sale income is shown separately from recurring resources when classifying the revenue model.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes to charitable grants and the filing identifies who received its grants. The filing reports one or more activities that warrant closer review.

Rating breakdown

  • Grant Deployment: 79
  • Cost Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency: 100
  • Compliance: 98
  • Endowment Health: 87

Detailed rating inputs

Grant Deployment

  • Grant deployment ratio: 79.3%; rating input score 79; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Cost Efficiency

  • Grant expense ratio: 62.4%; rating input score 62; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency

  • Grant recipient disclosure: Yes; rating input score 100

Compliance

  • Part VII-B activity disclosures: 18 of 19 controls in place; rating input score 95
    • Property sale or exchange with a disqualified person: Pass
    • Borrowing from or lending to a disqualified person: Pass
    • Goods, services, or facilities involving a disqualified person: Pass
    • Compensation paid to a disqualified person: Fail
    • Assets transferred to a disqualified person: Pass
    • Payment to a government official: Pass
    • Uncorrected prior self-dealing: Pass
    • Prior-year undistributed income: Pass
    • Excess business holdings: Pass
    • Investments that may jeopardize charitable purposes: Pass
    • Uncorrected prior-year jeopardizing investments: Pass
    • Attempt to influence legislation: Pass
    • Attempt to influence an election: Pass
    • Grants to individuals: Pass
    • Grants to organizations: Pass
    • Spending for a noncharitable purpose: Pass
    • Funds received for a personal-benefit contract: Pass
    • Premiums paid on a personal-benefit contract: Pass
    • Prohibited tax-shelter transaction: Pass
  • Filing consistency checks: 10; rating input score 100

Endowment Health

  • Endowment-health comparison: 43.57; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Grants: 100% of grant recipient detail disclosed
  • Payout: 79.3% grant deployment rate
  • Trustees: Filed trustees detail
  • Self-dealing: 100% of reviewed questions answered “No”
  • Investments: 87th percentile for endowment coverage
  • Consistency: 10 of 10 current checks pass
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 120 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Compliance: Part VII-B activity disclosures: Compensation paid to a disqualified person not reported.