Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
992299327
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Oakland, CA, USA
Phone
4152750630
Rating
60
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Research Institutes and Public Policy Analysis

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,130,636
Expenses
$1,704,218
Assets
$5,661,474
Liabilities
$232,267

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TIMNIT GEBRU (PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • TIMNIT GEBRU (PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $3,822 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To engage in interdisciplinary ai research activities through diverse perspectives and deliberate processes rooted in the lived experiences of communities.

What it reported doing in 2024

Includes distributed artificial intelligence research institute (dair) projects to mitigate, disrupt, eliminate, and slow down the harms caused by ai technology, and to create spaces that allow us to imagine and create alternatives.the organization presented talks and workshops at academic conferences and elsewhere regarding dair's research projects and findings. To help reach a wide audience, dair institute researchers contributed editorials to major news publications. Dair organized its own public, online panel discussions featuring dair researchers and guest speakers, as well as produced podcasts, graphic designs, and creative writing to make dair's research findings more accessible to the general public. Lastly, dair partnered with other mission-aligned tax-exempt organizations to provide tailored events, reports, and other services related to dair's research and how such research impacts the partner organization's work.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 44
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 86
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 17.8%; rating input score 18
  • Program expense ratio: 73.9%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $87.08 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 76.1%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.32; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.2%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 17.8% of revenue deployed · 73.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 3 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $4K · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 18/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.