Geeks Without Frontiers

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
474976101
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Phone
3109908803
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Computer Science

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,525,612
Expenses
$2,066,562
Assets
$225,636
Liabilities
$1,147,239

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WILLIAM D HARTSHORN (CEO (JAN - SEPT))
  • DANIEL GUTWEIN (CEO (OCT-DEC))

Highest reported compensation

  • KEVIN SCHWARTZ (COO): $245,000 total reported compensation
  • ERIN BOWN-ANDERSON (DIRECTOR): $195,000 total reported compensation
  • WILLIAM D HARTSHORN (CEO (JAN - SEPT)): $186,667 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Geeks' vision and mission is to bring the benefits of internet connectivity to the estimated 3.5 billion people who remain unconnected to help close the digital divide and achieve the un sustainable development goals, including improved standards of health, education and social and economic well-being.

What it reported doing in 2024

Indigenous resilience network/broadband for tribes- geeks without frontiers continues to provide further support of the implementation of infrastructure, adoption of applications, workforce and economic development to benefit the communities and sustainable solutions. The gwf team has been actively working with multiple tribes with their plans to build/expand long-term sustainable broadband networks and address the many impacts of digital disparities among the already marginalized communities. The studies provided options for the design, procurement, implementation, and long-term operation of broadband networks owned and operated by each tribe. The summary studies took account of key variables including spectrum, regulatory, policy, technology, applications, user demand, competition, financial modeling, and other factors. These studies also show how the networks can be expanded to provide broadband services for neighboring towns as well as other potential clients. Gwf recommended technology selection path(s) and architecture, multi-year business plan, assessment of the applicability for demand aggregation implementations, use of sources of funding, and recommended approach to address relevant legal matters linked to the broadband network deployment. Our team is continuing to work with these tribes and additional tribes with providing further support of the implementation of infrastructure, adoption of applications to benefit the communities and sustainable solutions.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 92% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 57
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 5
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 92.9%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -35.5%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.11; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 5.08; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 33.5%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 31.4% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 19.6% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 92.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $245K · 7 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $171K reported
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes foreign activity and executive pay
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 5/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.