Join Freeworld Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
854029841
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Phone
8134444049
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Rehabilitation Services for Offenders

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$20,547,662
Expenses
$16,376,592
Assets
$5,355,802
Liabilities
$1,536,573

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JASON WANG (FOUNDER & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • JASON WANG (FOUNDER & CEO): $304,906 total reported compensation
  • MARC CULL (CTO): $279,167 total reported compensation
  • BENJAMIN BECHTOLSHEIM (COO): $260,417 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To end generational poverty and recidivism.

What it reported doing in 2025

General program - free world provides justice-impacted individuals with full support, education, and training to obtain their class a cdl license once a program participant graduates, we assist them with finding a career and continue to provide career and support services for three additional years to assist them with building wealth, ending generational poverty, and remaining prison - free.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 91% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 74% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 68.2%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 85.4%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.24 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 20.3%; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.33; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.3%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 42.7% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 44.1% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 68.2% of revenue deployed · 85.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $14M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $305K · 10 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2M reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 52/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.