Open Technology Fund
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 843126447
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2019–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2029830471
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $52,341,441
- Expenses
- $52,353,851
- Assets
- $26,296,148
- Liabilities
- $26,419,808
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
17 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- LAURA CUNNINGHAM (PRESIDENT)
- BRYAN NUNEZ (VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS)
- CHRIS TAYLOR (VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS)
Highest reported compensation
- LAURA CUNNINGHAM (PRESIDENT): $283,645 total reported compensation
- NATHANIEL KRETCHUN (CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER): $256,283 total reported compensation
- GARY ROEBUCK (TREASURER (FROM 9/25) & COO): $253,650 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
OTF supports internet freedom projects worldwide by providing funding, security audits, usability testing, and communications support to technology-focused initiatives.
What it reported doing in 2024
Otf resource labs provide critical services to internet freedom projects that are not covered by our other funding mechanisms. From security and usability audits to accessibility and communications strategy, the labs ensure internet freedom projects are as effective, secure, and accessible as possible.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 100% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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 the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 54
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 22
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 92.4%; rating input score 92
- Program expense ratio: 92.3%; rating input score 92
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: -0%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.5; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 1; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.1%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 41.6% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 38.2% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 22.6% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 92.4% of revenue deployed · 92.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $48.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $284K · 17 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $29.1M reported
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 10 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: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 27/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 18/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 6/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.