Project Liberty Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
873213298
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
3323302695
Rating
66
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Research Institutes and Public Policy Analysis

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,425,472
Expenses
$4,886,388
Assets
$4,869,327
Liabilities
$19,565,968

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHEILA WARREN (PRESIDENT & CEO, (SEE SCH O))

Highest reported compensation

  • JAMES BELL (HEAD OF STRATEGIC INSIGHTS): $415,564 total reported compensation
  • JESSICA THEODULE (RESEARCH MNGR OF STRATEGIC INSIGHTS): $168,539 total reported compensation
  • SARA WEKSELBLATT (FINANCE & HR SENIOR MANAGER): $148,068 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 create a new civic architecture for the digital world that returns the ownership and control of personal data to individuals, embeds ethical values into technology, and expands economic opportunities for web users and developers alike.

What it reported doing in 2025

Project liberty institute organizes and participates in regular events, convenings and educational campaigns of technologists, ethicists, legal experts, entrepreneurs, social innovators and other experts in the united states, united kingdom, france, and elsewhere to foster dialogue and develop comprehensive recommendations to explore and advance better models of digital ecosystems.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 54% for direct work, and 46% for grants.

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: 49
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 54
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 36.8%; rating input score 37
  • Program expense ratio: 85.9%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 13th 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Pass
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • 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: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 57.2%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 4.02; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -32.7% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 38.1% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 36.8% of revenue deployed · 85.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $4.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $416K · 10 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $107K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 15 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 12 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 37/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.