Python Software Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043594598
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2020
Location
Beaverton, OR, USA
Phone
8475673962
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Computer Science

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,086,997
Expenses
$5,765,854
Assets
$4,257,720
Liabilities
$871,513

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Deborah Nicholson (Secretary, Executive Director, Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Seth Larson (Security Developer-in-Residence): $238,657 total reported compensation
  • Ee Durbin (Director of Infrastructure): $203,105 total reported compensation
  • Mike Fiedler (PyPI Safety and Security Engineer): $199,219 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of the Python Software Foundation (PSF) is to promote, protect, and advance the open source Python programming language and to support and facilitate the growth of a diverse and international community of Python programmers. The PSF: (1) Produces the core Python distribution including the Python language, its standard libraries and documentation, installers, source code, educational materials, and assorted tools and applications, (2) Establishes PSF licenses conform to the Open Source Definition and ensures the public to freely obtain, use, redistribute, and modify PSF intellectual property, (3) Protects the Python name, and the names, service marks and trademarks, (4) Raises funds to support PSF programs and services, (5) Publicizes, promotes the adoption of, and facilitates the ongoing development of Python-related technology, research, grants, conferences, and educational resources in the public interest.

What it reported doing in 2024

The PSF funds programming development efforts to advance and maintain the core Python language, its associated libraries, and significant allied projects central to the Python community. These efforts include the Packaging Work Group, which improves and maintains the Python packaging ecosystem through fundraising and disbursement of raised funds. The Packaging Work Group focuses on efforts such as PyPI, pip, packaging.python.org, setuptools, and cross project efforts. These program initiatives also include funds for trademark and copyright investments. The PSF received several major grants focused on continuing security work during 2024. Amazon Web Services, Inc. provided a third grant for PyPI Security efforts and Linux Foundation renewed the OpenSSF Alpha-Omega Grant, which supports the Security Developer-in-Residence. The PSF received a second year of funding from Meta for the CPython Developer-in-Residence, who focused on CPython improvements and bug tracking and fixing plus many other important tasks. Bloomberg granted funds for a new Deputy CPython Developer-in-Residence and the CPython Steering Council funded a Supporting CPython Developer-in-Residence. The CPython Steering Council also funded the annual CPython Core Developer sprint in Bellevue, Washington in Fall 2024.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 67% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 81% 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 the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 86
  • Sustainability: 16
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 85.8%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.7 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 78.3%; rating input score 78; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 22nd 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: -41.1%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.74; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.2%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.6% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 85.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $4.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $239K · 17 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $1.7M reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 43 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 27/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.