Telecommunications Development Fund Inc

Overview

Mission

The telecommunications act of 1996 (the act), enacted on february 8, 1996, created a body corporate to be known as the telecommuncations development fund, tdf. The conference report which accompanied the act provided that tdf will be administered as a not for profit organization. On march 30, 1998, tdf was incorporated in the district of columbia as a civic organization within the meaning of section 501 (c)(4) of the internal revenue code of 1986, as amended. The purpose of the fund is: (a) to promote access to capital for small businesses in order to enhance competition in the telecommunications industry; (b) to stimulate new technology development, and to promote employment and training; (c) to support universal service and promote delivery of telecommunications services to underserved rural and urban areas; and (d) to receive contributions or donations to the fund and to reinvest any repayment of, or other payment with respect to, loan, equity, or other extensions of credit made fro

Operating model

Revenue model

Other-operating. 82% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.

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 the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and some related-organization disclosures are missing.

Rating breakdown

• Financial Efficiency: 71
• Transparency & Controls: 90
• Accountability: 84
• Sustainability: 37
• Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Details

• Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 46.4% of spending went to programs
• Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
• Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $883K in reported program spending
• Leadership: top reported pay $55K · 6 people listed
• Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed
• Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
• Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes related organizations
• Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2025
• Contacts: How to reach this organization
• Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
• Related organizations: 4 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: Program expense ratio scored 46/100.
• High — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
• Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
• High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
• High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
• High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.
• High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.