The Alliance for Secure Ai Action

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
394342529
IRS 990 coverage
2025–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2022402658
Rating
43
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$300,005
Expenses
$46,398
Assets
$268,099
Liabilities
$14,492

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRENDAN STEINHAUSER (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • BRENDAN STEINHAUSER (PRESIDENT & CEO): $379,894 total reported compensation
  • JOSIAH GAITER (SECRETARY & OPERATIONS DIRECTOR): $111,523 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to advance responsible artificial intelligence governance by supporting lawful, mission-aligned advocacy that promotes public safety, transparency, and accountability at the state and federal levels.

What it reported doing in 2025

During the reporting year, secure ai now engaged in limited early-stage lobbying and public policy preparation activities related to artificial intelligence governance and safety. Due to the organization's recent formation, activities were primarily focused on research, issue analysis, and the development of policy positions rather than direct legislative advocacy.specific activities included conducting preliminary research on ai safety, drafting internal policy memos, holding informal strategy discussions with subject-matter experts, and developing foundational messaging to support future educational and advocacy efforts. No large-scale lobbying campaigns or formal legislative testimony occurred during the year.objective (current year): to establish a credible policy foundation and prepare the organization for responsible, compliant engagement with policymakers on ai safety issues.long-term goal: to engage in lawful, mission-aligned lobbying that promotes responsible ai governance, public safety, and accountability at the state and federal levels.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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

MIXED - 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 9
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 74
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 0.5%; rating input score 0
  • Program expense ratio: 3%; rating input score 3
  • Fundraising efficiency: $44.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 72; 72nd 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: Limited
  • 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: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 84.5%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.78; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 77.9%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0.5% of revenue deployed · 3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $380K · 5 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 17 of 17 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 27/100.