The Signals Network Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 822614925
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2017–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2019
- Location
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- Phone
- 2022565613
- Rating
- 69
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Censorship, Freedom of Speech and Press
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $729,833
- Expenses
- $972,546
- Assets
- $600,574
- Liabilities
- $29,896
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
7 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DELPHINE HALGAND-MISHRA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- DELPHINE HALGAND-MISHRA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $72,733 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 overarching purpose of the organization are to support, promote and advance the public interest by encouraging and enabling transparency, accountability, reporting, and whistle-blowing. In particular, the organization aims to create a safer environment for citizens brave enough to expose information that protects society and exposes corruption. To this end, the organization shall create a mechanism to make the process of exposing information that benefits the public safe for those involved. The organization will work with attorneys, privacy experts, psychologists as well as other experts to create a safe environment for private citizens and public servants to expose wrongdoing. The organization will also work with media organization involved investigative journalism to support.
What it reported doing in 2024
Whistleblower support - the signal network affords customized support services to a selected number of whistleblowers who have contributed to published reports of significant wrongdoing. The types of services the signals network can provide to selected whistleblowers in appropriate cases are: legal support/representation, information security, media relations management, advocacy, psychological support, and safe-housing.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 99% 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
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: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 55
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 22
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 87.4%; rating input score 87
- Program expense ratio: 65.5%; rating input score 66
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.05 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- 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: -33.3%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.62; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 7.5%; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 23.1% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 21.6% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 28.5% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 87.4% of revenue deployed · 65.5% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $637K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $73K · 7 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2017 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 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.
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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 18/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 45/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.