The Tor Project Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
208096820
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Winchester, NH, USA
Phone
7813078651
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Telecommunications

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$12,279,993
Expenses
$8,967,599
Assets
$10,509,673
Liabilities
$466,705

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ISABELA DIAS FERNANDES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • NICK MATHEWSON (FOUNDER & NETWORK TEAM SR DEVELOPER): $206,444 total reported compensation
  • MICAH ANDERSON (SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING): $204,910 total reported compensation
  • ISABELA DIAS FERNANDES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $204,104 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 organization's mission is to provide support and management services to the tor network, which is a group of volunteer-operated servers that allows people to improve their privacy and security on the internet. The organization's users employ the tor network by connecting through a series of virtual tunnels rather than making a direct connection, thus allowing both organizations and individuals to share information over public networks without compromising their privacy. Along the same line, the tor network is an effective censorship circumvention tool, allowing its users to reach otherwise blocked destinations or content. The tor network can also be used as a building block for software developers to create new communication tools with built-in privacy features.

What it reported doing in 2024

1) to develop, improve and distribute free, publicly available tools and programs that promote free speech, free expression, civic engagement, and privacy rights online 2) to conduct scientific research regarding, and to promote the use of and knowledge about, such tools, programs, and related issues internationally 3) to educate the general public internationally about privacy rights and anonymity issues connected to internet use, and 4) to carry out and conduct such other activities and programs in furtherance of the foregoing purposes as may be carried out and conducted by a corporation to enable and, with the use of free software, educate the general public about internet privacy and anonymity 5) the tor project is an open source project and benefits from the contributions of many volunteers. During the period ended june 30, 2025, volunteers contributed a value of $643,794 to our work, as follows: 5,142 hours of software development (valued at $411,360) and translation services of 518,134 words (valued at $124,352); cloud hosting services using 12 servers (valued at $108,082); and digicert donations of 26 certificates (valued at $4,344).

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 84% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs 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: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 47
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.2%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 80.8%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $24.34 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 27%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.17; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.9%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.8% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.3% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.2% of revenue deployed · 80.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $7.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $206K · 16 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $695K reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.