Skip to content
Nonprofiteer
← ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION INC

Form 990 for tax year 2022

Filed by ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION INC.

Totals

Total revenue
$17,954,838
Total expenses
$19,156,013
Contributions and grants received
$16,648,966
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$35,277
Investment income
$732,942
Other revenue
$537,653
Total assets, end of year
$46,707,648
Total liabilities, end of year
$853,003
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$45,854,645
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$13,525,941
Management and general expenses
$3,047,754
Fundraising expenses
$2,582,318
Program service expenses (Part III)
$13,525,941

Program services were 70.6% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1a · Federated campaigns

    $33,301

  • 1b · Membership dues

    $4,236,864

  • 1c · Fundraising events

    $16,900

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $12,361,901

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $5,211,817

  • 2a · Program service revenue: Litigation Revenue

    total $35,277 · related or exempt $35,277

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $732,942 · excluded $732,942

  • 8a · Fundraising events: gross income

    $0

  • 8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

    $16,900

  • 8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

    $57,397

  • 8c · Net income from fundraising events

    total -$57,397 · excluded -$57,397

  • 10a · Gross sales of inventory

    $64,128

  • 10b · Cost of goods sold

    $0

  • 10c · Net income from sales of inventory

    total $64,128 · related or exempt $64,128

  • 11a · Other revenue: CY Pres Awards

    total $500,882 · excluded $500,882

  • 11b · Other revenue: Other income

    total $30,040 · excluded $30,040

  • 11e · Other revenue, total

    $530,922

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $1,426,744 · program services $702,726 · management and general $641,345 · fundraising $82,673

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $11,057,873 · program services $7,997,072 · management and general $1,733,548 · fundraising $1,327,253

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $265,717 · program services $188,276 · management and general $28,412 · fundraising $49,029

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $1,294,784 · program services $934,698 · management and general $120,424 · fundraising $239,662

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $882,889 · program services $617,987 · management and general $100,728 · fundraising $164,174

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $55,006 · program services $47,159 · management and general $4,298 · fundraising $3,549

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $28,750 · management and general $28,750

  • 11d · Fees: lobbying

    total $56,000 · program services $48,011 · management and general $4,375 · fundraising $3,614

  • 11f · Fees: investment management

    total $147,269 · management and general $147,269

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $1,918,308 · program services $1,765,658 · management and general $52,558 · fundraising $100,092

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $514 · program services $473 · management and general $14 · fundraising $27

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $209,532 · program services $149,209 · management and general $33,039 · fundraising $27,284

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $64,491 · program services $45,925 · management and general $10,168 · fundraising $8,398

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $262,978 · program services $187,268 · management and general $41,467 · fundraising $34,243

  • 17 · Travel

    total $160,504 · program services $154,128 · management and general $1,547 · fundraising $4,829

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $289,378 · program services $206,068 · management and general $45,629 · fundraising $37,681

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $147,064 · program services $126,169 · management and general $11,444 · fundraising $9,451

  • 24a · Other expenses: Membership expenses

    total $461,849 · program services $19,696 · management and general $1,834 · fundraising $440,319

  • 24b · Other expenses: Planning & development

    total $230,494 · program services $164,256 · management and general $33,719 · fundraising $32,519

  • 24c · Other expenses: Litigation

    total $121,705 · program services $121,705

  • 24d · Other expenses: Intern expenses

    total $32,417 · program services $32,417

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $41,747 · program services $17,040 · management and general $7,186 · fundraising $17,521

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $1,065,173 · end of year $1,420,232

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $4,147,611 · end of year $2,921,086

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $5,406,886 · end of year $3,674,846

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    end of year $7,556

  • 7 · Other notes and loans receivable

    beginning of year $189,649 · end of year $194,325

  • 8 · Inventories for sale or use

    beginning of year $119,991 · end of year $158,292

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $103,420 · end of year $82,751

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $12,640,097

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $2,641,563

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $10,281,600 · end of year $9,998,534

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $25,097,709 · end of year $28,195,002

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $55,024

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $984,570 · end of year $787,624

  • 19 · Deferred revenue

    beginning of year $8,368 · end of year $10,355

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $0 · end of year $55,024

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $35,559,917 · end of year $37,242,462

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $9,859,184 · end of year $8,612,183

Mission and programs · 2022

Mission

See Schedule O

Activities or mission (Part I)

See Schedule OElectronic Frontier Foundation, Inc. ("EFF") was formed for the purpose of understanding and fostering the opportunities of digital communication in a free and open society.

  • Educated the public regarding new forms of technology, fostered discussion as well as public policy analysis regarding the legal and social issues raised by technology, and conducted litigation in the public interest to preserve human and civil rights.

    Expenses $13,525,941 · Revenue $35,277

As filed on the 2022 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • Pamela Samuelson

    Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Brian Behlendorf

    Vice-Chair

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Anil Dash

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Sarah Deutsch

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • David Farber

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Brewster Kahle

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Bruce Schneier

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Gigi Sohn

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Shari Steele

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • James Vasile

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Jonathan Zittrain

    Member

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • Cindy Cohn

    Executive Director

    Total calculated
    $336,435
    From this org
    $313,121
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $23,314
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $310,900
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $2,221
    Deferred
    $4,700
    Nontaxable benefits
    $18,614
    Filer's total
    $336,435

  • Kurt Opsahl

    Secretary/Deputy Exec. Dir.

    Total calculated
    $244,957
    From this org
    $224,582
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $20,375
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $222,975
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $1,607
    Deferred
    $4,700
    Nontaxable benefits
    $15,675
    Filer's total
    $244,957

  • Kelly Esguerra

    Treasurer/CFO

    Total calculated
    $224,394
    From this org
    $188,801
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $35,593
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $186,859
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $1,942
    Deferred
    $3,200
    Nontaxable benefits
    $32,393
    Filer's total
    $224,394

  • Corynne McSherry

    Legal Director

    Total calculated
    $230,058
    From this org
    $218,347
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $11,711
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $214,225
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $4,122
    Deferred
    $4,700
    Nontaxable benefits
    $7,011
    Filer's total
    $230,058

  • Rebecca Jeschke

    Chief Operating Officer

    Total calculated
    $222,935
    From this org
    $193,214
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $29,721
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $191,264
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $1,950
    Deferred
    $4,050
    Nontaxable benefits
    $25,671
    Filer's total
    $222,935

  • Nathan Sheard

    Managing Director, Advocacy

    Total calculated
    $170,175
    From this org
    $152,802
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $17,373
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $151,750
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $1,052
    Deferred
    $2,154
    Nontaxable benefits
    $15,219
    Filer's total
    $170,175

  • David Greene

    Civil Liberties Director

    Total calculated
    $233,001
    From this org
    $199,048
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $33,953
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $193,867
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $5,181
    Deferred
    $4,700
    Nontaxable benefits
    $29,253
    Filer's total
    $233,001

  • Lee Tien

    Legislative Director

    Total calculated
    $228,711
    From this org
    $183,411
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $45,300
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $181,316
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $2,095
    Deferred
    $4,500
    Nontaxable benefits
    $40,800
    Filer's total
    $228,711

  • Adam Schwartz

    Assistant Director - Legal

    Total calculated
    $196,242
    From this org
    $174,161
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $22,081
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $171,150
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $3,011
    Deferred
    $4,600
    Nontaxable benefits
    $17,481
    Filer's total
    $196,242

  • Jennifer Lynch

    Surveillance Litigation Dir.

    Total calculated
    $196,953
    From this org
    $172,933
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $24,020
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $168,323
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $4,610
    Deferred
    $4,700
    Nontaxable benefits
    $19,320
    Filer's total
    $196,953

  • Jon Callas

    Public Interest Technology Director

    Total calculated
    $216,655
    From this org
    $164,486
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $52,169
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $162,510
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $1,976
    Deferred
    $2,000
    Nontaxable benefits
    $50,169
    Filer's total
    $216,655

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

  • 3 · Compensation committee
  • 3 · Written employment contract
  • 3 · Compensation survey or study
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee

Answered no

  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2022
Filed
13 May 2024
IRS schema version
2022v5.0
Source object
202421349349304287

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

The source document this was parsed from is served over the API, which is where bulk and document access live.