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Nonprofiteer
← FREE RUSSIA FOUNDATION

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by FREE RUSSIA FOUNDATION.

Totals

Total revenue
$6,024,852
Total expenses
$5,545,581
Contributions and grants received
$6,024,852
Grants paid
$934,538
Program service revenue
$0
Investment income
$0
Other revenue
$0
Total assets, end of year
$2,618,686
Total liabilities, end of year
$1,129,361
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$1,489,325
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$5,009,317
Management and general expenses
$536,264
Fundraising expenses
$0
Program service expenses (Part III)
$5,009,317

Program services were 90.3% 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.

  • 1e · Government grants (contributions)

    $5,370,591

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $654,261

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $35,000 · program services $35,000

  • 3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

    total $899,538 · program services $899,538

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $357,695 · management and general $357,695

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $22,264 · management and general $22,264

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $249,827 · program services $237,592 · management and general $12,235

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $29,263 · management and general $29,263

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $2,958,889 · program services $2,958,889

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $689 · program services $689

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $149,903 · program services $50,850 · management and general $99,053

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $6,050 · program services $6,050

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $272,428 · program services $263,496 · management and general $8,932

  • 17 · Travel

    total $498,984 · program services $498,984

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $58,229 · program services $58,229

  • 20 · Interest

    total $4,076 · management and general $4,076

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $413 · management and general $413

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $2,333 · management and general $2,333

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $749,421 · end of year $556,096

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $149,962 · end of year $150,187

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $1,124,088 · end of year $1,145,141

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    end of year $767,262

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

    $4,237

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

    $4,237

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $413 · end of year $0

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $2,543 · end of year $0

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $63,797 · end of year $12,217

  • 24 · Unsecured notes and loans payable

    beginning of year $148,353 · end of year $149,224

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $804,223 · end of year $967,920

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $1,010,054 · end of year $1,489,325

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

THE WORK OF FREE RUSSIA FOUNDATION IS FOCUSED IN THREE KEY MISSION AREAS: 1. ADVANCING THE VISION OF A DEMOCRATIC, PROSPEROUS AND PEACEFUL RUSSIA GOVERNED BY THE RULE OF LAW BY EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF RUSSIAN LEADERS COMMITTED TO THESE IDEALS; 2. STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY IN RUSSIA AND DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS PERSECUTED BY THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT; AND 3. SUPPORTING FORMULATION OF AN EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE RUSSIA POLICY IN THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE BY EDUCATING POLICY MAKERS AND INFORMING PUBLIC DEBATE.

  • SUPPORTING GLOBAL RUSSIAN PRO-DEMOCRACY FORCES THROUGH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS; RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT RUSSIA-RELATED ISSUES AMONG WESTERN POLICY-MAKERS INCLUDING SEMINARS AND BRIEFINGS FOR THE U.S. CONGRESS, STATE DEPARTMENT, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, NATIONAL EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTS, THINK TANKS, DEMOCRACY PROMOTION, HUMAN RIGHTS AND MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS; CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON THE CURRENT SITUATION IN RUSSIA AND PROSPECTS FOR PRO-DEMOCRACY FORCES, ON THE WAYS THE CURRENT RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT UNDERMINES WESTERN INSTITUTIONS, SPREADS FAKE NEWS AND DISINFORMATION AND BRINGS ITS CORRUPT PRACTICES TO THE WEST. FORMULATING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WESTERN GOVERNMENTS, PARLIAMENTS, EXPERT AND MEDIA COMMUNITY, AND CIVIL SOCIETY TO COUNTER KREMLIN'S DISINFORMATION AND KLEPTOCRACY. CONSOLIDATING EXILED PRO-DEMOCRACY RUSSIANS AND TRAINING THEM ON HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR RUSSIA-RELATED PRO-DEMOCRACY CAUSES AND INITIATIVES.

    Expenses $5,009,317 · Grants $934,538

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • Hon David J Kramer

    BOARD CHAIRMAN

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Hon Paige Alexander

    BOARD VICE CHAIR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Dr Sergey Aleksashenko

    BOARD TREASURER (END JAN 2024)

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Ellen Bork

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Thomas Firestone

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Ralf Fueks

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Toomas Hendrik Ilves

    BOARD MEMBER (END JUN 2024)

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Amb Ian Kelly

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Sarah Mendelson

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Dr Alina Polyakova

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Dr Daniel Treisman

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Andrew Wood

    BOARD MEMBER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    0.5 + 0.5 related
  • Nataliya Arno

    PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $184,743
    From this org
    $160,000
    From related orgs
    $12,096
    Other
    $12,647
    Hours/week
    37.4 + 2.6 related

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $150,000 + $12,096 related
    Bonus
    $10,000
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $0
    Nontaxable benefits
    $12,647
    Filer's total
    $172,647 + $12,096 related
  • Nadezhda Valueva

    COO & SECRETARY

    Total calculated
    $137,985
    From this org
    $115,000
    From related orgs
    $12,096
    Other
    $10,889
    Hours/week
    36.5 + 3.5 related
  • Olga Golovanenko

    CFO

    Total calculated
    $36,848
    From this org
    $36,848
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    20 + 0.5 related

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

  • 2 · Substantiation required before reimbursing expenses
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments

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
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

The filer's explanations (Part III)

PART I, LINE 7
NATALIA ARNO RECEIVED A BONUS IN 2024 BY BOARD DECISION.

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

Related organizations on this return

Schedule R Part II: tax-exempt organizations related to the filer by control. It does not record shared board members or money.

  • FOUNDATION FOR DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT

    501(C)(3) · CHARITABLE · DE · controlled entity

  • DR-VIR

    EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS · LH · controlled entity

  • FRB

    EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS · GM · controlled entity

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
14 November 2025
IRS schema version
2024v5.2
Source object
202543189349315349

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