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Nonprofiteer
← STUDENTS FOR LIBERTY INCORPORATED

Form 990 for tax year 2025

Filed by STUDENTS FOR LIBERTY INCORPORATED.

Totals

Total revenue
$5,986,465
Total expenses
$5,626,684
Contributions and grants received
$5,905,016
Grants paid
$43,335
Program service revenue
$11,331
Investment income
$68,075
Other revenue
$2,043
Total assets, end of year
$2,144,549
Total liabilities, end of year
$125,987
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$2,018,562
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$4,420,630
Management and general expenses
$467,569
Fundraising expenses
$738,485
Program service expenses (Part III)
$4,420,630

Program services were 78.6% 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.

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $5,905,016

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $53,983

  • 2a · Program service revenue: REGISTRATION REVENUE

    total $11,331 · excluded $11,331

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $68,423 · excluded $68,423

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $53,635

  • 7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

    securities $53,983

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities -$348

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total -$348 · excluded -$348

  • 11a · Other revenue: ADVERTISING REVENUE

    total $2,043 · unrelated business $2,043

  • 11e · Other revenue, total

    $2,043

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

    total $43,335 · program services $43,335

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $371,662 · program services $185,831 · management and general $130,082 · fundraising $55,749

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $772,537 · program services $422,125 · management and general $64,649 · fundraising $285,763

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $81,360 · program services $26,198 · management and general $33,214 · fundraising $21,948

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $81,141 · program services $43,778 · management and general $14,211 · fundraising $23,152

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $16,281 · management and general $16,281

  • 11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

    total $164,846 · fundraising $164,846

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $2,229,329 · program services $2,035,924 · management and general $88,329 · fundraising $105,076

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $140,692 · program services $139,166 · fundraising $1,526

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $108,131 · program services $60,366 · management and general $10,370 · fundraising $37,395

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $46,866 · program services $46,866

  • 17 · Travel

    total $904,967 · program services $864,582 · management and general $9,901 · fundraising $30,484

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $388,291 · program services $388,081 · management and general $200 · fundraising $10

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $2,200 · management and general $2,200

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $16,930 · management and general $16,930

  • 24a · Other expenses: DUES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

    total $196,070 · program services $148,523 · management and general $35,087 · fundraising $12,460

  • 24b · Other expenses: BANK FEES

    total $26,256 · program services $593 · management and general $25,663

  • 24c · Other expenses: SCHOLARSHIPS AND STIPENDS

    total $20,095 · program services $9,137 · management and general $10,958

  • 24d · Other expenses: UTILITIES

    total $6,078 · program services $4,861 · management and general $1,153 · fundraising $64

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $9,617 · program services $1,264 · management and general $8,341 · fundraising $12

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $299,542 · end of year $211,936

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $2,104 · end of year $2,892

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $50,203 · end of year $7,403

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $91,837 · end of year $102,306

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

    $11,000

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

    $6,967

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $6,233 · end of year $4,033

  • 11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

    beginning of year $1,374,671 · end of year $1,806,086

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $22,325 · end of year $9,893

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $185,433 · end of year $125,987

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $1,142,340 · end of year $1,497,013

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $519,142 · end of year $521,549

Mission and programs · 2025

Mission

TO EDUCATE, DEVELOP, AND EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS OF LIBERTY.

  • SFL CONFERENCES SERVE MANY PURPOSES INCLUDING GIVING STUDENTS EXPERIENCE IN ORGANIZING AND NETWORKING. THE MAIN FOCUS OF EVERY CONFERENCE SCHEDULE IS ON EDUCATION. EVERY CONFERENCE COVERS BOTH INTRODUCTORY AND ADVANCED MATERIAL FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT PRO-LIBERTY IDEAS AT EVERY LEVEL. SFL RAN 3,766 CONFERENCES/EVENTS/TRAININGS REACHING 221,404 INDIVIDUALS IN FY26.

    Expenses $1,219,504 · Grants $43,345 · Revenue $11,331

  • SFL'S EMPHASIS ON LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN THE KEY TO THE ORGANIZATION'S SUCCESS OVER THE YEARS. SFL TEACHES YOUNG PEOPLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP, EVENT PLANNING, VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT, EFFECTIVE WRITING, PUBLIC SPEAKING AND OTHER SKILLS THAT THEY CAN USE THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES AND GIVES THEM EXPERIENCE APPLYING THESE SKILLS IN BUILDING THE STUDENT MOVEMENT FOR LIBERTY. SFL CONDUCTED TRAININGS FOR 11,545 STUDENT VOLUNTEERS THAT ENGAGE WITH THOUSANDS OF STUDENT GROUPS ACROSS THE WORLD DURING FY26.

    Expenses $1,299,087

  • SFL PROVIDES IN PERSON AND ONLINE EDUCATIONAL TRAININGS TO ITS LEADERS AND A WIDER AUDIENCE OF INTERESTED STUDENTS. SFL ALSO RUNS THE LEARN LIBERTY YOUTUBE CHANNEL WITH OVER 58.4M VIEWS AND OVER 299,000 SUBSCRIBERS. LEARN LIBERTY IS OUR RESOURCE FOR EXPLORING THE IDEAS OF A FREE SOCIETY. WE TACKLE BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT MAKES SOCIETY FREE OR PROSPEROUS AND HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THE WORLD WE LIVE IN.

    Expenses $348,109

  • INCLUDES MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, OUTREACH, TECH/WEB AND DESIGN EXPENSES FOR HANDOUTS, WEBSITES AND MARKETING SFL'S MISSION AND SUCCESSES.

    Expenses $1,553,930

As filed on the 2025 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • DR WOLF VON LAER

    CEO

    Total calculated
    $265,733
    From this org
    $250,576
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $15,157
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $250,576
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    not reported
    Nontaxable benefits
    $15,157
    Filer's total
    $265,733

  • JOSHUA MURDOCK

    DIRECTOR OF

    Total calculated
    $141,369
    From this org
    $121,086
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $20,283
    Hours/week
    40

  • KENNETH WAGNER

    DIR OF DEVEL

    Total calculated
    $210,943
    From this org
    $193,911
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $17,032
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $193,911
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    not reported
    Nontaxable benefits
    $17,032
    Filer's total
    $210,943

  • ROBYN HARBERGER

    SR DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $130,309
    From this org
    $122,428
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $7,881
    Hours/week
    40

  • WAYNE OLSON

    CHAIRMAN

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    10

  • KATHERINE MANGU-WARD

    SECRETARY

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    5

  • PAUL BECKNER

    TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    4

  • RICK RULE

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    4

  • TRACE MITCHELL

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    3

  • SLOANE FROST

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • SAM ECKMAN

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • JOHN MACKEY

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • GABRIEL CALZADA

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • ALEX GREEN

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

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 · Written employment contract
  • 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
2025
IRS schema version
2025v4.0
Source object
202642579349300409

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