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Nonprofiteer
← ROOTS OF PROGRESS

Form 990 for tax year 2022

Filed by ROOTS OF PROGRESS.

Totals

Total revenue
$504,709
Total expenses
$290,445
Contributions and grants received
$499,069
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$5,640
Investment income
$0
Other revenue
$0
Total assets, end of year
$602,605
Total liabilities, end of year
$1,559
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$601,046
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$153,313
Management and general expenses
$120,460
Fundraising expenses
$16,672
Program service expenses (Part III)
$153,313

Program services were 52.8% 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

    $499,069

  • 2a · Program service revenue: EVENT SPEAKER FEES

    total $5,640 · excluded $5,640

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $200,000 · program services $120,000 · management and general $70,000 · fundraising $10,000

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $12,260 · program services $7,356 · management and general $4,291 · fundraising $613

  • 11a · Fees: management

    total $24,000 · management and general $24,000

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $9,375 · management and general $9,375

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $25,483 · program services $13,784 · management and general $9,599 · fundraising $2,100

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $1,077 · program services $1,077

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $495 · program services $394 · fundraising $101

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $3,233 · program services $3,233

  • 17 · Travel

    total $4,051 · program services $3,762 · management and general $289

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $3,176 · program services $2,959 · management and general $217

  • 24a · Other expenses: PATREON

    total $3,858 · fundraising $3,858

  • 24b · Other expenses: REGISTRATION FEES

    total $1,675 · management and general $1,675

  • 24c · Other expenses: DUES & SUBSCRIPTIONS

    total $1,153 · program services $748 · management and general $405

  • 24d · Other expenses: OTHER

    total $609 · management and general $609

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $386,782 · end of year $578,205

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    end of year $24,400

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    end of year $1,559

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $386,782 · end of year $601,046

Mission and programs · 2022

Mission

THE ROOTS OF PROGRESS IS A RECENTLY ESTABLISHED NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION IN THE STATE OF OREGON. OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION ON THE HISTORY AND NATURE OF HUMAN PROGRESS. 'PROGRESS' IS THAT WHICH ALLOWS PEOPLE TO LIVE BETTER LIVES: ANYTHING THAT INCREASES HEALTH, HAPPINESS, WEALTH, FREEDOM, KNOWLEDGE, PEACE, AND THE CHOICES AND OPPORTUNITIES OPEN TO EACH INDIVIDUAL. OUR MISSION IS TO DEFINE AND COMMUNICATE A NEW PHILOSOPHY OF PROGRESS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. WE STUDY THE NATURE, VALUE, AND CAUSES OF PROGRESS, AND PRESCRIBE WAYS THAT HUMANITY CAN ACCELERATE AND STEER IT. WE WILL ALLOCATE 100% OF OUR TIME TOWARDS OUR ACTIVITIES; WHICH ARE THE FOLLOWING: RESEARCH: ESSAYS ON THE HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRY, AND ON THE NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC, TECHNOLOGICAL, INDUSTRIAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL PROGRESS. MOST OF THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL BE MADE FREELY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC ON OUR WEBSITE. WRITING: SPONSORING WRITERS TO CREATE BOOKS AND MAGAZINE/JOURNAL AR

Activities or mission (Part I)

OUR MISSION IS TO DEFINE AND COMMUNICATE A NEW PHILOSOPHY OF PROGRESS FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY. WE STUDY THE NATURE, VALUE, AND CAUSES OF PROGRESS, AND PRESCRIBE WAYS THAT HUMANITY CAN ACCELERATE AND STEER IT.

  • WRITING AND SPEAKING ON PROGRESS:OUR FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, JASON CRAWFORD, WRITES AND SPEAKS ON THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF PROGRESS. MOST OF HIS WRITING IS PUBLISHED FOR FREE ON OUR WEBSITE (ROOTSOFPROGRESS.ORG). IN 2022:-HE PUBLISHED 28 ESSAYS, INCLUDING ON IN BIG THINK MAGAZINE, INCLUDING "WHY PESSIMISM SOUNDS SMART", "CAN GROWTH CONTINUE? AND "IS GROWTH LINEAR, NOT EXPONENTIAL?" THEMES OF OTHER ESSAYS INCLUDED THE PROGRESS MOVEMENT, THE DRIVERS OF GROWTH, AND TECHNOCRACY.-HE BEGAN A WEEKLY DIGEST OF PROGRESS-RELATED LINKS (IN MAY), AND PUBLISHED 25 OF THOSE BY THE END OF THE YEAR.-HE DID ABOUT 20 INTERVIEWS AND TALKS FOR PODCASTS, BLOGS, MAGAZINES, AND NEWSPAPERS, INCLUDING WITH BBC, THE TONY BLAIR INSTITUTE, THE FORESIGHT INSTITUTE (TWICE), JIM PETHOKOUKIS OF THE AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE (TWICE), AND THE FRENCH-LANGUAGE CANADIAN MAGAZINE L'ACTUALITE. HE WAS ALSO THE INTERVIEWER FOR AN EVENT WITH STANFORD ECONOMIST ERIK BRYNJOLFSSON TITLED "AUTOMATION, PRODUCTIVITY, WORK, AND THE FUTURE."-HE SPOKE AT TOP PROGRESS CONFERENCES INCLUDING THE FORESIGHT INSTITUTE'S VISION WEEKEND, THE FUTURE FORUM, BREAKTHROUGH DIALOGUE, AND IGNITE LONG NOW. HE WAS ALSO ON A PANEL MODERATED BY RAMEZ NAAM AT THE BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE SUMMIT.-HE CONCLUDED A MONTHLY SERIES OF TALKS THAT HAD BEGUN IN MAY 2021, THE STORY OF INDUSTRIAL CIVILIZATION, FOLLOWING THE OUTLINE OF HIS FORTHCOMING BOOK.IN 2022, THE ROOTSOFPROGRESS.ORG SITE GOT ALMOST 135,000 UNIQUE VISITS AND OVER 250,000 PAGEVIEWS. THE EMAIL NEWSLETTER GREW ALMOST 30% TO ABOUT 7,400 SUBSCRIBERS. CRAWFORD'S TWITTER FOLLOWING GREW BY 22%; IN AUGUST, HE CROSSED 25,000 FOLLOWERS.RECOGNIZING CRAWFORD'S WORK, VOX NAMED HIM TO THEIR FUTURE PERFECT 50 LIST: "THE SCIENTISTS, THINKERS, SCHOLARS, WRITERS, AND ACTIVISTS BUILDING A MORE PERFECT FUTURE." THE LIST ALSO INCLUDES JENNIFER DOUDNA, MAX TEGMARK, AND MAX ROSER.CONFERENCES AND OTHER EVENTS:THE ORGANIZATION OCCASIONALLY HOSTS OR CO-HOSTS CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, AND OTHER EVENTS ON THE THEME OF PROGRESS. IN 2022, THE ORGANIZATION CO-HOSTED TWO CONFERENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN. THE FIRST, IN MARCH, WAS ON THE MORAL FOUNDATIONS OF PROGRESS STUDIES AND FEATURED APPROXIMATELY 30 SCHOLARS AND WRITERS FOR THREE DAYS OF DISCUSSION. THE SECOND, IN NOVEMBER, WAS ON INDUSTRIAL LITERACY, AND FEATURED APPROXIMATELY 20 PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED IN EDUCATION FOR A HALF-DAY OF DISCUSSION ON THE TOPIC OF PROGRESS IN THE CURRICULUM.COMMUNITY BUILDING:THE ORGANIZATION SUPPORTS THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROGRESS COMMUNITY, BOTH ONLINE AND OFFLINE. IN 2022, THE ORGANIZATION HOSTED COMMUNITY MEETUPS IN SAN FRANCISCO IN FEBRUARY, MAY, AND JUNE, AND IN BOSTON IN SEPTEMBER. IT ALSO LAUNCHED AN ONLINE FORUM FOR DISCUSSION ABOUT PROGRESS, THE PROGRESS FORUM (PROGRESSFORUM.ORG). THE FORUM RECEIVED OVER 200 POSTS IN 2022, INCLUDING "WHY PROGESS NEEDS FUTURISM", BY ELI DOURADO; "NATURE OF PROGRESS IN DEEP LEARNING", BY ANDREJ KARPATHY (DIRECTOR OF AI, TESLA); "GUARANTEE FUNDS/LEVERAGED PHILANTHROPY", BY ANTON HOWES; AND "DEFENDING DYNAMISM AND GETTING STUFF DONE", BY VIRGINIA POSTREL (AUTHOR, COLUMNIST, FORMER EDITOR OF REASON MAGAZINE).

    Expenses $153,313

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

Listed in Part VII

  • Jason Crawford

    PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $200,000
    From this org
    $200,000
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $200,000
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $0
    Nontaxable benefits
    $0
    Filer's total
    $200,000

  • Ramandeep Girn

    SECRETARY

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Anil Varanasi

    TREASURER

    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 · Compensation committee
  • 3 · Form 990 of other organizations
  • 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
1 November 2023
IRS schema version
2022v5.0
Source object
202313059349302871

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