Totals
- Total revenue
- $2,800,339
- Total expenses
- $2,269,853
- Contributions and grants received
- $2,800,339
- Grants paid
- $0
- Program service revenue
- $0
- Investment income
- $0
- Other revenue
- $0
- Total assets, end of year
- $1,449,583
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $203,956
- Net assets or fund balances, end of year
- $1,245,627
- Program services expenses (Part IX)
- $1,604,488
- Management and general expenses
- $178,889
- Fundraising expenses
- $486,476
- Program service expenses (Part III)
- $1,604,488
Program services were 70.7% 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
$2,800,339
Functional expenses
Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.
-
5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
total $230,000 · program services $92,000 · management and general $74,800 · fundraising $63,200
-
7 · Other salaries and wages
total $55,641 · program services $7,984 · fundraising $47,657
-
9 · Other employee benefits
total $24,655 · program services $8,128 · management and general $7,576 · fundraising $8,951
-
10 · Payroll taxes
total $18,344 · program services $5,950 · management and general $9,128 · fundraising $3,266
-
11b · Fees: legal
total $1,083,904 · program services $1,083,904
-
11c · Fees: accounting
total $30,706 · management and general $30,706
-
11g · Fees: other
total $677,399 · program services $344,541 · fundraising $332,858
-
12 · Advertising and promotion
total $5,250 · program services $5,250
-
13 · Office expenses
total $10,460 · program services $1,076 · management and general $9,384
-
17 · Travel
total $53,786 · program services $27,174 · management and general $11,700 · fundraising $14,912
-
19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings
total $55,079 · program services $27,826 · management and general $11,981 · fundraising $15,272
-
23 · Insurance
total $7,687 · program services $655 · management and general $6,672 · fundraising $360
-
24a · Other expenses: DUES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
total $16,942 · management and general $16,942
Balance sheet
Part X, book values.
-
1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing
beginning of year $767,077 · end of year $1,038,422
-
3 · Pledges and grants receivable
end of year $400,000
-
9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges
beginning of year $9,427 · end of year $11,161
-
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses
beginning of year $61,363 · end of year $203,956
-
27 · Net assets without donor restrictions
beginning of year $715,141 · end of year $845,627
-
28 · Net assets with donor restrictions
end of year $400,000
Mission and programs · 2024
Mission
SPEECH FIRST'S MISSION IS TO DEFEND STUDENTS WHO SEEK TO PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS TO FREE SPEECH, EXPRESSION OR ASSOCIATION. BY COMING TOGETHER, WE'VE CREATED A NATIONWIDE COMMUNITY OF FREE SPEECH SUPPORTERS TO REASSURE STUDENTS THAT THEY WON'T FIGHT THESE CASES ALONE AND THAT THEY'LL BE SUPPORTED EVERY STEP OF THE WAY: ON CAMPUS, IN THE MEDIA AND IN COURT.
Activities or mission (Part I)
SPEECH FIRST WILL DEFEND STUDENTS' FREE SPEECH RIGHTS ON CAMPUS. THROUGH ADVOCACY, LITIGATION, AND EDUCATION, WE WILL PUT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ON NOTICE THAT SHUTTING DOWN UNWANTED SPEECH WILL NO LONGER BE TOLERATED.
-
IN FY24, WE FILED A LAWSUIT AGAINST INDIANA UNIVERSITY IN THE U.S. DISTRICT COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA ON BEHALF OF OUR STUDENT MEMBERS CHALLENGING THE UNIVERSITY'S BIAS RESPONSE TEAM. IN THE COURSE OF THIS LITIGATION, WE APPEALED TO THE 7TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS AND ALSO FILED A PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI WITH THE U.S. SUPREME COURT. SPEECH FIRST SUED THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IN THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, PARENTS DEFENDING EDUCATION, AND THE INDEPENDENT WOMEN'S FORUM TO CHALLENGE THE ADMINISTRATION'S TITLE IX REWRITE; THIS CASE WAS APPEALED TO THE 11TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS. IN ADDITION, OUR LAWSUIT AGAINST TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY WAS ARGUED AND WON BEFORE THE 5TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS. FEDERAL LAWSUITS AGAINST OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY AND VIRGINIA TECH UNIVERSITY WERE BOTH SETTLED.SPEECH FIRST ALSO PRODUCED RESEARCH STUDIES, STATE-LEVEL MODEL LEGISLATION, RAPID RESPONSE CAMPAIGNS TO PRESSURE UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS TO REVISE SPEECH-SILENCING POLICIES ON CAMPUSES, AND SPOKE TO MULTIPLE STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
Expenses $1,604,488
As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.
Listed in Part VII
-
Nicole NeilyNICOLE NEILY
CHAIRMAN
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Jamil JafferJAMIL JAFFER
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Alexander TitusALEXANDER TITUS
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Matthew FoldiMATTHEW FOLDI
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Josh HoldenriedJOSH HOLDENRIED
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Max EdenMAX EDEN
DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Kathryn Ciano MaulerKATHRYN CIANO MAULER
TREASURER
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Cherise TrumpCHERISE TRUMP
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
- Total calculated
- $164,320
- From this org
- $158,000
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $6,320
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $158,000
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $6,320
- Nontaxable benefits
- $0
- Filer's total
- $164,320
-
Mary Ellen BeattyMARY ELLEN BEATTY
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
- Total calculated
- $74,160
- From this org
- $72,000
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $2,160
- Hours/week
- 20
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 · Form 990 of other organizations
- 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
- 2024
- Filed
- 5 November 2025
- IRS schema version
- 2024v5.2
- Source object
- 202543109349300029
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