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Nonprofiteer
← SPEECH FIRST INC

Form 990 for tax year 2023

Filed by SPEECH FIRST INC.

Totals

Total revenue
$2,596,032
Total expenses
$2,399,427
Contributions and grants received
$2,596,032
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$0
Investment income
$0
Other revenue
$0
Total assets, end of year
$776,504
Total liabilities, end of year
$61,363
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$715,141
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$1,714,485
Management and general expenses
$164,623
Fundraising expenses
$520,319
Program service expenses (Part III)
$1,714,485

Program services were 71.5% 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

    $2,596,032

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $215,000 · program services $108,618 · management and general $46,763 · fundraising $59,619

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $97,541 · program services $49,280 · management and general $21,221 · fundraising $27,040

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $17,027 · program services $5,075 · management and general $9,167 · fundraising $2,785

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $25,540 · program services $12,547 · management and general $6,278 · fundraising $6,715

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $1,101,828 · program services $1,101,828

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $25,408 · management and general $25,408

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $762,338 · program services $352,107 · management and general $12,074 · fundraising $398,157

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $46,995 · program services $45,745 · fundraising $1,250

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $17,972 · management and general $14,780 · fundraising $3,192

  • 17 · Travel

    total $40,939 · program services $18,832 · management and general $11,771 · fundraising $10,336

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $39,866 · program services $20,141 · management and general $8,671 · fundraising $11,054

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $3,772 · program services $312 · management and general $3,289 · fundraising $171

  • 24a · Other expenses: DUES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

    total $5,201 · management and general $5,201

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $40,137 · end of year $767,077

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $500,000 · end of year $0

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $3,830 · end of year $9,427

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $25,431 · end of year $61,363

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $518,536 · end of year $715,141

Mission and programs · 2023

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 FY23, WE LAUNCHED A LAWSUIT AGAINST TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY IN THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS ON BEHALF OF OUR STUDENT MEMBERS AGAINST TXST'S DISCRIMINATORY HARASSMENT POLICY THAT DEFINES HARASSMENT AS ANYTHING THAT CREATES AN "OFFENSIVE" ENVIRONMENT AND THEIR COMPUTER USE POLICY THAT FORBIDS STUDENTS FROM DISCUSSING POLITICS IN THEIR EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE. WE ALSO LAUNCHED A LAWSUIT AGAINST OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY IN THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF OKLAHOMA ON BEHALF OF OUR STUDENT MEMBERS AGAINST OSU'S BIAS RESPONSE TEAM, HARASSMENT POLICY, AND COMPUTER-USE POLICY THAT ALL TARGET, INVESTIGATE, AND DISCIPLINE STUDENTS FOR THEIR CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED SPEECH. WE ALSO PURSUED A PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI FROM THE U.S. SUPREME COURT IN OUR CASE AGAINST VIRGINIA TECH UNIVERSITY AFTER THEY WON IN THE FOURTH CIRCUIT.ADDITIONALLY, SPEECH FIRST HAS BEEN LEADING THE CHARGE EDUCATING STUDENTS AND COALITION ALLIES ON THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION'S NEW TITLE IX RULE THAT WILL LEAD TO COERCION AND COMPELLED SPEECH, VIOLATING STUDENTS' FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.SPEECH FIRST TESTIFIED BEFORE THE HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ON "DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT: PROTECTING FREE SPEECH ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES AND ALSO IN THE OHIO STATE LEGISLATURE REGARDING SB 117, A BILL THAT WOULD ESTABLISH A CENTER FOR CIVICS AND CONSTITUTIONAL EDUCATION AT THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY AND TOLEDO UNIVERSITY. WE PARTNERED WITH THE GOLDWATER INSTITUTE TO CREATE TWO MODEL POLICIES, THE "FREEDOM FROM INDOCTRINATION ACT," FOCUSED ON PREVENTING DEI COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND THE "PROTECTING STUDENTS FROM BIAS REPORTING SYSTEMS ACT," FOCUSED ON COMBATING BIAS RESPONSE SYSTEMS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES. FINALLY, CHERISE TRUMP CONDUCTED OVER 500 MEDIA HITS AND VISITED AND SPOKE AT MULTIPLE UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, EDUCATING STUDENTS ON KEY FREE SPEECH ISSUES, TEACHING THEM ABOUT THEIR LEGAL RIGHTS, AND HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANT ROLE FREE SPEECH PLAYS IN AMERICAN CULTURE.

    Expenses $1,714,485

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • Nicole Neily

    CHAIRMAN

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Jamil Jaffer

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Alexander Titus

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Matthew Foldi

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Josh Holdenried

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Max Eden

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Montse Alvarado

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Kathryn Ciano Mauler

    TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • Cherise Trump

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $153,400
    From this org
    $147,500
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $5,900
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $140,000
    Bonus
    $7,500
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $0
    Nontaxable benefits
    $5,900
    Filer's total
    $153,400

  • Mary Ellen Beatty

    DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

    Total calculated
    $69,375
    From this org
    $67,500
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $1,875
    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
2023
Filed
15 November 2024
IRS schema version
2023v5.1
Source object
202413209349306676

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