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Creative Commons Corporation

EIN 04-3585301 · Mountain View, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair56 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

SEE SCHEDULE O

Income
$2.4 million
Spending
$3.9 million
Spent on programs
65%
Reserves
8.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 82%
Employees
18
Volunteers
695
Highest pay
$254,431, ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 56 out of 100. Higher than 37% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 8.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 1% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 60% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 50% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    65% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 11 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    7 of 8 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (4)
  1. $1.1 million spent. OPEN SCIENCE: WE WORK WITH RESEARCHERS, LIBRARIANS, CONSORTIA, POLICY MAKERS, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION TO EQUIP THEM WITH EDUCATION AND TRAINING ABOUT OUR LICENSES SO THAT THEY CAN IMPLEMENT OPEN SCIENCE PRACTICES AND INCREASE ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES. THIS INCLUDES THE RAPID DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH FINDINGS VIA PREPRINTS. WE PUBLISHED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BETTER SHARING OF SCIENTIFIC DATA, WORKING WITH NATIONAL AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES TO ADOPT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
  2. $666,692 spent. OPEN CULTURE: WE BUILD A THRIVING ECOSYSTEM OF OPEN CULTURE AMONG CULTURAL HERITAGE INSTITUTIONS AND THEIR USERS. WE GATHERED NEARLY 50 EXPERTS FROM EVERY CONTINENT AT THE OPEN CULTURE STRATEGIC WORKSHOP IN LISBON, PORTUGAL. WE ALSO LAUNCHED THE TOWARDS A RECOMMENDATION ON OPEN CULTURAL HERITAGE (TAROCH) COALITION, WHICH NOW HAS 62 MEMBERS. BY MAY 2026 WE INTEND TO DEVELOP AND ADOPT A STATEMENT ON OPEN ACCESS TO CULTURAL HERITAGE FOR SIGNATURE BY CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS, AND WIDELY IMPLEMENT AN ADVOCACY STRATEGY AND DISSEMINATE ADVOCACY TOOLS AND MATERIALS TO PROMOTE THE WIDER RECOGNITION OF OPEN ACCESS TO CULTURAL HERITAGE.
  3. $311,836 spent. LICENSES AND STEWARDSHIP: WE'RE ENSURING CC'S EXISTING LICENSES AND LEGAL TOOLS REMAIN RELEVANT, USER-FRIENDLY, AND AS EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE IN SERVICE OF CREATORS AND REUSERS. WE EXPANDED THE OPEN INFRASTRUCTURE CIRCLE (OIC) TO 30 MEMBERS TO ENSURE CONSISTENT FUNDING FOR THIS WORK.
  4. $474,122 spent. WE OFFER A TEN-WEEK CC CERTIFICATE PROGRAM TAILORED TO THE EDUCATION AND LIBRARY SECTORS, AS WELL AS GALLERIES, LIBRARIES, ARCHIVES, AND MUSEUMS. BY THE CLOSE OF 2024, WE CERTIFIED 1,890 GRADUATES ACROSS 68 COUNTRIES. WE PROVIDED 35 SCHOLARSHIPS TO ENABLE MORE COMMUNITY MEMBERS ACCESS TO THE CC CERTIFICATE TRAINING AND PARTNERED WITH BCCAMPUS TO SUPPORT SUBSIDIZED CC CERTIFICATE TRAINING FOR 25 PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND 21 PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS WITHIN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA; AND US MIDWEST HIGHER EDUCATION COMPACT (MHEC), ENABLING SUBSIDIZED CC CERTIFICATE TRAINING FOR FACULTY AND STAFF FROM HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN 48 US STATES. IN 2024, WE FACILITATED 31 TRAININGS AND PRESENTATIONS FOR NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, JOURNALS, LIBRARIANS, CULTURAL HERITAGE PROFESSIONALS, WEB DEVELOPERS, HIGHER EDUCATION FACULTY AND STAFF, AS WELL AS OPEN ADVOCATES, SPANNING AT LEAST SEVEN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. WE FUNDED FIVE OPEN EDUCATION PLATFORM PROJECTS, SPANNING BRAZIL, GHANA, NEPAL, AND NIGERIA. WE ALSO SERVED ON UNESCO'S OER ADVISORY GROUP, WHERE WE HELPED TO DRAFT THE DUBAI DECLARATION ON OPEN EDUCATION RESOURCES (OER) AND ATTENDED THE HEWLETT EDUCATION GRANTEE CONFERENCE WITH UNESCO IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA. WE ALSO ZEROED IN ON A POSSIBLE INTERVENTION, PREFERENCE SIGNALS, A FRAMEWORK THAT EMPOWERS CREATORS TO INDICATE THE TERMS BY WHICH THEIR WORK CAN BE USED FOR AI TRAINING. ON THE COMMUNITY FRONT, WE CONDUCTED AN INTERNAL ASSESSMENT OF THE GLOBAL NETWORK USING HISTORICAL DATA, COMMUNITY SURVEYS, AND INTERVIEWS WITH CHAPTER LEADS.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since August 2002.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.