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Witness Inc

EIN 13-4167155 · New York, NY

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair63 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

WITNESS HELPS PEOPLE USE VIDEO AND TECHNOLOGY TO PROTECT AND DEFEND HUMAN RIGHTS. WITNESS IS WORKING TOWARDS A WORLD WHERE THE COMMUNITIES WE CENTER, SERVE, AND SUPPORT CAN SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY USE VIDEO AND TECHNOLOGY TO END HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. A WORLD WHERE TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURES ACCOUNT FOR THE NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS, INSTEAD OF EXCLUDING OR HARMING THEM, AND THE CREATIVE POWER OF VIDEO AND TECHNOLOGY FOR CATALYZING TRANSFORMATION CAN BE REALIZED.

Income
$4.6 million
Spending
$7.3 million
Spent on programs
69%
Reserves
11.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 51%
Employees
28
Volunteers
13
Highest pay
$271,282, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 63 out of 100. Higher than 27% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 11.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 9% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 58% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 40% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    69% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 20 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 64% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    13 of 13 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 June 30, 2025, 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. $4.1 million spent. TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING:WITNESS TRAININGS HELP FILL CRITICAL GAPS IN THE USE OF VIDEO FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, ENSURING THAT THE VIDEOS PEOPLE OFTEN GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO CAPTURE CAN BE TRUSTED AND VERIFIED; THAT THE PEOPLE WHO RECORD THESE VIDEOS CAN STAY SAFE AND MANAGE RISK; THAT EVIDENTIARY VIDEOS CAN BE FOUND AMIDST MASS VOLUME; THAT MOVEMENTS AND GROUPS CAN USE VISUAL STORYTELLING IN STRATEGIC AND IMPACTFUL WAYS; AND THAT NEW AND EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES CAN ENABLE GREATER CITIZEN PARTICIPATION.EACH YEAR, WITNESS PROVIDES A SERIES OF IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL TRAINING TO COMMUNITIES, HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS, JOURNALISTS, AND CIVIL SOCIETY AROUND THE WORLD, SHARING RESOURCES, GUIDANCE, AND TOOLS AROUND THE SAFE, ETHICAL, AND EFFECTIVE USE OF VIDEO AND TECHNOLOGY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.
  2. $432,181 spent. TECHNOLOGY THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES:BUILDING ON A RICH HISTORY OF ANTICIPATING THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES POSED BY EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, WITNESS REMAINS LASER-FOCUSED ON ENSURING THAT INNOVATION OPERATES IN SERVICE OF A HEALTHY AND INFORMED SOCIETY, WHILE SERVING AND PROTECTING THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST. IT ENGAGES ACTORS ACROSS THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM, BRINGING GRASSROOTS PERSPECTIVES TO GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES AND SCALING IMPACT IN THE PROCESS. WITNESS UTILIZES AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE REAL AND UNPRECEDENTED THREATS POSED BY EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TO DEVELOP THREAT MODELS, ENSURE COMPANIES TAKE RIGHTS-RESPECTING APPROACHES, AND COLLABORATE ON APPLIED RESEARCH. THE ORGANIZATION IS A THOUGHT LEADER AND CROSS-SECTOR CONVENER, ADDRESSING THE THREATS OF SYNTHETIC MEDIA, DECEPTIVE AI, SURVEILLANCE, AND SECURITY FACING THE HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT AT LARGE.
  3. $349,033 spent. LEARNING AND SHARING: A PRIMARY MECHANISM BY WHICH WITNESS HELPS BUILD THE FABRIC OF ECOSYSTEMS IS THROUGH THE UNIQUE ABILITY TO LEARN AND SHARE, ENSURING THAT GUIDANCE AND TOOLS CAN BE ADAPTED TO, AND SHARED WITH, COMMUNITIES FACING SIMILAR ISSUES AROUND THE WORLD. AS PATTERNS OF WRONGDOING REPEAT THEMSELVES ACROSS BORDERS AND GEOGRAPHIES, SO TOO MUST THE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS FOR HOW VIDEO AND TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP REALIZE OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPOSE THESE ABUSES.
  4. $147,159 spent. RESOURCE CREATIONWITNESS ONLINE LIBRARY ENABLES PEOPLE TO ACCESS, DOWNLOAD, AND ADAPT A RANGE OF OPEN SOURCE TIPS AND GUIDANCE ON HOW TO USE VIDEO MORE SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. YEAR AFTER YEAR, WITNESS HAS SEEN AN INCREASE IN THE OVERALL ENGAGEMENT WITH THESE RESOURCES, DEMONSTRATING APPETITE AND NEED FOR ITS MATERIALS ACROSS ISSUE AREAS, REGIONS, AND LANGUAGES. THE ORGANIZATION RECOGNIZES THE STRATEGIC POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS AS TOOLS TO WIDELY DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION, AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT PEOPLE WORLDWIDE ARE TURNING TO THESE PLATFORMS TO COMMUNICATE AND PARTICIPATE IN SOCIETY.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 June 2025.

    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 October 2001.

    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.