Skip to the page content
Your donations
Passes our checks

US Ignite Inc

EIN 45-3943413 · Washington, DC

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair65 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

US IGNITE, INC. IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION FORMED TO PROMOTE U.S. LEADERSHIP IN DEVELOPING APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES FOR ULTRA-FAST BROADBAND NETWORKS.US IGNITE WORKS AS A CONVENER TO CREATE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AMONG CORPORATE, GOVERNMENT, AND FOUNDATION PARTNERS SEEKING TO FURTHER SMART CITY DEVELOPMENT. US IGNITE FACILITATES THESE PARTNERSHIPS BY CONNECTING FUNDING SOURCES TO CLEAR PROJECT ROADMAPS AND BY BRINGING TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL EXPERTISE TO BEAR ON PROGRAM EXECUTION. WE HAVE DEEP TIES TO STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS, INCLUDING ACTIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS, CORPORATE LEADERS, AND ACADEMIC PARTNERS.

Income
$17.4 million
Spending
$16.7 million
Spent on programs
92%
Reserves
2.2 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 96%
Employees
26
Volunteers
7
Highest pay
$312,717, ceo and president

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: 65 out of 100. Higher than 55% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 2.2 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 30% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 4% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 24% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    92% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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 50% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    8 of 12 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. $10.9 million spent. PLATFORMS FOR ADVANCED WIRELESS RESEARCH (PAWR): PAWR IS REVOLUTIONIZING THE WIRELESS ECOSYSTEM WHILE SUSTAINING US LEADERSHIP AND ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS. FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AND A CONSORTIUM OF THE NATION'S LEADING WIRELESS COMPANIES AND ASSOCIATIONS, THE $100 MILLION PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP IS MANAGED BY THE PAWR PROJECT OFFICE (PPO). MAJOR 2024 ACTIVITIES OF THE PPO INCLUDE A) OVERSEEING THE SIGNIFICANT EXPANSIONS OF THE ARA RURAL WIRELESS TESTBED IN IOWA AND THE AERPAW WIRELESS DRONE TESTBED IN NORTH CAROLINA; B) COORDINATING AND ANNOUNCING THE COLLABORATION OF THE POWDER WIRELESS TESTBED IN UTAH WITH INDUSTRY INNOVATOR MAVENIR TO TEST NEW OPEN RAN NETWORKING GEAR IN AN OVER-THE-AIR ENVIRONMENT; C) PROMOTING THE OPEN SOURCE RELEASE OF POWDER'S RADIO DYNAMIC ZONE (RDZ) SOFTWARE FOR USE IN SPECTRUM COEXISTENCE EXPERIMENTS.
  2. $2.6 million spent. SMART BASES: THE US IGNITE SMART BASE TEAM DELIVERED THE SMART INSTALLATION AND COMMUNITY DASHBOARD FOR THE ENGINEER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER (ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS) ON FORT BENNING BASE. IN 2024, US IGNITE ADVANCED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ON INTELLIGENT INTRUSION DETECTION AND HEAT RISK MANAGEMENT WHILE EXPANDING TO USE CASES THAT ENHANCE EMERGENCY SERVICES, IMPROVE INSTALLATION READINESS, AND SUPPORT ARMY MODERNIZATION INITIATIVES. US IGNITE ENGAGED INDUSTRY-LEADING VENDORS ACROSS THE PROJECT SECTORS TO PROVIDE A COMMON OPERATING VISION FOR FORT BENNING'S LEADERSHIP.
  3. $860,690 spent. US IGNITE COMPLETED TWO DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PROJECTS IN SALT LAKE CITY (SLC) AND WASHINGTON DC. THE INNOVATE SLC PROJECT INTEGRATED ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING, SMART CITY INNOVATION, AND SMALL BUSINESS CAPACITY-BUILDING EFFORTS. THROUGH TWO COORDINATED WORK AREAS, THE URBAN INNOVATION ACCELERATOR FOR STARTUPS AND THE SMALL BUSINESS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR LOCAL ENTERPRISES, US IGNITE AND ITS PARTNERS SUPPORTED OVER 200 PARTICIPANTS ACROSS 76 INDUSTRIES, FOCUSING ON OPPORTUNITY ZONES AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. THE STARTUP ACCELERATOR DELIVERED MENTORSHIP, TECHNICAL TRAINING, AND INVESTOR ENGAGEMENT TO 24 STARTUPS IN 13 SECTORS, RESULTING IN OVER $3.1 MILLION IN CAPITAL RAISED, $1.27 MILLION IN SBIR FUNDING, AND $350,000 IN NEW REVENUE. CONCURRENTLY, THE SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM REACHED 183 PARTICIPANTS, EQUIPPING THEM WITH PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE OF SMART CITY TECHNOLOGIES AND FOSTERING STRONGER TIES BETWEEN MINORITY CHAMBERS, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS. COLLECTIVELY, THESE INITIATIVES STRENGTHENED SALT LAKE CITY'S INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM, ENHANCED WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR SUSTAINABLE, TECH-DRIVEN ECONOMIC GROWTH AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE.THE US IGNITE DC REGIONAL STARTUP AND WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM (INNOVATEDMV) SUCCESSFULLY STRENGTHENED THE ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM ACROSS THE WASHINGTON, DC, MARYLAND, AND VIRGINIA REGION. OVER TWO YEARS, THE PROGRAM SUPPORTED 127 STARTUPS AND 263 SMALL BUSINESSES, ENGAGED 40+ ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS, AND HOSTED 25 TRAINING AND NETWORKING EVENTS. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED THE AI FOR DMV STARTUPS INITIATIVE, SMART CITIES TRAINING SERIES, AND LEAN BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS WORKSHOP, WHICH EQUIPPED FOUNDERS WITH CUTTING-EDGE TOOLS IN AI INTEGRATION, SMART TECHNOLOGIES, AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODELING. THROUGH COLLABORATIONS WITH ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS ARLINGTON BIZLAUNCH, BLACK META AGENCY, AND K STREET CAPITAL, INNOVATEDMV ADVANCED MINORITY BUSINESS PARTICIPATION, FACILITATED ACCESS TO CAPITAL, AND CONNECTED 72 FOUNDERS WITH 25 FUNDERS. THE PROGRAM ALSO LAUNCHED THE INNOVATEDMV WEBSITE, CONDUCTED REGIONAL GAP ASSESSMENTS USING INNOVATIVE VOICE-ENABLED SURVEYS, AND DEVELOPED SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES TO CONTINUE DRIVING INNOVATION, INCLUSION, AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BEYOND THE GRANT LIFECYCLE.
  4. $1.1 million spent. OTHER

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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since July 2012.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 21, 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.