Open Source Hardware Association
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE ASSOCIATION (OSHWA) AIMS TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ENCOURAGE RESEARCH THAT IS ACCESSIBLE, COLLABORATIVE AND RESPECTS USER FREEDOM.
- Income
- $341,231
- Spending
- $189,195
- Spent on programs
- 63%
- Reserves
- 16.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 76%
- Employees
- 4
- Volunteers
- 9
- Highest pay
- $29,228, executive director
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
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 79% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 16.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 45% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 226% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1563% 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: 91 out of 100. Higher than 77% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 259 of 9 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports 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 (3)
- $74,144 spent. EDUCATE THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE AND ITS SOCIALLY BENEFICIAL USES:OSHWA RECEIVED A GRANT FROM THE SLOAN FOUNDATION TO START A FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM OF ACADEMICS WHO WERE CREATING OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE. THESE FELLOWS ARE GIVEN FUNDS TO WRITE ABOUT HOW THEY ARE ACCOMPLISHING OPEN HARDWARE IN THE ACADEMIC SPHERE, CREATING A LIBRARY OF RESOURCES FOR OTHER ACADEMICS TO LEARN FROM. EACH FELLOW HAS THEIR OWN SET OF DIRECTIVES TO FURTHER EDUCATE ABOUT OPEN HARDWARE, THESE INCLUDE WORKSHOPS, CASE STUDIES, LITERATURE REVIEWS, AND DOCUMENTING THEIR HARDWARE SO OTHERS MAY FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS.CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O.OSHWA EMBARKED ON RESEARCH FOR AN OPEN HEALTHWARE ECOSYSTEM, BRINGING HEALTH AND MEDICAL DEVICES INTO OPEN SOURCE. WE HELD FIVE WORKSHOPS ATTENDED BY APPROXIMATELY 125 PARTICIPANTS, AND A CONFERENCE WITH 100 IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS, AND 930 ONLINE VIEWERS.
- $45,677 spent. ENCOURAGE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE, AND SOCIAL COHESION THROUGH CONFERENCES AND OTHER EVENTS FOCUSED ON OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE:OPEN HARDWARE SUMMIT (OHS) IS A CONFERENCE TO LEARN ABOUT OPEN HARDWARE, MANUFACTURING, AND POLICY. OSHWA HAD AN IN-PERSON SUMMIT IN 2024, AND HAD 350 PEOPLE IN OUR AUDIENCE AND APPROXIMATELY 950 VIEWERS ON OUR VIDEO FEED.
- ORGANIZE THE OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE MOVEMENT AROUND SHARED VALUES AND PRINCIPLES:OSHWA CERTIFICATION PROGRAM + APIOSHWA CERTIFIES OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE BASED ON REQUIREMENTS THAT FOLLOW THE COMMUNITY-BASED OPEN HARDWARE DEFINITION. COMPLIANCE WITH OUR CERTIFICATION GRANTS YOU LICENSE TO USE OUR TRADEMARK AND A UNIQUE IDENTIFIER. THE CERTIFICATION PRODUCES A DATABASE OF ALL CERTIFIED OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE PROJECTS. AT THE END OF 2024 THERE WERE APPROXIMATELY 2,941 CERTIFIED OPEN SOURCE HARDWARE PROJECTS IN OUR DATABASE.
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
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.
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.
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.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since August 2014.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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.