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The Foundation for American Innovation

EIN 47-2239840 · Washington, DC

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong93 out of 100GovernanceGood85 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO DEVELOP TECHNOLOGY, TALENT, AND IDEAS THAT SUPPORT A BETTER, FREER, AND MORE ABUNDANT FUTURE. OURS IS A POLITICS OF BUILDERS, HACKERS, AND FOUNDERS WORKING TO ADVANCE A MORE PERFECT UNION BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY AND THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC.

Income
$5.1 million
Spending
$3.7 million
Spent on programs
77%
Reserves
6 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 99%
Employees
19
Volunteers
13
Highest pay
$282,414, 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 78% of charities in its peer group (health care, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 6.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 8% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 28% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 40% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    77% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 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

Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 38% of charities in its peer group (health care, $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

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no 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 (3)
  1. $1.5 million spent. POLICY - THE POLICY TEAM IS A BOUTIQUE THINK TANK OF POLICY EXPERTS AND TECHNOLOGISTS FOCUSED ON ISSUES AT THE INTERSECTION OF INNOVATION, GOVERNANCE, AND NATIONAL SECURITY. THIS TEAM'S WORK FOCUSES ON IMPACT RESEARCH, EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH, AND SEEDING NOVEL SOLUTIONS IN THE WEEDS OF POLICY FORMATION. WE GENERALLY DO NOT TAKE INSTITUTIONAL POSITIONS, INSTEAD RELYING ON THE EXPERTISE OF INDIVIDUAL TEAM MEMBERS (WHO SOMETIMES DISAGREE).
  2. $707,254 spent. LABS - THE LABS TEAM IS A GROUP OF PRODUCT EXPERTS, DESIGNERS, AND ENGINEERS FOCUSED ON BUILDING TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS TO ENTRENCHED POLICY PROBLEMS. THE TEAM'S WORK IS CENTERED ON CREATING PHILANTHROPY-SUPPORTED TOOLS AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO ADDRESS KEY SOCIETAL CHALLENGES THAT DON'T HAVE THE PROFIT POTENTIAL TO ATTRACT TRADITIONAL VENTURE INVESTMENT.
  3. $672,508 spent. EVENTS - EACH YEAR WE HOST DOZENS OF EVENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, ENGAGING OUR COMMUNITIES IN CALIFORNIA, TEXAS, NEW YORK, FLORIDA, D.C., AND ELSEWHERE. THROUGH OUR SALONS, FORUMS, AND CONFERENCES, WE BRING TOGETHER TECHNOLOGISTS, FOUNDERS, AUTHORS, AND POLICYMAKERS TO EXPLORE A RANGE OF TIMELY TOPICS.NETWORK - THE NETWORK TEAM IS FOCUSED ON FELLOWSHIPS, EVENTS, AND MEDIA, BUILDING A TRANSLATION LAYER BETWEEN THE TWO CULTURES OF TECH AND POLICY, AND SHAPING THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION AROUND INNOVATION. NETWORK HAS THREE SUB PROGRAMS: EVENTS, MEDIA, AND FELLOWSHIPS.MEDIA - TO INCREASE THE REACH AND IMPACT OF OUR WORK, WE SPONSOR TWO PODCASTS. THE REALIGNMENT BOASTS 500,000 MONTHLY DOWNLOADS AND FOCUSES ON THE SHIFTING LANDSCAPE OF NATIONAL SECURITY, ECONOMICS, TECHNOLOGY, AND THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN OUR LIVES. OUR NEW PODCAST, THE DYNAMIST, HIGHLIGHTS OUR RESEACH AND WORK, AND EXPLORES THE EMERGING MOVEMENT FOR DYNAMISM WITH PROMINENT GUESTS.FELLOWSHIPS - OUR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS CULTIVATE EARLY-AND MID-CAREER TALENT WITH TWO GOALS IN MIND: FIRST, TO EDUCATE THE NEXT GENERATION OF FOUNDERS AND BUILDERS ABOUT HOW TO NAVIGATE POLICY AND REGULATORY THREATS, AND SECOND, TO CREATE A STRONGER TECHNICAL TALENT PIPELINE OF MARKET-ORIENTED POLICY ENTREPRENEURS.

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 March 2015.

    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.