Rfe-Rl Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
RFE/RL'S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE DEMOCRATIC VALUES BY PROVIDING ACCURATE, UNCENSORED NEWS AND OPEN DEBATE IN COUNTRIES WHERE A FREE PRESS IS UNDER THREAT. (SEE SCHEDULE O)
- Income
- $129.0 million
- Spending
- $133.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 76%
- Reserves
- -0.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 97%
- Employees
- 177
- Volunteers
- 27
- Highest pay
- $304,481, president and ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 28 out of 100. Higher than 0% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, over $100m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 102% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 3% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 18% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1576% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 95 out of 100. Higher than 31% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 256 of 6 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
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited 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 September 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)
- $60.2 million spent. RFE/RL'S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE DEMOCRATIC VALUES BY PROVIDING ACCURATE, UNCENSORED NEWS AND OPEN DEBATE IN COUNTRIES WHERE A FREE PRESS IS UNDER THREAT. IN FY2025, RFE/RL REPORTED IN 27 LANGUAGES TO 23 COUNTRIES FROM CENTRAL EUROPE TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN, REACHING MORE THAN 48 MILLION PEOPLE EVERY WEEK. TO PROTECT OUR FAR-FLUNG OPERATIONS AND OUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSETS - OUR JOURNALISTS. RFE/RL INVESTS IN THE SECURITY OF OUR PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL OPERATIONS, AS WELL AS PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SAFETY OF OUR STAFF. THESE INVESTMENTS INCLUDE A ROBUST JOURNALIST ADVOCACY PROGRAM THAT SUPPORTS RFE/RL STAFF UNJUSTLY THREATENED AND DETAINED BY HOSTILE GOVERNMENTS, AS WELL AS EXTENSIVE TRAINING TO EQUIP JOURNALISTS TAKING ON DANGEROUS FIELD ASSIGNMENTS. RFE/RL IS ABLE TO DELIVER CONTENT TO AUDIENCES IN REPRESSIVE SOCIETIES BY CONTRACTING WITH U.S. AND PRIVATE VENDORS FOR DIGITAL, RADIO AND SATELLITE TRANSMISSIONS, AND BY LEVERAGING CUTTING-EDGE CENSORSHIP CIRCUMVENTION TECHNOLOGIES. SOME OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES ARE INCLUDED BY DEFAULT IN CONTENT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE WE DEVELOP AND MANAGE FOR OUR OWN USE, AS WELL AS FELLOW U.S. INTERNATIONAL MEDIA OUTLETS OFFICE OF CUBA BROADCASTING (RADIO/TV MARTI) AND VOICE OF AMERICA.
- $28.2 million spent. RFE/RL'S RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING OFFERS RUSSIAN SPEAKERS ACROSS RUSSIA, UKRAINE, CENTRAL ASIA, THE CAUCASUS, THE BALTICS, AND EASTERN EUROPE PROFESSIONAL, TRUSTWORTHY NEWS THAT COUNTERS THE NARRATIVES OF HOSTILE GOVERNMENTS WHILE PROMOTING DEMOCRACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY. IN A HIGHLY CONTROLLED AND REPRESSED MEDIA ENVIRONMENT, RFE/RL OFFERS A RARE OPTION TO RUSSIANS WHO SEEK SOMETHING BEYOND STATE-CONTROLLED PROPAGANDA.RADIO SVOBODA, RFE/RL'S RUSSIAN SERVICE, AND ITS TWO REGIONAL REPORTING PROJECTS - SIBERIA.REALITIES FOR RESIDENTS IN THE TRANS-URALS REGION AND NORTH.REALITIES AIMED AT NORTHWESTERN RUSSIA - REPORT ON RUSSIA'S UNDER-COVERED SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES. SYSTEMA, RFE/RL'S RUSSIAN INVESTIGATIVE UNIT, EXPOSES CORRUPTION AND MALIGN NARRATIVES BY THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND ELITES. THE 24/7 CURRENT TIME DIGITAL NETWORK IS THE ONLY NON-UKRAINIAN, RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE OUTLET REPORTING FROM THE FRONT LINES OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE. CURRENT TIME HOSTS ONE OF THE LARGEST OFFERINGS OF RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE DOCUMENTARIES AND DOCUSERIES, INCLUDING MANY THAT ARE UNAVAILABLE TO RUSSIAN AUDIENCES. CURRENT TIME BROADCASTS PROGRAMMING ON MEDIA LITERACY, EDUCATION, BUSINESS, AND HUMAN INTEREST FROM THE FORMER SOVIET UNION - CONTENT RARELY FEATURED ON RUSSIAN STATE MEDIA.DESPITE BEING FORCED TO SUSPEND ON-THE-GROUND OPERATIONS WITHIN RUSSIA FOLLOWING THE FULL-SCALE INVASION OF UKRAINE IN 2022, RFE/RL CONTINUES TO REACH AUDIENCES INSIDE THE COUNTRY. ACCORDING TO A 2023 NATIONWIDE SURVEY COMMISSIONED BY USAGM, 8.7% OF ADULTS IN RUSSIA - OVER 10 MILLION PEOPLE - CONSUMED RFE/RL RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE CONTENT WEEKLY. OVERCOMING BROADCAST BANS AND THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT'S DESIGNATION OF RFE/RL AS AN "UNDESIRABLE ORGANIZATION IN FEBRUARY 2024, RFE/RL SAW NEARLY 840,000 AVERAGE WEEKLY WEBSITE AND APP VISITS AND 8 MILLION WEEKLY VIDEO VIEWS ACROSS DIGITAL PLATFORMS, WHILE CURRENT TIME HAD OVER 441,300 AVERAGE WEEKLY WEBSITE AND APP VISITS AND 32.7 MILLION WEEKLY VIDEO VIEWS ACROSS DIGITAL PLATFORMS.
- $6.7 million spent. RFE/RL'S UKRAINIAN SERVICE, RADIO SVOBODA, IS A TRUSTED, AWARD-WINNING OUTLET PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE OF RUSSIA'S FULL-SCALE WAR FROM BUREAUS IN KYIV, LVIV, AND THE FRONT LINES. THE SERVICE'S INVESTIGATIVE UNIT, SCHEMES, ACTS AS A CRITICAL WATCHDOG OVER AMERICAN AID FLOWING INTO UKRAINE, PROVIDING JOURNALISTIC OVERSIGHT THAT HOLDS AUTHORITIES ACCOUNTABLE AND EXPOSES CORRUPTION. A SCHEMES INVESTIGATION UNCOVERED CORRUPT PRACTICES BY UKRAINE'S DEPUTY PROSECUTOR GENERAL, DMYTRO VERBYTSKYI, LEADING TO AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION AND HIS RESIGNATION. ACCORDING TO A 2024 NATIONAL SURVEY CONDUCTED BY USAGM, 28% OF ADULTS IN UKRAINE - 8.2 MILLION PEOPLE - GET THEIR NEWS FROM RADIO SVOBODA EVERY WEEK. PER THE SAME SURVEY, 92% OF RADIO SVOBODA'S AUDIENCE TRUSTS ITS COVERAGE, MAKING IT ONE OF THE MOST TRUSTED OUTLETS IN THE COUNTRY. IN FY2025, RADIO SVOBODA SAW OVER 2.3 MILLION AVERAGE WEEKLY WEBSITE AND APP VISITS AND AROUND 6.7 MILLION WEEKLY VIDEO VIEWS ACROSS DIGITAL PLATFORMS.
- $6.6 million spent. RFE/RL'S PERSIAN-LANGUAGE SERVICE, RADIO FARDA, BYPASSES THE IRANIAN REGIME'S EXTREME CENSORSHIP (AND INTERMITTENT INTERNET SHUTDOWNS) TO DELIVER TRUSTED NEWS DIRECTLY TO THE IRANIAN PEOPLE. OPERATING ACROSS MULTIPLE PLATFORMS (RADIO, SATELLITE, AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS), RADIO FARDA ENSURES IRANIANS REMAIN CONNECTED TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. DURING THE JUNE 2025 IRAN-ISRAEL CONFLICT, RADIO FARDA RECORDED OVER 62.5 MILLION VIDEO VIEWS ON INSTAGRAM BETWEEN JUNE 13-15 AS AUDIENCES SOUGHT OUT OBJECTIVE REPORTING. ACCORDING TO A 2021 USAGM AUDIENCE SURVEY, RADIO FARDA REACHES 10% - 6.5 MILLION PEOPLE - OF ADULTS IN IRAN WEEKLY. THE SERVICE IS ESPECIALLY POPULAR WITH IRAN'S YOUTH, CONNECTING WITH A GENERATION HUNGRY FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO STATE-CONTROLLED MEDIA THROUGH HIGH-IMPACT DIGITAL STORYTELLING. THE SERVICE HAS BUILT A RESILIENT, YOUTHFUL BASE ON INSTAGRAM, THE COUNTRY'S MOST WIDELY USED SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM, WHERE IT HAD NEARLY 5 MILLION FOLLOWERS. IN FY2025, RADIO FARDA SAW NEARLY 5.4 MILLION AVERAGE WEEKLY WEBSITE AND APP VISITS AND OVER 28.4 MILLION WEEKLY VIDEO VIEWS ACROSS DIGITAL PLATFORMS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since September 1976.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.