Thoughtful Tech Project Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- Only 45% of its spending went to programs.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
TO ENSURE THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON SOCIETY, BY DEVELOPING THE DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS NEEDED FOR THE AGE OF AI.
- Income
- $1.0 million
- Spending
- $207,181
- Spent on programs
- 45%
- Reserves
- 48.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 96%
- Employees
- 2
- Volunteers
- 7
- Highest pay
- $83,457, 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
Good: 82 out of 100. Higher than 54% of charities in its peer group (civil rights, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 48.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 80% of income.
Spending floor
0 of 1545% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 1 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: 71 out of 100. Higher than 18% of charities in its peer group (civil rights, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
18 of 253 of 4 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
0 of 7Reports no 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
0 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 (2)
- $55,977 spent. BUILDING DEMOCRATIC CAPABILITIESTHE AI & DEMOCRACY FOUNDATION (AIDF) DEVELOPED AND DISSEMINATED NON-PARTISAN RESOURCES TO STRENGTHEN DEMOCRATIC INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH CAN BE USED FOR AI GOVERNANCE AND BEYOND. THIS INCLUDED: CONVENING TOP DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY PRACTITIONER ORGANIZATIONS FOR DEEP-DIVE PROCESS EXPLORATION AND IMPROVEMENT WORKSHOPS; DOCUMENTING DELIBERATIVE ASSEMBLY WORKFLOWS AND ESTABLISHING A FUNCTIONS-BASED RESEARCH APPROACH TO DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY; DEVELOPING COST MODELS FOR TRACKING AND COMPARING RESOURCE UTILIZATION ACROSS DELIBERATIVE PROCESSES; DEVELOPING A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR ADAPTING MACHINE LEARNING TOOLS TO SUPPORT THOSE PROCESSES; AND INSTIGATING, CO-ORGANIZING, AND SUPPORTING AN INTEROPERABLE DELIBERATIVE TOOLS INITIATIVE. THIS WORK WAS PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED AT CONVENINGS INTERNATIONALLY. THESE ACTIVITIES DIRECTLY ADVANCED THE ORGANIZATION'S WORK TO STRENGTHEN DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MORE GENERALLY BY BUILDING FOUNDATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND PRACTITIONER CAPACITY.
- $37,707 spent. PROMOTING ADOPTION AND INTEGRATION OF DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES IN AI DEVELOPMENTTHE AI & DEMOCRACY FOUNDATION (AIDF) WORKED TO INTEGRATE DEMOCRATIC DECISION-MAKING INTO AI DEVELOPMENT AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES. AIDF'S WORK INCLUDED: COORDINATING AND CO-AUTHORING AN INITIAL WORKING PAPER PROPOSING A FRAMEWORK FOR INCREASING DEMOCRATIC DECISION-MAKING FOR AI; STARTING THE DELIBERATIVE TOOLS ACCESS PROGRAM WITH AN INITIAL PARTNER; SUPPORTING THE TOP AI LABS ON EXPLORING APPLICATIONS OF DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES; AND PRESENTING ON THIS WORK AT NEURIPS AND OTHER VENUES. THESE ACTIVITIES PROMOTED THE INTEGRATION OF DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES INTO AI DEVELOPMENT BY MAJOR TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATIONS AND POLICYMAKERS.
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 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 December 2024.
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 April 2020.
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.