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World Wide Web Consortium Inc

EIN 84-4023862 · Wakefield, MA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood75 out of 100GovernanceGood78 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

Making the web work for everyone. W3C brings together global stakeholders to develop open standards that enable a World Wide Web that connects and empowers humanity.

Income
$8.7 million
Spending
$7.0 million
Spent on programs
86%
Reserves
5.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 93%
Employees
10
Volunteers
10,000
Highest pay
$314,504, ceo/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: 75 out of 100. Higher than 50% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 5.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 49% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 19% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 23% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    86% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 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: 78 out of 100. Higher than 31% of charities in its peer group (science, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    10 of 10 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

    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

    0 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 (1)
  1. $6.0 million spent. DEVELOPMENT OF WEB STANDARDS: STANDARDS DEVELOPED BY THE CONSORTIUM ARE ADOPTED VOLUNTARILY. THEY MUST THEREFORE BE OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY. IN ADDITION, THEY MUST MEET REAL WORLD NEEDS, INCLUDING OVERCOMING THE MANY BARRIERS FACED BY DISADVANTAGED MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. WEB STANDARDS MUST BALANCE THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF INDUSTRY, ACADEMIA, CIVIL SOCIETY, AND TECHNOLOGISTS, FOR THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF SERVING ALL OF HUMANITY. FURTHER, BECAUSE THE WEB IS A GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE, THE CONSORTIUM MUST FIND SOLUTIONS THAT ADDRESS A RANGE OF REGIONAL AND CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS. THE CONSORTIUM CONDUCTS ITS WORK IN PUBLIC AND SEEKS WIDE REVIEW ON AN ONGOING BASIS TO HELP ENSURE THAT WIDE-RANGE PERSPECTIVES INFORM CONSENSUS DECISIONS ABOUT FUTURE WEB TECHNOLOGY. IN ADDITION, THE CONSORTIUM'S PROCESS REQUIRES THAT ALL STANDARDS UNDERGO REVIEW BY CHARTERED GROUPS WITH EXPERTISE IN ACCESSIBILITY, INTERNATIONALIZATION, PRIVACY AND SECURITY; THESE GROUPS HELP ENSURE THAT THE STANDARDS MEET THE SOCIAL NEEDS THAT MOTIVATE THE CONSORTIUM'S MISSION. THIS IS KNOWN IN THE CONSORTIUM AS "HORIZONTAL REVIEW," BECAUSE IT IS APPLIED ACROSS STANDARDIZATION ACTIVITIES. RESEARCH: THE CONSORTIUM, WITH PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS, CONDUCTS RESEARCH INTO NEW TECHNOLOGIES, APPLICATIONS, AND BEST PRACTICES RELATED TO THE WEB. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE FIELD OF WEB PRIVACY, THE CONSORTIUM'S COORDINATION OF STANDARDIZATION WORK IMPROVES SUPPORT FOR USER PRIVACY ON THE WEB AND DEVELOPS GENERAL EXPERTISE IN PRIVACY-BY-DESIGN FOR WEB STANDARDS. EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS/RESOURCES: THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF THE CONSORTIUM'S STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS (INCLUDING THE W3C MEMBERS), THE CONSORTIUM PRODUCES WRITTEN DELIVERABLES THAT INCLUDE STANDARDS, GUIDELINES, AND TOOLS THAT ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FREE AND HELP WEB DEVELOPERS WORLDWIDE IMPROVE THEIR SITES IN TERMS OF ACCESSIBILITY AND INTERNATIONALIZATION. THE CONSORTIUM'S STANDARDS HAVE BEEN GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED IN A VARIETY OF WAYS, INCLUDING THROUGH REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO ACCESSIBLE WEB SITES, AND WITH AN EMMY AWARD FOR THE CONSORTIUM'S STANDARDS TO MAKE VIDEO CONTENT MORE ACCESSIBLE ON THE WEB WITH TEXT CAPTIONING AND SUBTITLES. EDUCATIONAL COURSES: THE CONSORTIUM DEVELOPS FREE EDUCATIONAL COURSES ("W3Cx") TO INFORM DEVELOPERS ABOUT WEB BEST PRACTICES, INCLUDING WEB ACCESSIBILITY.

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 June 2023.

    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.