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Flickr Charitable Foundation

EIN 88-3091608 · San Francisco, CA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair66 out of 100GovernanceGood75 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

OUR MISSION IS TO KEEP FLICKR PICTURES VISIBLE FOR 100 YEARS.

Income
$747,601
Spending
$674,305
Spent on programs
59%
Reserves
7.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 89%
Employees
2
Volunteers
2
Highest pay
$169,922, 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

Fair: 66 out of 100. Higher than 24% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 7.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 32% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 10% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 19% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    8 of 15

    59% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 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: 75 out of 100. Higher than 49% of charities in its peer group (philanthropy, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    0 of 25

    1 of 2 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

    7 of 7

    Has a 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 (4)
  1. $263,824 spent. OUR CONTENT MOBILITY PROGRAM HAS BEEN OUR FOCUS IN 2024, AS WE RESEARCH AND DEVELOP OUR DATA LIFEBOAT INITIATIVE. WE HELD TWO INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS WITH CULTURE WORKERS AND OTHER EXPERTS TO CO-DESIGN REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SYSTEM (FUNDED BY MELLON FOUNDATION). WE EXPECT TO LAUNCH OUR ALPHA SOFTWARE PRODUCT IN SUMMER 2025.
  2. $98,781 spent. FLICKR COMMONS: WE CONTINUE TO REACH OUT TO OUR FLICKR COMMONS INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS AND GROW COMMUNITY; WE HAVE BUILT A NEW COMMONS EXPLORER WEBSITE, AND CREATED SPECIFICATIONS FOR FLICKR API EXTENSIONS WHICH ALLOW US TO BUILD TOOLS TO SERVE THAT COMMUNITY.
  3. $20,147 spent. CREATIVE ARCHIVES: WE ENLISTED A RESEARCH FELLOW IN THIS PROGRAM TO DEVELOP THINKING AROUND GENERATED IMAGERY AND HOW THE FLICKR DATASET HAS TRANSFORMED INTO INFRASTRUCTURE.
  4. $14,094 spent. NEW CURATORS: WE ENLISTED A RESEARCH FELLOW IN THIS PROGRAM TO DEVELOP A WORKSHOP FOR COMMUNITY ARCHIVING USING FLICKR AS A MEDIUM.

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 October 2022.

    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.