irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $2.84MREPORTING AND ADVOCACY - FPF'S US PRESS FREEDOM TRACKER IS A NEWS SITE AND DATABASE THAT COMPREHENSIVELY DOCUMENTS VIRTUALLY EVERY PRESS FREEDOM VIOLATION IN THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING THE NUMBER OF JOURNALISTS ARRESTED, STOPPED AT THE BORDER, SUBPOENAED, PHYSICALLY ATTACKED, SURVEILLED, AND MORE. FPF'S ADVOCAY TEAM FIGHTS ON BOTH A LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL FOR ROBUST PRESS FREEDOM RIGHTS ON A VARIETY OF ISSUES INCLUDING REPORTER'S PRIVILEGE, THE RIGHT TO PUBLISH, THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT, THE PROTECTION OF WHISTLEBLOWERS, AND GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY.
- #2 $870KDIGITAL SECURITY TRAINING - FPF'S DIGITAL SECURITY TEAM EDUCATES NEWSROOMS, JOURNALISTS AND FILMMAKERS HOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND THEIR SOURCES ONLINE IN ORDER TO FURTHER PRESS FREEDOM. THESE TRAININGS INCLUDE HOW TO LOCK DOWN SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, ENCRYPT COMMUNICATIONS, ENHANCE DEVICE SECURITY, AVOID GETTING HACKED, AND MITIGATE ONLINE HARASSMENT. IN 2024, OVER 2000 JOURNALISTS ATTENDED AN FPF DIGITAL SECURITY TRAINING.
named programs · 2 · from sources
What they call their work
Digital Security Training
Provides training and resources to journalists and newsrooms on securing digital communications, protecting sources, encrypting data, and mitigating online harassment and hacking risks.
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker
News site and database that documents press freedom violations in the United States, including arrests, border stops, subpoenas, physical attacks, and surveillance of journalists.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
-
Free and Open-Source Software Advocacy & Development 4 activities
- Conducts research on digital security tool effectivenessConducts real-world testing of digital security tools, such as hardware security keys, and publishes findings to guide journalist adoption and improve digital security practices.
- Develops and maintains SecureDrop for secure source-journalist communicationDevelops, maintains, and deploys SecureDrop, an open-source whistleblower submission system used by over 60 news outlets globally to enable secure and anonymous communication between journalists and sources.
- Develops and maintains open-source digital security toolsDevelops and maintains open-source software tools, including SecureDrop and other technologies, to protect journalists, newsrooms, and their sources from surveillance and digital threats.
- Provides digital security guidance and resources for journalistsProduces and distributes practical digital security resources for journalists and newsrooms, including guides on two-factor authentication, passkeys, password manager security, secure file sharing with OnionShare, secure note-taking apps, device security, and border crossing protections.
-
-
Free Expression Defense & Advocacy 3 activities
- Advocates for press freedom and government transparencyConducts advocacy at local and national levels to defend the First Amendment, promote government transparency, strengthen Freedom of Information Act enforcement, protect whistleblowers, and secure reporter’s privilege; includes media engagement, public campaigns, and policy advocacy.
- Hosts digital platforms to support secure communication and advocacyOperates social.freedom.press, a Mastodon server in the fediverse, and maintains a redesigned website to support secure digital presence and action-based advocacy for press freedom.
- Operates the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker databaseMaintains and publishes the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a comprehensive public database that documents incidents of press freedom violations in the United States, including arrests, border stops, equipment seizures, physical assaults, subpoenas, and surveillance.
-
-
Constitutional and Government Accountability Litigation 1 activity
- Conducts litigation and legal actions to challenge government secrecyFiles Freedom of Information Act requests, initiates litigation, and seeks emergency legal injunctions to challenge excessive government secrecy, investigate U.S. government actions, and preserve public records such as presidential archives.
-
-
Film Production Funding and Fiscal Sponsorship 1 activity
- Funds and administers the Penlight Prize for public records journalismAdministers the Penlight Prize, a $25,000 grant awarded to journalism that uses FOIA or state public records to produce impactful, paywall-free reporting, honoring and financially supporting transparency-focused journalism.
-
-
Cybersecurity Skills Development 1 activity
- Provides digital security training to journalists and newsroomsOffers comprehensive digital security training to journalists, news organizations, and filmmakers globally, covering secure communications, device protection, social media safety, and mitigation of online harassment; over 8,800 participants in the past five years, including more than 2,000 in 2024 alone.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$5.25M
Contributions & grants$3.45M66%
Program service revenue$151K3%
Investment income$1.65M31%
Other revenue$1K
expenses
Total expenses$7.22M
Program expenses79%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising9%
Salaries & benefits$5.05M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$21.45M
Cash$2.14M
Investments$17.16M
Liabilities$792K
Net assets$20.66M
Liquid reserves32.1 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -68.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 7
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| TREVOR TIMM | ED/BOARD MEMBER | 50 | $317K |
| LOUISE BLACK | VICE PRESIDENT OF DEV. & OPS. | 40 | $231K |
| HARLO HOLMES | CHIEF INFORMATION SECURITY OFFICER | 40 | $213K |
| ERIK MOELLER | VICE PRESIDENT OF ENGINEERING | 40 | $209K |
| SETH STERN | DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY | 40 | $203K |
| KIRSTIN MCCUDDEN | VICE PRESIDENT OF EDITORIAL | 40 | $203K |
| SOPHIE HAGEN | BOARD SECRETARY/RESEARCH REPORTER | 40 | $126K |
board members · 7
- AZMAT KHAN — BOARD MEMBER
- EDWARD SNOWDEN — BOARD MEMBER
- JOHN CUSACK — BOARD MEMBER
- KATIE DRUMMOND — BOARD MEMBER
- LAURA POITRAS — BOARD MEMBER
- RAINEY REITMAN — PRESIDENT
- WESLEY LOWERY — BOARD MEMBER (UNTIL 3/2024)
relationships · 14
Who they work with
- BreakThrough News Partner — Defends BreakThrough News against congressional subpoena threats.
- BreakThrough News Partner — Defends BreakThrough News against congressional subpoenas as part of press freedom advocacy.
- Education Writers Association Partner — Collaborated with FPF to host a digital safety presentation for journalists in May 2025.
- National Archives Government — Communicates with the Freedom of the Press Foundation regarding presidential records and DMs.
- New York Times Partner — Advocates for the New York Times in response to government subpoenas targeting its journalists.
- New York Times Partner — Advocates in defense of New York Times journalists facing government subpoenas.
- Press Freedom Tracker Partner — Operates the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker in partnership with other press freedom organizations to document incidents affecting journalists.
- PublicSource Partner — Collaborates with or references PublicSource's use of Signal for secure tip submission
- SecureDrop Partner — Collaborates on the development and support of SecureDrop, an open source platform for secure source communication.
- SecureDrop Partner — Freedom of the Press Foundation develops and supports SecureDrop as a core project for secure source-journalist communication.
- Signal Partner — Collaborates on promoting secure use of the Signal messaging app for journalists.
- U.S. Press Freedom Tracker Partner — Collaborates on tracking and reporting press freedom incidents in the United States
- US Press Freedom Tracker Partner — Operates the US Press Freedom Tracker as a core program for documenting press freedom violations.
- startsmall Funder — Provided funding support to Freedom of the Press Foundation, as indicated by co-branding in promotional materials.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Digital Security Capacity Buildingmethodology: digital_security_capacity_buildingBy providing tailored, accessible digital security training and tools to journalists, the organization enhances their operational safety and source protection because building individual and institutional capacity reduces vulnerability to surveillance and cyber threats.
- Documentation-Driven Advocacymethodology: documentation-driven advocacyBy systematically monitoring and documenting press freedom violations, the organization strengthens public advocacy and policy reform efforts because credible, evidence-based documentation increases awareness, legitimacy, and pressure for institutional change.
- Legal and Institutional Transparency Reformmethodology: government-secrecy-reformBy challenging government over-classification and using FOIA litigation, the organization increases public access to information because reducing secrecy enables investigative journalism and strengthens democratic accountability.
- Secure Communication by Designmethodology: privacy-by-designBy developing and deploying open-source, privacy-preserving communication tools (e.g., username-based contact, passwordless authentication), the organization protects journalist-source interactions because minimizing identifier exposure and attack surfaces reduces the risk of surveillance and de-anonymization.
- Source Protection as Press Freedom Foundationmethodology: source-protection-firstBy prioritizing the protection of journalistic sources through legal advocacy and technical safeguards, the organization prevents chilling effects on whistleblowing and reporting because source confidentiality is essential to uncovering truths about powerful institutions.