Access Now EIN 27-0597430

Access Now FY2020 filing

EIN  27-0597430 Public charity (501(c)(3)) New York, NY Founded 2009
Form 990 (PDF)
You’re viewing the FY2020 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →
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Verified accurate 7/18/26 · see original filing: IRS
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Size
$10–100M
What they do
Defends and extends digital rights for users facing risks globally.
Leadership
Brett Solomon · Executive Director/Secretary · $153K
Money in and out
$9.8M revenue, $8.4M expenses
Bottom line
79% program efficiency

Defends and extends digital rights for users facing risks globally. For fiscal year 2020 it reported $9.8M in revenue, $8.4M in expenses, and $3.8M in net assets.Pt I

Where the money goes · FY2020
Total revenue
$9.8M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$8.4M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$3.8M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $1.4M
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.79 Management & general $0.16 Fundraising $0.05
Program efficiency
79%
of spending reaches programs
Operating runway
5.0mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate
Surplus margin
+15%
revenue over expenses, this year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2020 · Form 990
Revenue
$9.8M
FY2020
Expenses
$8.4M
FY2020
Total assets
$5.9M
FY2020
Total liabilities
$2.1M
FY2020
Total revenue
$9.8M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$8.4M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$3.8M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$1.4M
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$5.9M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B79%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 38
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 47
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

1 program service account for $6.7M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2020.
01

Working in conjuction with support from the swedish international development agency, other foreign governments, and organizations, access now's program includes:- promoting human rights by urging companies to make their practices more transparent, accountable, and RIGHTS-RESPECTING.- improving digital security by working to ensure…

$6.7Mprogram expense

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Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CAccess Now
EINHdr · item D27-0597430
Principal addressHdr · item CNew York, NY
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.accessnow.org
Year of formationHdr · item L2009
State of legal domicileHdr · item MNY
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFCivil Rights & Advocacy (R630)
Ruling yearIRS BMFMar 2013

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a8
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b7
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director/Secretary
$152,833Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Operating Officer
$135,000Pt VII · Sec A
U.s. Policy Manager
$125,000Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Finance and H.r.
$124,005Pt VII · Sec A
General Counsel & Un Policy Manager
$122,400Pt VII · Sec A
Grants Program Director
$109,032Pt VII · Sec A
People Experience Director
$102,549Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Joseph Steele’s $198K as Chief Operating Officer is at the 29th percentile of top reported officer pay among 129 $10–100M civil rights & advocacy nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Joseph Steele$197,983$187,783$176,043$174,981$135,000
Brett Solomon$118,189$193,548$178,405$191,672$152,833
Peter Micek$163,444$160,467$147,040$130,001$122,400
Orlan Wilson$156,648$148,175$138,612$152,367
Yun Hee McLafferty$148,507$138,604
Thomas Kaye$139,251
Melissa Kim$137,969$131,685
Eric Null$132,290$125,000

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$9.8M · 99%
Other revenue$51K · 1%
Contributions & grants99%$9.8M
Other revenue1%$51K
Investment income$13K
— government grantsLn 1e$6.0M
Total revenueLn 12$9.8M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.79 Management & general $0.16 Fundraising $0.05
Program services79%$6.7M
Management & general16%$1.3M
Fundraising5%$403K
Total functional expensesLn 25$8.4M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$3.5M
Total assetsLn 16$5.9M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$2.1M
Total net assetsLn 32$3.8M
Months of cash on handcomputed5.0

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2020 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $3.5M · Operating expenses/yr $8.4M
5.0 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $6.7M · Total expenses $8.4M
79%
Management & General
Management & general $1.3M · Total expenses $8.4M
16%
Fundraising
Fundraising $403K · Total expenses $8.4M
5%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense $403K · Solicited contributions $3.8M
$0.11 to raise $1
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $9.8M · Total revenue $9.8M
99%
Government reliance
Government grants $6.0M · Total revenue $9.8M
61%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $0 · Total revenue $9.8M
0%
Investment reliance
Investment income $13K · Total revenue $9.8M
0%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $0 · Total expenses $8.4M
0%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $9.8M · Prior year —
No prior year on file
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $3.8M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $9.8M · Expenses $8.4M
+15%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $5.9M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $3.8M · Total assets $5.9M
64%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) — · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $5.9M
Excludes program-related investments (Pt X, ln 13)
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Brett Solomon · Reported title EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/SECRETARY · Highest reported compensation $153K · Total expenses $8.4M
2%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $4.2M · Total expenses $8.4M
50%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 79%
Overhead ratio 16%
Fundraising cost ratio 4%
Legal fee ratio 0%
Accounting fee ratio 1%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2024
Contina ImpactFY2024$250K
New Venture FundFY2024$150K
Tides FoundationFY2024$125K
Total grants receivedfrom 6 funders$685K
See all 6 funders →
Grants paid · 16 grants · $463K · 2020–2024
Redes Ayudas INCFL · FY2024$35,000
Vita ActivaFY2024$30,000
ProboxveFY2024$20,000
Redes Ayudas INCFL · FY2023$50,000
Vita ActivaFY2023$29,999
ProboxveFY2023$20,000
Unitemized GrantFY2023$10,000
Redes Ayudas INCFL · FY2022$29,500
Miaan Group INCNY · FY2022$10,000
Gisa INCNY · FY2021$40,619
Redes Ayudas INCFL · FY2021$35,000
Vita ActivaFY2021$34,900
Gisa INCNY · FY2020$40,000
Vita ActivaFY2020$9,675

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2024 (Latest)$16.2M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$15.0M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$14.8M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$14.4M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$9.8M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2020IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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