Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Aug 2014.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
83 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
5 people listed on the 990; $173K paid to officers and key staff.
Evan Firoozi’s $119K as Executive Director is at the 40th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1168 $1–10M international 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 · 5 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 | FY2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mehdi Yahyanejad | $54,079 | — | $57,433 | $197,476 | $180,526 | $196,798 |
| Ahmad Ahmadian | — | $55,695 | $193,794 | $97,496 | $77,960 | — |
| Evan Firoozi | $118,697 | $125,527 | — | — | — | — |
| Camelon Baker | — | — | — | $123,884 | — | — |
| Maryam Abolfazli | — | — | — | — | — | $8,700 |
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.
See Netfreedom Pioneers executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Develops and applies communication technologies to enable free information flow in restricted areas.
Questions for Netfreedom Pioneers
Your first name shows with your question. Netfreedom Pioneers answers here, for everyone.
Program 1-DEVELOPING technologies to provide access to information in highly strategic areas around the world.
Program 5-DEVELOPED and maintained technologies to combat internet shutdown.
Program 8-RESEARCHED, developed, and trained teachers of underdeveloped areas.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
Federal money
The auditor reported no findings.
The auditor reported no findings.
The auditor reported 16 findings: a weakness in money controls.
The auditor reported no findings.
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $74K | $6K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $0 | $0 |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $472K | $206K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $622K | $481K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | −$151K | −$274K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $173K | $102K | $71K | $0 |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $340K | $292K | $49K | $0 |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $24K | $22K | $2K | $0 |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $53K | $49K | $4K | $0 |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $36K | $33K | $3K | $0 |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $15K | $0 | $15K | $0 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $16K | $2K | $15K | $0 |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $645K | $607K | $38K | $0 |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $3K | $2K | $624 | $0 |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $41K | $30K | $10K | $0 |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $143K | $104K | $39K | $0 |
| TravelLn 17 | $98K | $87K | $11K | $0 |
| InterestLn 20 | $4K | $0 | $4K | $0 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $7K | $0 | $7K | $0 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $39K | $24K | $15K | $0 |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.6M | $1.4M | $282K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 13, 2025 | $1.5M | $1.6M | −$124K | −$274K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Nov 13, 2024 | $2.0M | $2.3M | −$311K | −$151K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Nov 23, 2023 | $2.0M | $1.5M | $490K | $166K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Oct 21, 2022 | $2.5M | $2.6M | −$131K | −$324K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS May 5, 2022 | $2.3M | $2.4M | −$193K | −$193K | 990 PDF |
| FY2019Filed with the IRS May 25, 2021 | $1.6M | $1.8M | −$200K | $464 | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,511,655 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 4 of 4 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,511,655 across 5 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,635,411 across 15 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $206,472 assets, 10 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets −$274,470 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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