Long Now Foundation EIN 68-0384748

Long Now Foundation

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Fosters long-term thinking and responsibility for the next 10,000 years. For fiscal year 2024 it reported $4.2M in revenue, $4.2M in expenses, and $11.9M in net assets.Pt I

Type
Public charity (501(c)(3)) · Education
Location
San Francisco, CA
Website
www.longnow.org
Filings
5 on file (2020–2024)
Revenue
$4.2MFY2024
Expenses
$4.2M
Net assets
$11.9M
People
24
Filings
5
Updates
0
More identity details & actions ⌄
EIN  68-0384748 Public charity (501(c)(3)) San Francisco, CA
Form 990 (PDF)
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Figures match the IRS filing checked 8/25/26 · see original: IRS
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Size
$1–10M
What they do
Fosters long-term thinking and responsibility for the next 10,000 years.
Leadership
Rebecca Lendl · Executive Dir. · $275K
Money in and out
$4.2M revenue, $4.2M expenses
Bottom line
73% program efficiency
Where the money goes · FY2024
Total revenue
$4.2M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$4.2M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$11.9M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $46K
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.73 Management & general $0.21 Fundraising $0.07
Program efficiency
73%
of spending reaches programs▲ +3% vs prior filing year
Operating runway
50.1mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate▲ +23% vs prior filing year
Surplus margin
+1%
revenue over expenses, this year▲ +158% vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2024 · Form 990
Revenue
$4.2M
FY2024▼ -11%
Expenses
$4.2M
FY2024▼ -14%
Total assets
$20.5M
FY2024▼ -0.6%
Total liabilities
$8.5M
FY2024▼ -6%
Total revenue
$4.2M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$4.2M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$11.9M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$46K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$20.5M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B73%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 314
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 413
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

3 program services account for $2.3M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2024.
01

The Interval

An award winning bar, cafe and event space in san francisco with 30,000 visitors annualy. It features craft cocktails, artisan coffee and tea, a bottle keep, a chalk board-drawing robot, an art installation by brian eno, a library that stretches from floor to ceiling, and exhibits on long term thinking that inspire curiosity and wonder.

$1.2Mprogram expense
02

Programs

Long Now Talks, a lecture series featuring leading thinkers who share ideas with live audiences in San Francisco and millions worldwide; Centuries of the Bristlecone, an artwork by philosopher and conceptual artist Jonathon Keats commissioned by the Nevada Museum of Art in partnership with Long Now; Pace Layers, our annual journal of…

$601Kprogram expense
03

Communications

Marketing, promotion and distribution of content and learnings from Long Nows programs, projects, and public resources, including our video and podcast episodes, and print and digital publishing, and long term digital archive.

$466Kprogram expense

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Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CLong Now Foundation
EINHdr · item D68-0384748
Principal addressHdr · item CSan Francisco, CA
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.longnow.org
Year of formationHdr · item Lpending
State of legal domicileHdr · item MCA
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFEducation (B70)
Ruling yearIRS BMFMar 1998

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a14
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b13
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 Dir.
$275,146Pt VII · Sec A
Project Director
$250,030Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Comm
$222,023Pt VII · Sec A
Dir of Programs
$135,072Pt VII · Sec A
IT Director
$112,261Pt VII · Sec A
President
$6,651Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Rebecca Lendl’s $275K as Executive Dir. is at the 93rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 3393 $1–10M education 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
Rebecca Lendl$275,146$250,470
Alexander Rose$252,912$213,483$223,597$209,518
Nicholas Paul$250,030
Nicholas P Brysiewicz$246,829$165,600$155,629$124,480
James Home$222,023$178,611
Laura Welcher$100,858$165,325$131,186
Mikko Jarvenpaa$135,394
Danielle Engelman$135,072$116,509$114,285$108,705

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$1.6M · 38%
Investment income$1.4M · 33%
Program service revenue$647K · 15%
Other revenue$604K · 14%
Contributions & grants38%$1.6M
Investment income33%$1.4M
Program service revenue15%$647K
Other revenue14%$604K
Total revenueLn 12$4.2M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.73 Management & general $0.21 Fundraising $0.07
Program services73%$3.0M
Management & general21%$874K
Fundraising7%$272K
Total functional expensesLn 25$4.2M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$9.5M
Total assetsLn 16$20.5M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$8.5M
Total net assetsLn 32$11.9M
Months of cash on handcomputed27.4

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2024 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $16.5M · Operating expenses (Pt IX) $4.2M · Less non-cash grants $234K · Cash operating expenses/yr $3.9M
50.1 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $3.0M · Total expenses $4.2M
73%
Management & General
Management & general $874K · Total expenses $4.2M
21%
Fundraising
Fundraising $272K · Total expenses $4.2M
7%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $353K · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $3.4M
$0.10 to raise $1 (3-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $1.6M · Total revenue $4.2M
38%
Government reliance
Government grants — · Total revenue $4.2M
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $647K · Total revenue $4.2M
15%
Investment reliance
Investment income $1.4M · Total revenue $4.2M
+33%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $647K · Total expenses $4.2M
15%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $4.2M · Prior year $4.8M
-11%
Revenue CAGR
FY2020 $3.0M · FY2024 $4.2M
+9%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $11.9M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $4.2M · Expenses $4.2M
+1%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $20.5M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $11.9M · Total assets $20.5M
58%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) $7.0M · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) $0 · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $20.5M
34%
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Rebecca Lendl · Reported title Executive Dir. · Highest reported compensation $275K · Total expenses $4.2M
7%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $2.6M · Total expenses $4.2M
61%
Peer comparison

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

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 73%
Overhead ratio 21%
Fundraising cost ratio 17%
Revenue growth -11%
Investment management fee ratio 0%
Legal fee ratio 0.4%
Accounting fee ratio 3%
Fundraising fee ratio 0%

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
See all 19 funders →
Grants paid · 3 grants · $156K · 2021–2023
Rufus CorporationFY2023$125,450
Prelinger Archives LLCFY2021$19,001
Ignite Talks Pbc INCFY2021$11,250

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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)$4.2M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$4.8M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$7.2M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$4.1M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$3.0M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2024IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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