Ought INC FY2022 filing

Tax-deductible

Covina, CA501(c)(3)Since 2016Science & TechnologyEIN 81-2121304

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To build scalable systems that apply machine learning to the task of helping people think, so that future improvements in ml automatically increase our collective intelligence.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
68¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$534K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2022 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
4 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $2.2M a year · 58% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
68%
of spending
Fine: 68% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$534K
to officers and key staff · 34% of spending
Concern: pay to officers and key staff is 34% of spending; over 30%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
30 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 30.0 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $358K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$164K
4% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 4% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
2
of 3 voting members
Looks good: 2 of 3 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$796K
-55% vs prior year
Spent
$1.6M
To programs
68%
Net assets
$3.8M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$796K
FY2022▼ -55%
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$4.7M
FY2021$1.8M
FY2022$796K
FY2023$5.1M
FY2024$2.2M
FY2025$8.2M
Expenses
$1.6M
FY2022▲ +33%
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$1.2M
FY2021$1.2M
FY2022$1.6M
FY2023$3.1M
FY2024$2.4M
FY2025$44K
Net assets
$3.8M
FY2022▼ -15%
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$3.8M
FY2021$4.4M
FY2022$3.8M
FY2023$5.7M
FY2024$2.0M
FY2025$10.1M

From the FY2022 Form 990 (year ending February 2022) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in May 2018.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

68 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 68% · $1.1M Management & general 25% · $397K Fundraising 6% · $97K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

6 people listed on the 990; $534K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2021); the FY2022 filing did not itemize Part VII
Principal Researcher
$150,000Pt VII · Sec A
Cofounder & COO
$149,987Pt VII · Sec A
Experimenter
$133,091Pt VII · Sec A
Experimenter
$101,250Pt VII · Sec A
Board Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Justin D Reppert’s $164K as Machine Learning Research is at the 42nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 364 $1–10M science & technology 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
William L Stebbing$131,360$178,003———
Justin D Reppert$163,953$175,740———
Andreas Stuhlmuller$131,000$167,494———
Jungwon Byun$128,776$167,035$149,987$141,274$110,385
Andreas Stuhlmueller——$150,000$137,456$150,000
Ian Horn$140,055————
Benjamin Rachbach——$133,091$118,347$113,940
Benjamin E Rachbach$117,156$128,834———

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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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 machine learning systems to enhance human thinking and collective intelligence.

Provided by the organization

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1 program service account for $1.1M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2021.
01

Ought inc. Is a research lab based in san francisco that conducts conceptual and empirical research on supporting deliberation using artificial intelligence and machine learning. We share our findings openly.

$1.1Mprogram expense

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Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2023
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$358K

By the numbers

The FY2022 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$796K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$766K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$30K
Investment incomeLn 3$295
Money outPt IX
$1.6M
Ln 25
Programscol B$1.1M
Managementcol C$397K
Fundraisingcol D$97K
Owns and owesPt X
$3.8M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$3.9M
Total assetsLn 16$3.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$164K
PeoplePt VI, VII
6
listed · VII A
PaidVII A4
Voting boardVI 1a3
IndependentVI 1b2
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$766K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$30K
Investment incomeLn 3$295
Gains on assetsLn 7$0
Total revenueLn 12$796K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$1.4M
SavingsLn 2$2.5M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$3.9M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$6K
Other assetsLn 15$5K
Total assetsLn 16$3.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$164K
Net assetsLn 32$3.8M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 56
VolunteersI 62
Fiscal year endsHeaderFebruary
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14No
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY22End FY22
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$4.6M$3.9M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$4K$6K
Total assetsLn 16$4.6M$3.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$218K$164K
Net assetsLn 32$4.4M$3.8M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$0
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$0
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$941K$605K$248K$88K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$0
Payroll taxesLn 10$74K$74K
Management feesLn 11a$0
Legal feesLn 11b$12K$12K
Accounting feesLn 11c$0
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$205K$156K$49K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$0
Office expensesLn 13$219K$193K$21K$5K
Information technologyLn 14$0
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$44K$34K$5K$5K
TravelLn 17$38K$38K
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$0
InterestLn 20$0
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$2K$2K
InsuranceLn 23$11K$11K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$14K$14K
All other expensesLn 24e$422$3K−$3K
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.6M$1.1M$397K$97K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest $8.2M$44K$8.1M$10.1M 990 PDF
FY2024 $2.2M$2.4M−$250K$2.0M 990 PDF
FY2023 $5.1M$3.1M$1.9M$5.7M 990 PDF
FY2022 Viewing $796K$1.6M−$763K$3.8M 990 PDF
FY2021 $1.8M$1.2M$604K$4.4M 990 PDF
FY2020 $4.7M$1.2M$3.6M$3.8M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2022 990 (4 parts)
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $796,178 across 9 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$766,287
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$766,287
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $29,596$29,596
VIII-3 Investment income$295
VIII-5 Royalties$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or loss$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assets$0
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising events$0
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $29,596$796,178
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,559,266 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individuals$0
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipients$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for members$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staff$0
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $605,355 · Management $247,656 · Fundraising $87,688$940,699
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$0
IX-9 Other employee benefits$0
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $73,692$73,692
IX-11a Management fees$0
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $12,345$12,345
IX-11c Accounting fees$0
IX-11d Lobbying fees$0
IX-11e Professional fundraising fees$0
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $156,160 · Management $49,298$205,458
IX-12 Advertising and promotion$0
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $192,649 · Management $21,485 · Fundraising $4,763$218,897
IX-14 Information technology$0
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $34,152 · Management $4,849 · Fundraising $4,849$43,850
IX-17 TravelManagement $37,803$37,803
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetings$0
IX-20 Interest$0
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationManagement $1,517$1,517
IX-23 InsuranceManagement $10,658$10,658
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Management $13,925$13,925
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $2,969 · Management −$2,547$422
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $1,064,977 · Management $396,989 · Fundraising $97,300$1,559,266
Part X · Balance sheet $3,932,251 assets, 24 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $2,069,962$1,383,146
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $2,503,358$2,511,931
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $40,124$0
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $0$0
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $0$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $12,382$15,440
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $4,313$5,782
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $0$0
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $0$0
X-13 Program-related investmentsStart of year $0$0
X-14 Intangible assetsStart of year $11,982$10,952
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $1,500$5,000
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $4,643,621$3,932,251
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $113,475$164,280
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $0$0
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $0$0
X-20 Tax-exempt bond liabilitiesStart of year $0$0
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $104,167$0
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $0$0
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $217,642$164,280
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $4,385,855$3,767,971
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $40,124$0
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $4,425,979$3,767,971
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $4,643,621$3,932,251
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $3,767,971 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$796,178
XI-2 Total expenses$1,559,266
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$763,088
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$4,425,979
XI-8 Prior period adjustments−$2,003
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$107,083
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$3,767,971

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2022 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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