Median Foundation d/b/a Median Group is an educational organization formed for the purpose of conducting and sponsoring research with respect to significant issues of importance to the public, particularly with respect to scientific and historical research, in order to create a shared knowledge for the common benefit of all. The Foundation focuses much of its research on identifying and assessing global catastrophic risks and the potential to mitigate or avert these risks.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
70¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 10 volunteers and 1 employee.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · 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
2 of 4
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $140K a year · 35% of revenue · last 4 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 2 of the last 4 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 4 filings
Spent on programs
70%
of spending
Fine: 70% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$77K
to officers and key staff · 54% of spending
Concern: pay to officers and key staff is 54% of spending; over 30%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Named funders
1
named funder · $250K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$0
0% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 0% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$0
-100% vs prior year
Spent
$143K
To programs
70%
Net assets
$308K
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$0
FY2025▼ -100%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$429K
FY2021$83K
FY2022$965K
FY2023$221K
FY2024$18K
FY2025$0
Expenses
$143K
FY2025▼ -50%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$273K
FY2021Not on file
FY2022$352K
FY2023$286K
FY2024Not on file
FY2025$143K
Net assets
$308K
FY2025▼ -32%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$156K
FY2021$85K
FY2022$690K
FY2023$625K
FY2024$451K
FY2025$308K

From the FY2025 Form 990 · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Feb 2019.

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

Where the money goes

70 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 70% · $100K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

4 people listed on the 990; $77K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Director, Secretary
$76,680Pt VII · Sec A
President, Director, Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Benjamin Hoffman’s $77K as Director, Secretary is at the 88th percentile of top reported officer pay among 115 <$100K 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2020
Benjamin Hoffman$76,680$83,070$31,950—
Jessica Liu Taylor———$60,000
Jamison Bryce Hidysmith———$26,500

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 Median Foundation executive salaries →

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Programs and updates

Sponsors research on significant scientific and historical issues, especially global catastrophic risks and mitigation.

Questions for Median Foundation

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Provided by the organization

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2 programs · $56K · in their own filed words · FY2023
01

Median Group Fiscally Sponsored Silent Cry (https

//www.silentcryinc.org/) to indirectly receive grants from another organization related to prison reform and mental health, including provision of a farm for alternative prison. Additionally, Median Group funded Silent Cry efforts including regarding a farm rehabilitation program and the Black August event.

$56Kprogram expense
02

We are experimenting with use of machine learning to analyze ongoing conversations to detect features relevant to the quality of the discussion and possible interventions to improve them.

Pt IX · col B

Funders

Who pays for it.

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

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2022
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$250K
Grants paid · 2 grants · $24K · 2020–2020
Silent CryNY · FY2020$14,000

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$0
Ln 12
Money outPt IX
$143K
Ln 25
Programscol B$100K
Owns and owesPt X
$308K
net assets · Ln 32
Total assetsLn 16$308K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0
PeoplePt VI, VII
4
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Total revenueLn 12$0
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
Total assetsLn 16$308K
LiabilitiesLn 26$0
Net assetsLn 32$308K
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 51
VolunteersI 610
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $0$143K−$143K$308K 990 PDF
FY2024 $18K$451K 990 PDF
FY2023 $221K$286K−$65K$625K 990 PDF
FY2022 $965K$352K$613K$690K 990 PDF
FY2021 $83K$85K 990 PDF
FY2020 $429K$273K$156K$156K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support O · Explanations

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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