The Digital Progress Institute EIN 87-1330450 Form 990 (PDF) Claim this org

The Digital Progress Institute

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Advocates for smart Internet regulation, broadband access, and consumer privacy. For fiscal year 2025 it reported $1.2M in revenue, $741K in expenses, and $1.2M in net assets.Pt I

Founded
2021
Type
Unknown exempt organization · Nonprofit
Location
Washington, DC
Website
digitalprogress.tech
Filings
5 on file (2021–2025)
Revenue
$1.2MFY2025
Expenses
$741K
Net assets
$1.2M
People
5
Filings
5
Updates
0
More identity details & actions ⌄
EIN  87-1330450 Unknown exempt organization Washington, DC Founded 2021
Form 990 (PDF)
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Size
$1–10M
What they do
Advocates for smart Internet regulation, broadband access, and consumer privacy.
Leadership
Joel Thayer · President & Member of the Board · $378K
Money in and out
$1.2M revenue, $741K expenses
Bottom line
+36% surplus margin
Reported financial activity · FY2025
Total revenue
$1.2M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$741K
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$1.2M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $418K
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $1.00 Fundraising $0.00
Surplus margin
+36%
revenue over expenses, this year▲ +126% vs prior filing year
Program spending
100%
of expenses reach programs+0.01% vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2025 · Form 990
Revenue
$1.2M
FY2025▲ +8%
Expenses
$741K
FY2025▼ -18%
Total assets
$1.2M
FY2025▲ +57%
Total liabilities
$7K
FY2025▲ +59%
Total revenue
$1.2M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$741K
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$1.2M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$418K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$1.2M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B100%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 35
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 42
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

3 program services account for $460K of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2025.
01

Broadband

Promote policies to expand ubiquitous mobile and fixed broadband to all Americans. DPI maintained an online map to show where American families and veterans were using the Affordable Connectivity Program benefit as part of its efforts to raise awareness of the importance of the program and conducted advertising of that map and its work.

$169Kprogram expense
02

Full Stack Framework

Promote a holistic framework for Internet governance including examining and target market power where it actually exists. Such work also included raising awareness of the need for age verification measures, especially at the app store level.

$148Kprogram expense
03

Privacy

Protect consumer privacy while ensuring a level playing field for innovation. Such work also included ensuring that age verification measures protected the privacy of all Americans.

$144Kprogram expense

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Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CThe Digital Progress Institute
EINHdr · item D87-1330450
Principal addressHdr · item CWashington, DC
WebsiteHdr · item Jdigitalprogress.tech
Year of formationHdr · item L2021
State of legal domicileHdr · item MDC
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFNonprofit
Ruling yearIRS BMFpending

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a5
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b2
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14No
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aNo
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
President & Member of the Board
$378,400Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Strategist & Member of the Board
$127,000Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Policy Officer & Member of the Board
$12,700Pt VII · Sec A
Member of the Board
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Member of the Board
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 3 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023
Joel Thayer$378,400$284,450$107,027
Nicholas Degani$127,000$94,688$16,382
Kim Keenan$12,700$8,915

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$1.1M · 99%
Investment income$14K · 1%
Contributions & grants99%$1.1M
Investment income1%$14K
Total revenueLn 12$1.2M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $1.00 Fundraising $0.00
Program services100%$739K
Fundraising$2K
Total functional expensesLn 25$741K

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$1.0M
Total assetsLn 16$1.2M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$7K
Total net assetsLn 32$1.2M
Months of cash on handcomputed16.6

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2025 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $1.0M · Operating expenses/yr $741K
16.6 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $739K · Total expenses $741K
100%
Management & General
Management & general $0 · Total expenses $741K
0%
Fundraising
Fundraising $2K · Total expenses $741K
0.2%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $521 · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $1.2M
$0.00 to raise $1 (3-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $1.1M · Total revenue $1.2M
99%
Government reliance
Government grants $0 · Total revenue $1.2M
0%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $0 · Total revenue $1.2M
0%
Investment reliance
Investment income $14K · Total revenue $1.2M
+1%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $0 · Total expenses $741K
0%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $1.2M · Prior year $1.1M
+8%
Revenue CAGR
FY2021 $150K · FY2025 $1.2M
+67%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $1.2M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $1.2M · Expenses $741K
+36%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $1.2M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $1.2M · Total assets $1.2M
99%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) $0 · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) $0 · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $1.2M
0%
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Joel Thayer · Reported title President & Member of the Board · Highest reported compensation $378K · Total expenses $741K
51%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $601K · Total expenses $741K
81%
Peer comparison

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

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 100%
Fundraising cost ratio 0.1%
Revenue growth 8%

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
Mywireless OrgFY2024$40K
Total grants receivedfrom 3 funders$179K
See all 3 funders →
Grants paid · 4 grants · $200K · 2023–2025
Alices Kids INCVA · FY2025$10,000
Alices Kids INCVA · FY2023$10,000

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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
FY2025 (Latest)$1.2M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2024$1.1M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$1.4M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$325K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$150K revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2025IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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