Techrights

Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) Inc. Lost 2 Million Dollars Last Year and Its Chief Took a Salary Increase of Almost $6,000

Posted by Roy Schestowitz on Aug 25, 2025

Her salary last year was $221,863 (after she said in public it was "pro bono"), show official IRS records. The prior year it was $215,909.

The Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC), in its official old podcast, spoke about how much of a nuisance it was to deal with IRS forms. Mr. Kuhn spoke about it like applying for special tax status (read: exemptions) was a burden, not a privilege. Maybe they just don't like to publicly broadcast their finances (but must; it's an IRS requirement, there are no exceptions).

They recently ran an event with talks from abusive people and, looking at their latest financial report, they no longer lack a "Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion" (now paid over $143,000 per year, an increase from just over $135,000) and costs add up. The revenue fell by almost 50% and expenses soared to $4,478,454, leaving the SFC with a giant deficit (fiscal black hole) of $1,991,310:

How on Earth did they manage to spend so much money if salaries are less than a million for the "upper echelon"?

Another year or two like this... and the SFC will be bankrupt. At the current rate of spendings they can run out of money some time this year:

Expenses gone through the roof:

Maybe I'm just too stupid to read those IRS forms (despite having done so for many years), but nowhere does the SFC specify where all this money went. This form, dated January 2025, mentions "Python Software Foundation" as recipient of "cash grant" of $17,000, which is probably a big conflict of interest because Deb Nicholson used to be in SFC (where she sold SFC events to Microsoft). It's like SFC gives giant grants to former staff.

In short, they seem to have lost a lot of their income, whereas salaries and expenses soared.

Hallmark of mismanagement. █