Program areas at Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
The Knight First Amendment Institute was established in 2016 by Columbia University and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to safeguard free expression in the shifting landscape of the digital age. Our Litigation, Research, and Public Education efforts are currently focused on these three areas: 1. Protecting public discourse in the digital age Conversations that once took place in parks, on sidewalks, and in public squares now take place largely online, through the services of private actors whose platforms increasingly determine what we learn about the world, about government, and about each other. Though these platforms connect us in extraordinary ways, the public knows little about the algorithms that power them and the private surveillance that supports them. And we are only beginning to understand how easily those platforms can be distorted through harassment, flooding, the use of bots, and other mechanisms of disinformation and suppression. Our goal is to illuminate the forces that are shaping new communications platforms and to safeguard the diversity and integrity of public discourse online. 2. Reviving the First Amendment as a constraint on government surveillance Disclosures in recent years about the clandestine powers of the National Security Agency have sparked an overdue debate about government surveillance. But this debate has focused mainly on privacy and the right to be protected from illegal searches and seizures and has not fully addressed the implications of government surveillance for the freedoms of speech, association, and the press. Our work in this area is intended to broaden this debate to enrich public understanding of the interplay between First and Fourth Amendment rights, and to ensure that courts take First Amendment interests into account when they assess the lawfulness of government surveillance policies. 3. Strengthening legal frameworks for government transparency Our work in this area seeks to ensure that the public has the information it needs to evaluate government policies, hold officials to account for their decisions, and participate fully in the process of self-government. Our aim is not simply to compel the disclosure of information that the public is entitled to know, but to force changes in the practices of government agencies and the courts that will empower citizens as decision makers. We believe that the First Amendment embraces a broad right of access to information in the hands of the government, and we will invest time, energy, and creativity in projects designed to expand and strengthen this right.
Who funds Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
Grants from foundations and other nonprofits
Personnel at Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
Name | Title | Date of data |
---|
Larry Siems | Chief of Staff | 2023-05-01 |
Mark Hawkins | Vice President , Finance Controller | 2023-05-10 |
Jameel Jaffer | Executive Director | 2023-05-01 |
Lorraine Kenny | Communications Director | 2023-05-01 |
Alex Abdo | Litigation Director | 2023-05-01 |
...and 4 more key personnel |
Financials for Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
Revenues | FYE 06/2022 | FYE 06/2021 | % Change |
---|
Total grants, contributions, etc. | $4,846,438 | $4,420,703 | 9.6% |
Program services | $225,409 | $0 | 999% |
Investment income and dividends | $463,747 | $460,004 | 0.8% |
Tax-exempt bond proceeds | $0 | $0 | - |
Royalty revenue | $0 | $0 | - |
Net rental income | $0 | $0 | - |
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets | $949,757 | $897,237 | 5.9% |
Net income from fundraising events | $0 | $0 | - |
Net income from gaming activities | $0 | $0 | - |
Net income from sales of inventory | $0 | $0 | - |
Miscellaneous revenues | $0 | $0 | - |
Total revenues | $6,485,351 | $5,777,944 | 12.2% |
Organizations like Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
Organization | Type | Location | Revenue |
---|
American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota Foundation | 501(c)(3) | Minneapolis, MN | $1,849,412 |
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California | 501(c)(3) | San Francisco, CA | $20,203,197 |
American Civil Liberties Union - NJ Foundation | 501(c)(3) | Newark, NJ | $2,528,512 |
American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii Foundation | 501(c)(3) | Honolulu, HI | $2,152,197 |
American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi Foundation | 501(c)(3) | Jackson, MS | $3,336,596 |
American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation | 501(c)(3) | Cleveland, OH | $7,118,791 |
American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation | 501(c)(3) | Raleigh, NC | $3,131,930 |
New York Civil Liberties Union Foundation | 501(c)(3) | New York, NY | $13,573,500 |
ACLU Foundation of Texas | 501(c)(3) | Houston, TX | $4,484,403 |
American Civil Liberties Foundation of Pennsylvania | 501(c)(3) | Philadelphia, PA | $4,773,653 |
Data update history
May 9, 2023
Received grants
Identified 1 new grant, including a grant for $2,610,273 from Columbia University March 9, 2022
Updated personnel
Identified 1 new personnel
September 22, 2021
Received grants
Identified 3 new grant, including a grant for $1,011,472 from Columbia University September 12, 2021
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2020
September 11, 2021
Used new vendors
Identified 1 new vendor, including
Nonprofit Types
Social advocacy organizationsHuman rights organizationsCivil rights and social justice organizationsChapter / child organizationsCharities
Issues
Human rights
Characteristics
Endowed supportTax deductible donationsNo full-time employees
General information
- Address
- Columbia Univ 615 W 131 St MC 8741
- New York, NY 10027
- Metro area
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
- County
- New York County, NY
- Website URL
- knightcolumbia.org/Â
- Phone
- (212) 455-2647
IRS details
- EIN
- 81-4759386
- Fiscal year end
- June
- Taxreturn type
- Form 990
- Year formed
- 2016
- Eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (Pub 78)
- Yes
Categorization
- NTEE code, primary
- R60: Civil Liberties Advocacy
- NAICS code, primary
- 813311: Human Rights Organizations
- Parent/child status
- Subordinate organization
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