Student Freedom Initiative Inc
Donations deductibleStudent Freedom Initiative Inc's network
7 people5 organisationsi7 people and 5 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (7). Violet dotted lines (5) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
7 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Time served and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed time served is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 7 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert F Smith Chair | Chairman | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Henry Louis Gates | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Keith Shoates | President/Chief Executive Officer | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Lawrence P Bancroft | Director | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Linda Wilson | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Mark Brown | Executive Director | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Michael Lomax | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
Under 5 years5 to 6 years6 years or more
Officers and senior leadership
9 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| Barry Cynamon | Director of Program Design | since 2022 |
| Chimere Jones | Engagement Partner | since 2022 |
| Donna Jones | Director of Operations | since 2022 |
| Gregg Mitchell | Director of Philanthropy | 2025 |
| Kenneth Luzzatto | Project Manager | since 2024 |
| Michele McCullom | General Counsel & Secretary | since 2021 |
| Ronald Crozier | Chief Security Officer | since 2023 |
| Wendell Layne | Treasurer | since 2020 |
| Yvette Thomas | Director of Capacity Building | since 2023 |
Pay and hours
year to 30 June 2025iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michele McCullom | General Counsel & Secretary | 40 | $207k | $25k | |
| Barry Cynamon | Director of Program Design | 40 | $204k | $56k | |
| Yvette Thomas | Director of Capacity Building | 40 | $187k | $22k | |
| Ronald Crozier | Chief Security Officer | 40 | $183k | $47k | |
| Gregg Mitchell | Director of Philanthropy | 40 | $167k | $52k | |
| Kenneth Luzzatto | Project Manager | 40 | $166k | $21k | |
| Mark Brown | Executive Director | 40 | $159k | $118 | |
| Keith Shoates | President/Chief Executive Officer | 40 | $121k | ||
| Robert F Smith | Chairman | 4 | $0 | ||
| Henry Louis Gates | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Michael Lomax | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Linda Wilson | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Lawrence P Bancroft | Director | 1 | $0 |
Colorado roster
15 listediOfficers, directors and trustees from the latest filing with the Colorado Secretary of State (document 20263020483). Titles are as filed; some entries are registered agents or custodians of records rather than board members. Source: data.colorado.gov, public domain.| Name | Title as filed |
|---|---|
| Donna Jones | |
| Barry Cynamon | Director of Program Design |
| Keith B. Shoates | President |
| Keith Shoates | President/Chief Executive Officer |
| Michele McCullom | General Counsel & Secretary |
| Michael Lomax | Director |
| Robert F. Smith | Chairman |
| Henry Louis Gates | Director |
| Ronald Crozier | Chief Security Officer |
| Kenneth Luzzatto | Project Manager |
| Gregg Mitchell | Director of Philanthropy |
| Lawrence P. Bancroft | Director |
| Linda Wilson | Director |
| Mark Brown | Executive Director |
| Yvette Thomas | Director of Capacity Building |
About
- Legal name
- Student Freedom Initiative Inc
- EIN
- 850557522
- Address
- 633 Pennsylvania Ave Nw 5th FL, Washington, DC, 20004-3601
- State
- District of Columbia
- Mission
- Student freedom initiative is dedicated to ensuring freedom in professional and life choices for students attending minority serving institutions (msis). (as filed on the Form 990)
- Activity (NTEE)
- B82 Education
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Classified purpose
- Education
- Size band
- 9 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 2020
- Principal officer
- Keith Shoates (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 April 2020
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 6, latest 2025
- IRS Publication 78
- PC (contributions deductible)
Most connected
Longest observed on the filings
≥6years on the filingsRobert F Smith
≥6years on the filingsHenry Louis Gates
≥6years on the filingsKeith Shoates
≥6years on the filingsLinda Wilson
Latest return
year to 30 June 2025iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 30 June 2025. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $141.1m
- Total liabilities
- $272k
- Net assets or fund balances
- $140.8m
- Contributions and grants received
- $2.8m
- Program service revenue
- $140k
- Grants and similar paid out
- $965k
- Employees
- 25
- Volunteers
- 5
Filed finances
1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $5.9m | $10.1m | Deficit $4.2m |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.
Grants paid
17 listediFrom Schedule I of the Form 990: grants and assistance to organisations in the United States, largest first (up to 25). Schedule I is filed only by organisations that gave more than $5,000 to any one recipient.| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Claflin University | Broadband program | $100k |
| Texas Southern University | Helps program | $50k |
| Morehouse College | Helps program | $39k |
| Lincoln University | Helps program | $31k |
| Uc Riverside Foundation | Helps program | $25k |
| Alabama State University | Helps program | $20k |
| Virginia Union University | Helps program | $20k |
| Selma University | Helps program | $20k |
| Bluefield State University | Helps program | $10k |
| Elizabeth City State University Foundation | Helps program | $10k |
| Fayetteville State University | Helps program | $10k |
| Ilisagvik College | Helps program | $10k |
| Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University | Helps program | $10k |
| Red Lake Nation College | Helps program | $10k |
| Voorhees University | Helps program | $10k |
| Wilberforce University | Helps program | $10k |
| Tuskegee University | Helps program | $10k |
State registration
1 entityiBusiness-entity registers published by US states. These records are matched to this organisation by name and state, not by EIN, and are labelled as likely matches. Street addresses are not shown.Student Freedom Initiative, Inc. likely matchiMatched by exact name and state (and ZIP where shown). State registers do not publish EINs, so this is not a confirmed match. Source: DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), corporate registrations (opendata.dc.gov). Licence: CC BY 4.0. Attribution: DC DLCP. Data last fetched 18 October 2026.
- State
- District of Columbia
- Entity type
- Foreign Nonprofit Corporation
- Status
- Active - In Good Standing
- Formed
- 22 October 2020
- Registered agent
- Registered Agents Inc. (city and state not held)