Washington, D.C. · Nonprofit
US IGNITE INC
US IGNITE INC (Washington, D.C.) receives grants from 4 organizations whose IRS filings report $50,538,938 to it, the largest being NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY ($49,721,168). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $17M
- Funders on record
- 4
- Grants received
- $51M
- Net assets
- $3.1M
What US Ignite Inc does
Mission
Us ignite, inc. Is a nonprofit organization formed to promote u.s. Leadership in developing applications and services for ultra-fast broadband networks.us ignite works as a convener to create public-private partnerships among corporate, government, and foundation partners seeking to further smart city development. Us ignite facilitates these partnerships by connecting funding sources to clear project roadmaps and by bringing technical and operational expertise to bear on program execution. We have deep ties to stakeholders across the public and private sectors, including active working relationships with municipal governments, corporate leaders, and academic partners.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Platforms for advanced wireless research (pawr): pawr is revolutionizing the wireless ecosystem while sustaining us leadership and economic competitiveness. Funded by the national science foundation and a consortium of the nation's leading wireless companies and associations, the $100 million public-private partnership is managed by the pawr project office (ppo). Major 2024 activities of the ppo include a) overseeing the significant expansions of the ara rural wireless testbed in iowa and the aerpaw wireless drone testbed in north carolina; b) coordinating and announcing the collaboration of the powder wireless testbed in utah with industry innovator mavenir to test new open ran networking gear in an over-the-air environment; c) promoting the open source release of powder's radio dynamic zone (rdz) software for use in spectrum coexistence experiments.
$10,852,772 spentof which $10,251,384 as grants70% of program spendingSmart bases: the us ignite smart base team delivered the smart installation and community dashboard for the engineer research and development center (army corp of engineers) on fort benning base. In 2024, us ignite advanced research and development on intelligent intrusion detection and heat risk management while expanding to use cases that enhance emergency services, improve installation readiness, and support army modernization initiatives. Us ignite engaged industry-leading vendors across the project sectors to provide a common operating vision for fort benning's leadership.
$2,576,486 spent17% of program spendingUs ignite completed two department of commerce projects in salt lake city (slc) and washington dc. The innovate slc project integrated entrepreneurial training, smart city innovation, and small business capacity-building efforts. Through two coordinated work areas, the urban innovation accelerator for startups and the small business training program for local enterprises, us ignite and its partners supported over 200 participants across 76 industries, focusing on opportunity zones and underserved communities. The startup accelerator delivered mentorship, technical training, and investor engagement to 24 startups in 13 sectors, resulting in over $3.1 million in capital raised, $1.27 million in sbir funding, and $350,000 in new revenue. Concurrently, the small business program reached 183 participants, equipping them with practical knowledge of smart city technologies and fostering stronger ties between minority chambers, local government, and industry partners. Collectively, these initiatives strengthened salt lake city's innovation ecosystem, enhanced workforce development, and laid the foundation for sustainable, tech-driven economic growth and community resilience.the us ignite…
$860,690 spent6% of program spendingOther
$1,116,493 spent7% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $15,406,441.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2022 to 2023, from $6.2M to $4.1M (−34%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 43% · 2018 92% · 2019 93% · 2020 95% · 2021 91% · 2022 93% · 2023 96% · 2024 96%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
100% of US IGNITE INC’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (23% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 4 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Nicholas Maynard
CEO and president
Board chair
William Wallace
Executive chairman
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
The chief executive listed changed between the FY2018 and FY2019, and between the FY2020 and FY2021 filings.
Who funds it, year by year
2018 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 2 funders, grant income rose $211k → $9.8M.
1 of 4 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 0% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of US IGNITE INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
US IGNITE INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 98% of grant income and the top three 100%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
98% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund US IGNITE INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2018 100% · 2019 100% · 2020 100% · 2021 94% · 2022 100% · 2023 99% — broadly stable.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
US IGNITE INC draws 100% of its grant income from funders outside Washington, D.C., across 3 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $50k arriving through sponsors registered in 1 state is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
US IGNITE INC has grown faster than three-quarters of the 4,064 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 4,064 education nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2024
Government funding US IGNITE INC receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $41.7M on record.
- National Science Foundation$25.9M
- Department of Defense$12.9M
- Department of Commerce$1.9M
- Department of Agriculture$1.0M
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like US IGNITE INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Washington, D.C.
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
92% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
100%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- Pawr LLC · disregarded
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for US IGNITE INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds US IGNITE INC?
- US IGNITE INC (Washington, D.C.) receives grants from 4 organizations whose IRS filings report $50,538,938 to it, the largest being NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY ($49,721,168). 2 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does US IGNITE INC have?
- IRS filings report 4 organizations giving $50,538,938 in grants to US IGNITE INC, 2 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of US IGNITE INC?
- NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY is the largest funder on record, with $49,721,168 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like US IGNITE INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Washington, D.C.. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 4 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing