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The most common domain extensions on the web are .org, .com and .net, according to Wix. 2 The .org domain extension is primarily used for non-profit groups, religious organizations, 3 and educational websites. 2
The Public Interest Registry has made contributions of $60 million or more a year in 2019, 2020, and 2021 to the Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation. 1
In 2019, the Internet Society tried to sell the Public Interest Registry to an investment firm. However, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers did not approve of the sale. 4
Background
The Internet Society Foundation launched the Public Interest Registry in October 2002. 5 PIR has a nine-member advisory council that is made up of industry leaders who advise PIR on public policy issues and the introduction of new services. 6
Finances
The Public Interest Registry had $95.4 million in total revenue and $103.3 million in total expenses in 2019. 7 PIR stated its revenue was “driven by” domain registration and renewals. 1
Leadership
Lise Fuhr was the Public Interest Registry board chair for two three-year terms before stepping down in April 2022. 8 Fuhr is the director general of the European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association, a policy group for electronic communications network operators in Europe. 9
Jonathon Nevett is president and CEO of Public Interest Registry. 10 He co-founded Donuts Inc. in 2010 and is a founding board member of Domain Name Association. 6
Michael Silber is a board member for the Public Interest Registry. 11 Silber is an attorney and is group chief regulatory officer for Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a technology business in Africa. 8
Keith Davidson is a board member for the Public Interest Registry. 8 Davidson has worked for 21 years in several management positions for InternetNZ, a not-for-profit organization that is manager of the “.nz” domain. 12
Price Caps Lifted
The wholesale price of a “.org” domain rose from $6 in 2003 to $27 in 2019, an average of 3% a year. 13 There was a 10% cap on how high PIR could raise its annual fees in any given year until the cap was lifted in 2019 by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. 14
Attempted Sale
The Internet Society announced it would sell Public Interest Registry to the investment firm Ethos Capital for $1.14 billion in November 2019. 4 The Public Interest Registry needed the approval of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers for any change in who controlled the registry. 4
The sale agreement stated that PIR would become a for-profit Pennsylvania limited liability company. 15 The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ board did not approve the sale 4 stating that Ethos Capital was “bound to serve the interests of its corporate stakeholders” 15 and had no “meaningful plan to protect or serve the .ORG community.” 15
2021 Expansion
Public Interest Registry announced in 2021 that it was acquiring the top-level domain “.GIVING” and would become the steward of the “.FOUNDATION”, “.CHARITY”, and “.GIVES” domains. 16
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
| Year | Total Assets | Total Revenue | Total Expenses | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $71,399,446 | $106,377,555 | $106,529,970 | View |
| 2023 | $72,760,503 | $105,098,390 | $102,518,194 | View |
| 2022 | $66,086,478 | $102,377,925 | $106,785,010 | View |
| 2021 | $67,348,678 | $103,286,594 | $99,097,548 | View |
| 2020 | $58,677,340 | $96,274,965 | $95,799,726 | View |
Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011
Revenue Detail
Expenses Detail
Employee Compensation
- Number of Employees: 58
Highest Earning Employees
Grant Activity
All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $496,785,686
- Number of Grants: 69
- Number of Recipients: 36
Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years: