Amateur Radio Digital Communications
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a private foundation based in San Diego, California. It supports amateur radio and digital communications, including related science and technology, education, experimentation, open access, and innovation.
Amateur Radio Digital Communications at a glance
In short: Amateur Radio Digital Communications gave $3.5M across 111 grants in 2025 (avg $31K), top state California. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $3,467,865
- -13.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 111
- +20.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $31,242
- -28.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,662
- Total assets
- $142,886,749
- +11.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- California (19% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Amateur Radio Digital Communications
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
ARDC’s 2025 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Its grant application instructions also provide an application process for eligible organizations through its online form.
- Review Cycle
- The 2026 application deadlines are February 1, April 1, July 1, and September 1. Scholarship program applications are due September 1. Applications generally take 60–120 days to evaluate.
- Deadline
- The 2026 application deadlines are February 1, April 1, July 1, and September 1.
- Contact
Mailing address: 5663 Balboa Ave 432, San Diego, CA 92111
Phone: (858) 477-9900
Website: https://ardc.net
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Amateur Radio Digital Communications
Who Amateur Radio Digital Communications funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Arrl Foundation ($508K). Together the top 10 received $1.9M.
Organizations only. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($12,428), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
472 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 345 grants of 472 (73%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
ARDC is based in California and supports projects in the United States and internationally. Its 2025 grant-dollar distribution lists California at 19%, Connecticut at 15%, New York at 10%, and Pennsylvania at 8%; the first state entry is unspecified in the filing data provided. A 2025 grant also supported emergency-preparedness radio stations and community training in Sri Lanka.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 111 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Amateur Radio Digital Communications gives
- 17% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 57% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 81% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $3.0M (2020) to $9.2M (2021). In 2025 it made 111 grants totaling $3.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Arrl Foundation Newington, CT | Final payment of $507,500 for three total years to fund the ardc scholarship. Total request is $1,522,500 over three years. | $507,500 |
| Internet Archive San Francisco, CA | Expand dlarc by digitizing more materials and increasing outreach to preserve and provide free access to amateur radio resources. | $319,110 |
| Rhizomatica Communications Philadelphia, PA | Finishes the open source mercury hf modem and makes the full hermes digital hf system easier to install and use. | $235,045 |
| Software Freedom Conservancy Inc Brooklyn, NY | Continuation of GPL Compliance and Enforcement. | $175,000 |
| Pleasant Valley Telecommunications Advisory Council-PVTAC Camarillo, CA | Establish microwave backbone and mixed-mode vhf/uhf simulcast system to replace aging infrastructure to improve emergency communications. | $170,356 |
| Society of Women Engineers Chicago, IL | Fund scholarships, research, and education programs that support women in engineering and technology, including 35 scholarships in total. | $146,200 |
| Teachers in Space Inc New York, NY | Train teachers to use amateur radio technology to track satellites, communicate with spacecraft, and teach students about its role in aerospace communications. | $110,107 |
| Fondation Open Collective Europe (Behalf Hameenlinnan Radioamatoorit Ry) | Improve the stability and release quality of hamlib through the development of an automated testing framework, and to expand hamlib to support modern network controlled and software defined radio transceivers. | $98,229 |
| Fondation Open Collective Europe (On Behalf of Librecube) | Creates an open source, fully redundant vhf/uhf communications board for cubesats and educational space systems. | $92,917 |
| Information Age Learning Center (On Behalf of Computer Deconstruction Labor Wall Township, NJ | Funding for a makerspace to upgrade its antennas, communications systems, and facility infrastructure so it can expand public programs and support more radio and technology activities. | $88,678 |
Ready to take the next step with Amateur Radio Digital Communications?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $142,886,749 | $10,545,900 | $5,254,019 | $3,467,865 | 111 | $5,261,000 | $10,527,087 | $6,504,119 |
| 2024 | $128,192,418 | $5,383,375 | $4,915,686 | $4,029,781 | 92 | $5,521,302 | $5,062,110 | $6,411,937 |
| 2023 | $117,236,719 | $4,010,102 | $7,793,215 | $5,880,342 | 91 | $7,273,436 | $3,910,557 | $5,618,959 |
| 2022 | $107,895,897 | $2,834,769 | $7,812,796 | $8,004,191 | 101 | $8,873,853 | $2,766,618 | $5,780,834 |
| 2021 | $139,030,662 | $2,095,097 | $11,581,133 | $9,247,203 | 77 | $9,760,072 | $2,095,097 | $6,655,368 |
| 2020 | $128,412,366 | $2,426,634 | $3,657,234 | $3,004,625 | 22 | — | $2,426,634 | $5,813,590 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Amateur Radio Digital Communications reported a distributable amount of $6.5M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
ARDC states that its mission is to support, promote, and enhance digital communication and broader communication science and technology, and to promote amateur radio, scientific research, experimentation, education, development, open access, and innovation in information and communication technology.
Its grantmaking categories are support and growth of amateur radio, education, and research and development. The foundation highlights research and development, space-based communications, and open-source education as priority areas, while noting that these are not the only kinds of projects it funds. Examples of supported work include amateur-radio club education and infrastructure, scholarships, open-source communications hardware and software, and emergency communications projects.
Grantees have included organizations with varied missions. For example, ARRL Foundation describes its purpose as advancing amateur radio through grants and scholarships; the Society of Women Engineers describes its mission as empowering women in engineering and leadership; and an individual recipient Conservancy describes its work as promoting and defending free and open-source software and software-repair rights.
Grantmaking
For 2025, the filing data lists 111 itemized grants totaling $3,467,865. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $507,500, with a median of $10,662. ARDC’s own filing statement separately reports 109 grants for 2025 and more than 375 grants in total since 2019.
The largest listed 2025 grants included $507,500 to ARRL Foundation for the final payment of a three-year scholarship commitment; $319,110 to Internet Archive to expand and promote its Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications; and $235,045 to Rhizomatica Communications to complete an open-source HF modem and improve the usability of a digital HF system. Other listed awards included $175,000 to an individual recipient Conservancy for continued GPL compliance and enforcement, and $170,356 to an individual recipient Telecommunications Advisory Council for emergency-communications infrastructure.
ARDC’s application instructions say organizations may apply through its online application form and that applications are reviewed four times a year. Eligible applicants include U.S. 501(c)(3) public charities, government agencies, schools and universities, and international charities, nonprofits, schools, and universities. Radio clubs and groups, as well as individuals, may be eligible if they work with an eligible fiscal sponsor. For-profit businesses are not eligible. Projects must be open source and open access; funded outcomes are expected to be publicly available. Applications are accepted in English, and proposals may be sent to outside experts for peer review.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Alfred Dickinson Barksdale Garbee I as president of the board; Elizabeth Schechter as executive director; John Gilmore as secretary; and Ria Jairam as treasurer. Other directors listed are Ashhar Farhan, Keith Packard, Philip Karn, Robert Witte, and Harald Welte.
Amateur Radio Digital Communications is led by Elizabeth Schechter, Executive Director on filings since 2021; 1 of 9 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Elizabeth Schechter
Executive Director
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$108K (2021) → $170K (2025)
Alfred Dickinson Barksdale Garbee I.
President - Board of Directors
On filings since 2024
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Keith Packard
Director - Board of Directors
Director → Director - Board of Directors, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ashhar Farhan
Director - Board of Directors
On filings since 2024
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Philip Karn
Director - Board of Directors
On filings since 2024
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert Witte
Director - Board of Directors
On filings since 2024
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Harald Welte
Director - Board of Directors
New on the 2025 filing
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Gilmore
Secretary - Board of Directors
Secretary → Secretary - Board of Directors, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ria Jairam
Treasurer - Board of Directors
Director → Treasurer - Board of Directors, 2024
On filings since 2023
4 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (6)
- Former: A. D. Barksdale Garbee II (2020–2023) — President & Treasurer
- Former: Kimberly Kc Claffy (2020–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Phil Karn (2020–2023) — President & CEO
- Former: Rosy Schechter (2023) — Executive Director
- Former: Robert McGwier (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Rosy Wolfe (2020) — Executive Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $170K, to Elizabeth Schechter (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Amateur Radio Digital Communications
How much does Amateur Radio Digital Communications give each year?
Amateur Radio Digital Communications gave $3.5M across 111 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $4.0M across 92 grants.
What is Amateur Radio Digital Communications's typical grant size?
Amateur Radio Digital Communications's median grant in 2025 was $10,662, and its average grant was $31,242, across 111 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Amateur Radio Digital Communications give grants?
Amateur Radio Digital Communications's top state is California, with 19% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Connecticut (15%) and New York (10%). The most frequent recipient cities were Brooklyn, NY (7 grants), San Francisco, CA (6 grants), Mountain View, CA (4 grants) and Union, KY (3 grants).
Does Amateur Radio Digital Communications give general operating support?
Occasionally: 5% of Amateur Radio Digital Communications's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (6 of 111) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Amateur Radio Digital Communications's largest grantees?
Amateur Radio Digital Communications's largest 2025 grantees include Arrl Foundation ($507,500), Internet Archive ($320,110 across 2 grants) and Rhizomatica Communications ($235,045), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($12,428), which are not listed by name. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Amateur Radio Digital Communications?
Amateur Radio Digital Communications reported $142.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $5.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $6.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Amateur Radio Digital Communications fund?
ARDC states that its mission is to support, promote, and enhance digital communication and broader communication science and technology, and to promote amateur radio, scientific research, experimentation, education, development, open access, and innovation in information and communication technology. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications?
ARDC’s 2025 filing states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Amateur Radio Digital Communications's EIN?
Amateur Radio Digital Communications's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 45-3751971. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Amateur Radio Digital Communications accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 19, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Amateur Radio Digital Communications funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/amateur-radio-digital-communications-morg_604b1ba01b0c4aed8beeefbdecf02b89
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_453751971_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Amateur Radio Digital Communications funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/amateur-radio-digital-communications-morg_604b1ba01b0c4aed8beeefbdecf02b89},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Amateur Radio Digital Communications's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Amateur Radio Digital Communications down — hundreds of funders to go?