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ConnectSafely UK Grant Recipient Investigation

Date: March 14, 2026

Sources: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (990 XML), UK Charity Commission, Companies House, CauseIQ

1. The Grant

ConnectSafely (EIN 47-3168168) has wired approximately $100,000/year to an unnamed UK organization since 2022. IRS Schedule F Part II does not require disclosure of foreign grantee names.

Tax Year Amount Region Purpose Method
2024 $100,000 Europe - UK "To support an international organization with similar goals" Wire, Cash
2023 $100,000 Europe - UK Same Wire, Cash
2022 $97,500 Europe - UK Same Wire, Cash
2021 and earlier $0 N/A No foreign grants filed N/A

Total: $297,500 over three years.

2. Most Likely Recipient: Childnet International

Charity Number: 1080173 Company Number: 03961796 Income: GBP 738,835 (2025), GBP 891,028 (2024)

Evidence Supporting Childnet

  1. Meta Safety Advisory Board co-membership since 2009. ConnectSafely and Childnet were both founding members of Facebook's (now Meta's) Safety Advisory Board in December 2009. The other three founding members were Common Sense Media, WiredSafety, and FOSI. This is a 17-year institutional relationship.

  2. Both are national Safer Internet Day coordinators. ConnectSafely coordinates SID in the US (since 2013); Childnet coordinates SID in the UK through the UK Safer Internet Centre. Both work under the global Insafe/European Schoolnet framework.

  3. Mission alignment. ConnectSafely's 990 describes the grant as supporting "an international organization with similar goals." Childnet's mission (making the internet safe for children through education) is functionally identical to ConnectSafely's.

  4. Direct CEO relationship. Larry Magid (ConnectSafely CEO) has conducted live interviews with Will Gardner (Childnet CEO) on ConnectSafely's platform.

  5. Appropriate organizational size. Childnet's total income (GBP 738K) means a GBP 80K grant would represent about 11% of revenue, significant enough to warrant the relationship but small enough to fall below named-funder disclosure thresholds in UK charity accounts.

Evidence Against Childnet

  1. Not listed as a named funder. ConnectSafely does not appear among Childnet's named funders in the 2025 annual accounts (page 7 lists: Adobe, BBC Children In Need, BBFC, Discover Financial Services, Disney, Emerton-Christie Charity, Fivium, Garfield Weston Foundation, Lexis Nexis Risk Solutions, Mainhouse Trust, Meta, techUK, Technology Coalition, Trend Micro, IPDD staff, London Philanthropic Orchestra).

  2. 2024 unrestricted donations total appears low. Childnet reported GBP 67,330 in unrestricted donations for 2024, which may be too small to contain a GBP 80K grant. However, the grant could be classified as restricted income.

  3. Small exchange rate differences. Childnet's accounts show GBP 500-620 in exchange rate differences, which seems modest for receiving ~$100K wire transfers. This could indicate the transfer is hedged or converted before receipt.

Assessment: Moderate-to-high confidence

The institutional relationship (17 years as co-members of Meta's Safety Advisory Board), identical missions, and organizational size all point to Childnet. UK charity accounting rules give significant discretion in funder disclosure, and the absence from a named funder list is not conclusive.

3. Secondary Candidate: FOSI UK (Eliminated for 2024)

Charity Number: 1095268 (removed February 14, 2024, "Funds transferred") Company Number: 03741770 (dissolved February 6, 2024) Former name: Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) Income: GBP 74,072 (2021)

Evidence For

  • FOSI was also a founding member of Meta's Safety Advisory Board alongside ConnectSafely and Childnet
  • Larry Magid served on FOSI's advisory board
  • FOSI's income (GBP 74K) closely matches the ConnectSafely grant size (~GBP 80K)
  • Both focus on family internet safety

Evidence Against

  • FOSI UK dissolved in February 2024. ConnectSafely's UK grant continued at $100,000 in its FY2024 filing.
  • FOSI's final accounts (year ending June 2023) were inaccessible (Companies House returned 403 errors)

Assessment

FOSI could have been the recipient for 2022 and 2023. Since it dissolved in early 2024, the recipient either changed to a new organization or FOSI was never the recipient. The consistent $100K amount and identical purpose description across all three years argues somewhat against a mid-period change.

Possible scenario: FOSI received the grant in 2022-2023, and when FOSI dissolved (Feb 2024), the grant shifted to Childnet for 2024 onward.

4. Other Candidates Investigated and Eliminated

Organization Reason Eliminated
SWGfL (UK Safer Internet Centre partner) Too large (GBP 10.8M income); $100K negligible; no ConnectSafely relationship found
UK Safer Internet Centre Ltd Dormant company, no financial transactions
Internet Matters Not a charity; funded by ISPs; no ConnectSafely connection
Parent Zone Social enterprise, not charity; no ConnectSafely connection
CHIS (Children's Charities Coalition on Internet Safety) Not a legal entity; cannot receive wire transfers
5Rights Foundation Focused on children's digital rights design codes; no ConnectSafely connection

5. The Pershing Square Foundation Connection

ConnectSafely received exactly $100,000 from the Pershing Square Foundation in 2023 for "General Support of Image-Based Abuse Work." This is the exact same amount as the UK grant. The coincidence raises the question of whether ConnectSafely serves as a pass-through: PSF gives $100K to ConnectSafely, ConnectSafely wires $100K to a UK organization working on image-based abuse.

SWGfL runs the Revenge Porn Helpline and StopNCII.org (addressing image-based abuse), and PSF has also donated to StopNCII. However, SWGfL's total income (GBP 10.8M) makes this connection less compelling.

6. Key Relationship Map

META/FACEBOOK SAFETY ADVISORY BOARD (formed December 2009):
  - ConnectSafely (US) ---- $100K/year ----> [UNNAMED UK ORG]
  - Childnet International (UK) <--- PRIME CANDIDATE
  - FOSI (UK, dissolved Feb 2024) <--- SECONDARY CANDIDATE (2022-2023 only)
  - Common Sense Media (US)
  - WiredSafety (US)

SAFER INTERNET DAY COORDINATORS:
  - ConnectSafely = US coordinator (since 2013)
  - Childnet/UKSIC = UK coordinator
  - Both operate under Insafe/European Schoolnet (Brussels)

7. What Would Resolve This

  1. FOSI UK final accounts (year ending June 2023): Check for ConnectSafely as a named funder
  2. Childnet restricted income breakdown: Check whether a ~GBP 80K grant appears under restricted donations rather than unrestricted
  3. Direct inquiry to ConnectSafely: Ask Larry Magid or Kerry Kochan to identify the recipient (no legal obligation to disclose)
  4. UK Charity Commission annual return data: Some charities report income sources in more detail in their annual returns than in filed accounts
  5. GrantNav search for ConnectSafely: Check 360Giving database for any UK grants referencing ConnectSafely as a funder (searched; no results found)

Sources