For many years, the Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship presented itself as an innovative, volunteer-run collective advancing independent scholarship through ethics, empathy, and collaboration. Governance and scholarly coordination were conducted largely online, and according to its internal statutes, the organization did not employ salaried staff. Participation was primarily voluntary, with limited remuneration reported for certain leadership or administrative functions.

The original Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship, Inc., registered in Montclair, New Jersey (EIN 45-4524080), operated for many years as a volunteer-based nonprofit and fiscal host for externally funded research. However, the majority of scholars were financially independent, were not involved in administration, and did not receive research funds through the Institute. Most participants engaged solely in scholarly exchange and community activities and were not privy to internal financial or governance decisions.

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Over time, however, members and volunteers raised concerns—documented in private disclosures including statements from Ronin scholars—regarding governance transparency, internal accountability, and conduct. These disclosures describe unclear or informal decision-making processes, frequent turnover in volunteer roles, and governance structures lacking consistent oversight. Private accounts also reference instances that participants perceived as harassment, intimidation, mobbing, or other conduct diverging from the Institute’s stated values, prompting questions about their practical application.

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Concerns raised publicly relate to the actions of a limited subset of individuals who handled grants on behalf of the Institute, often in collaboration with other nonprofit research organizations. Public grant databases indicate that the Institute acted as a fiscal host or administrative intermediary for multiple externally funded research and infrastructure projects. By way of example only, public records show that the Institute administered grants associated with named principal investigators who are also executives of other not-for-profit organizations https://www.highergov.com/awardee/ronin-institute-for-independent-scholarship-inc-12398660/, illustrating the Institute’s role within a broader network of publicly funded nonprofits, including the RDA (Research Data Alliance), a global network of academic institutions handling large sums of public funding for research infrastructure.

In 2024, the legal entity behind Ronin Institute was formally dissolved without a publicly stated reason. Directors undertook to settle outstanding obligations estimated at just over one hundred thousand U.S. dollars. At the same time, public records indicate that the Institute had handled funds totaling in excess of a quarter of a million U.S. dollars in its final reporting periods.

Of particular concern are discrepancies evident in publicly available financial statements. Although the Institute’s internal statutes indicated that the organization did not employ salaried staff, public records report salary and wage expenditures totaling $76,221 in 2024, the year of dissolution, and $54,684 in 2025, a reporting period following dissolution. The presence of reported salary payments after dissolution raises unresolved questions regarding authorization, disbursement, and accountability.

Following dissolution, a new nonprofit entity bearing the same name—Ronin Institute for Independent Scholarship—was incorporated in California in 2025, using a revised set of bylaws. Public-facing assets of the dissolved entity, including the primary domain name and social media accounts (such as LinkedIn and Facebook accounts), subsequently came under the control of the new entity, contributing to public confusion regarding continuity, responsibility, and accountability. No public explanation has been provided for how these assets were transferred.

Observers and private disclosures note that some individuals associated with the newly incorporated entity had prior roles in the dissolved organization, including having received funding, payments, or having served in administrative capacities. At least one individual involved in the new entity served as a director in the year the original entity was dissolved.

In addition, a new bylaw provision—referred to as a “belonging” clause—was introduced. Private analyses of such clauses suggest they can constrain disclosure even without explicitly prohibiting it, by framing affiliation as a duty of loyalty or protection of organizational reputation. This may lead truthful public disclosures of misconduct, financial irregularities, or governance failures to be interpreted as disloyal or harmful acts, potentially restricting reporting to internal channels or discouraging public disclosure, and creating a chilling effect on whistleblowing. In nonprofit and research contexts, where public or philanthropic funds are involved, such constraints can weaken accountability and concentrate power among insiders.

As of the date of this statement *January 2026, no public explanation has been provided for the dissolution of the original legal entity, nor is there public evidence of investigations by funding agencies into the matters raised. Nevertheless, activities under the Ronin Institute name continue through the newly incorporated California entity.

By contrast, scholars seeking to distance themselves from the prior administration have begun organizing under www.ronin-institute.org as a collective, unincorporated association of independent scholars, using a new domain name, with no association with scholars linked to prior financial or governance activities, and transparent organizational development currently in progress.

The stakes in these matters are high. Substantial public and philanthropic resources are currently directed toward the development of open research infrastructure. Control over such funding can influence access to platforms, data, and scholarly communities. Unresolved questions regarding governance and financial accountability therefore present risks not only to individual scholars, but to the broader ecosystem of independent and open scholarship.

This statement is published in the interest of transparency, accountability, and the protection of independent scholarship. It asserts findings of facts documented in public records. Interpretations or characterizations attributed to observers, private disclosures, or individuals with knowledge of events are presented to highlight unresolved questions warranting clarification.

Public Record Sources (Document Archive)

• Reframing Ronin *Redacted Version of a Collaborative document by Ronin Scholars after the Institute was closed. Note that the original version of the document included edits by anonymous users, and the version history was eventually disabled.

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (EIN 45-4524080): https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/454524080

• HigherGov – Grant Awards: https://www.highergov.com/awardee/ronin-institute-for-independent-scholarship-inc-12398660/

• NSF Award Search ("Ronin Institute"): https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/simpleSearchResult?queryText=%22ronin+institute%22

These sources preserve historical filings and data necessary for independent verification

The Public Record  shows substantial  salaires and wages in 2024 and 2025  to undisclosed parties in the dissolved legal entity that did not have any salaried employees

Grant Money handled by Ronin Institute

https://www.highergov.com/awardee/ronin-institute-for-independent-scholarship-inc-12398660/

NSF grants via RI

https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/simpleSearchResult?queryText=%22ronin+institute%22