The Obscure Organization
The Obscure Organization is an Arlington, Virginia-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides free email, web hosting, mailing lists, and SSH accounts to a small community of users and non-profit organizations, and runs a Scratch-based after-school computer science program for Arlington elementary school students.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersArlington, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Obscure Organization does
The Obscure Organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1995 (domain obscure.org registered March 7, 1995; incorporated 2002) by Richard Bullington-McGuire and based at 300 S. Jackson St. in Arlington, Virginia. It provides free internet services — email (Dovecot IMAP/POP3, Roundcube webmail), web hosting, SSH access, mailing lists (Mailman3), and programming resources — to a small community of users and to a handful of non-profit beneficiaries, with all infrastructure running on-premises on Rocky Linux 9 behind a 1 Gbps Verizon FiOS connection. Beyond hosting, the organization runs the "Creative Computer Exploration with Scratch" after-school curriculum for grades 3-5 at Arlington elementary schools, hosts a mirror of the Usenet Physics FAQ, and maintains small open-source repositories (obscure-scripts, lj2wp) on GitHub.
The business model is entirely donation- and membership-dues-based; there are no pricing tiers, no paid plans, and no formal sales or marketing organization. Named organizational beneficiaries include the Arlington Heights Civic Association, Campbell Elementary School, Taylor Elementary School, OLPC Learning Club D.C., and Freezing Saddles. The organization is governed by a member-elected board of directors (historically 5 members) and is effectively run by President Richard Bullington-McGuire with volunteer support. The 2022 catastrophic main-server failure (faulty UPS) triggered a multi-year infrastructure rebuild through 2024, and the March 2025 30th-anniversary announcement framed 2025 as a "year of renewal and revival." Revenue figures, employee counts, and membership totals are not publicly disclosed.
The Obscure Organization firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Obscure Organization
- Legal name
- The Obscure Organization
- Website
- https://obscure.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Obscure Organization is an Arlington, Virginia-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides free email, web hosting, mailing lists, and SSH accounts to a small community of users and non-profit organizations, and runs a Scratch-based after-school computer science program for Arlington elementary school students.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Obscure Organization industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Non-profit Technology Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)
Keywords
Where The Obscure Organization is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Arlington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
The Obscure Organization business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals and supporters. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, donations are tax-deductible. The organization has conducted fundraising campaigns and benefit events to support server hardware and operational costs.
- Membership Dues: The organization has dues-paying members who support the organization. Historical documents reference membership contributions and annual meetings for members.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Accounts - No charge for email, web hosting, and non-commercial services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
The Obscure Organization product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Obscure Organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that provides free Internet services including email, web hosting, mailing lists, and programming resources to individuals and community non-profit organizations. It also delivers educational programs such as Scratch-based programming classes for elementary school children and hosts community resources like the Usenet Physics FAQ.
Product overview
The Obscure Organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides a suite of free community technology services, centered on free user accounts offering email, web hosting, and programming resources. The organization also provides educational programs through its Scratch curriculum, maintains the Usenet Physics FAQ as a content resource, and offers open source software tools including Obscure Scripts (server/client utilities) and lj2wp (LiveJournal to WordPress migration). Supporting infrastructure includes mailing lists via Mailman and webmail via Roundcube.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use The Obscure Organization
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Obscure Organization technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
The Obscure Organization partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Obscure Organization competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Code.org: Code.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools. It mirrors The Obscure Organization's mission of bringing coding education to K-12 students, though at much greater national scale.
- NetHope: NetHope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit consortium that provides technology solutions and connectivity to other non-profits and humanitarian organizations. Its mission of enabling non-profits with technology infrastructure parallels Obscure's free hosting services to civic associations and non-profits.
- Scratch Foundation: The Scratch Foundation maintains the Scratch programming language and curriculum that The Obscure Organization explicitly uses for its elementary school program. Both are non-profit, free, and focused on creative computing education for children, making Scratch Foundation the closest peer in mission and pedagogy.
- Internet Archive: The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides free access to digital content, mirrors public knowledge resources, and preserves community information - closely paralleling The Obscure Organization's role in hosting the Usenet Physics FAQ and providing free community digital services.
- OLPC Association (One Laptop Per Child): OLPC is a non-profit focused on providing technology access and education to children. The Obscure Organization has directly supported OLPC Learning Club D.C. with operational infrastructure (Jabber server for XO laptops), making this an actual operational partner and peer.
Broad incumbents
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a large 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides free online education across many subjects, including computing. It operates in a similar free, no-advertising, donor-funded model and represents a much larger scaled version of the free education concept that Obscure embodies.
- Mozilla Foundation: Mozilla Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that promotes a healthy internet, privacy, and open source. Its advocacy for ad-free, privacy-respecting online experiences is directly aligned with The Obscure Organization's stated value proposition and differentiation strategy.
- DreamHost: DreamHost is an established web hosting provider that offers free hosting to non-profits and community organizations. While for-profit and much larger, it competes in the same free-hosting-for-nonprofits space that defines part of Obscure's service offering.
- Wikimedia Foundation: Wikimedia Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that supports free knowledge sharing and community-driven content. It represents a much larger scaled, donor-funded, ad-free model for community digital resources that mirrors Obscure's positioning.
- Free Software Foundation: The Free Software Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that advocates for free software and user freedom. It shares Obscure's ethos of community-owned, non-commercial technology, open source contributions, and resistance to ad-driven proprietary models.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Obscure Organization social profiles
Digital presenceThe Obscure Organization financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Obscure Organization leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Obscure Organization funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Obscure Organization M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Obscure Organization
What does The Obscure Organization do?
The Obscure Organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation that provides free Internet services including email, web hosting, mailing lists, and programming resources to individuals and community non-profit organizations. It also delivers educational programs such as Scratch-based programming classes for elementary school children and hosts community resources like the Usenet Physics FAQ.
Is The Obscure Organization a public or private company?
The Obscure Organization is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Obscure Organization founded?
The Obscure Organization was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Obscure Organization based?
The Obscure Organization is headquartered in Arlington, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Obscure Organization make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are membership Dues.
Who are The Obscure Organization's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Code.org, NetHope, Scratch Foundation, Internet Archive and OLPC Association (One Laptop Per Child). Broad incumbents are Khan Academy, Mozilla Foundation, DreamHost, Wikimedia Foundation and Free Software Foundation.
Does The Obscure Organization have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Obscure Organization.
What industry is The Obscure Organization in?
The Obscure Organization's product category is Non-profit Technology Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAC, After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDAAAFAK, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.