We received formal notice that our Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) license renewal application has been denied by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
For those less familiar, as a nonprofit organization, registered as a 501(c)(3) in the U.S., our OFAC license has allowed Neuromatch to provide programming for those residing in Iran — including enrolling students, recruiting and compensating teaching assistants, and running programming like Impact Scholars. We had applied for our OFAC renewal in advance of the 30 April 2026 deadline, following the same protocol as our successful renewal applications in previous years.
Regrettably, we will be unable to hire teaching assistants or enroll students residing in Iran in the 2026 Neuromatch and Climatematch Academy. Volunteers residing in Iran can no longer hold formal volunteer positions in Neuromatch. We will be able to continue to respond to support emails from those residing in Iran to let people know how to proceed.
We are devastated by this news. Our Iranian community has been a foundational part of Neuromatch since 2020. We will continue to fight for global, accessible computational education. There is no formal appeals process for a denial, but we are eligible to submit a new license application in the future. Our legal team is actively exploring all available options. We will do everything we can to bring access back to our community in Iran.
Neuromatch is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This means we are legally required to comply with U.S. sanctions regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Compliance isn't optional — it's essential to our survival as an organization. Our 501(c)(3) status is what allows us to receive funding and offer programming. If we lose that status, we would be unable to continue operating. Beyond that, violations of sanctions regulations can carry criminal penalties for individual members of the Neuromatch community, including our Board of Directors and U.S.-based staff.
Ahead of our exemption's expiration, we worked with a group of community members who are exploring options to host something locally in Iran. If you'd like to stay informed about this effort or get involved, please complete the form below. This will allow the organizers to connect with you directly.
Please note that this initiative is independently organized and operated. Neuromatch is not running, sponsoring, or otherwise affiliated with this effort.