Home › Public & societal benefit
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported $11.2 million in revenue and $8.4 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $67.26 went to program services, $23.41 to management and general costs and $9.33 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 96.6% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $411,155 (PRESIDENT AND CEO). 17 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 85% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $8.4MFor context, the median across 185 covered public & societal benefit charities: $88.81 programs, $11.18 management, $0.01 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $11MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 67.3% | 84.9% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 23.4% | 10.7% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 9.3% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.07 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 96.6% | 83.8% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.4% | 3.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $411,155 | $357,133 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 4.87% | 1.52% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 17 | 12 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 15.9 | 10.5 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 8 of 8 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseLegal: crew has engaged in large-scale litigation to ensure compliance with key accountability and transparency laws including the constitution's disqualification clause, the federal records act, and the presidential records act. Crew has filed numerous ethics complaints and administrative and legal complaints with the office of government ethics, the department of justice, state prosecutors, the office of special counsel, and other agencies against executive branch officials, members of congress, and other government officials; crew has also filed complaints with the federal election…
Education: crew has worked to educate the public about unethical, illegal, and anti-democratic conduct on the part of public officials and those who seek to influence them, the threat this conduct poses to our democracy, the legal provisions available and the legal reformsnecessary to hold them accountable, as well as the corrupting influence of money in politics. It has publicized instances of these kinds of abuses and broader patterns of unethical or anti-democratic conduct and improper or excessive influence. The organization's activities have been highlighted in print, broadcast, and…
Highest reported compensation
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT AND CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $371,589 | $0 | $39,566 | $411,155 |
| EXEC. DIRECTOR & CHIEF COUNSEL. Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $254,611 | $0 | $31,562 | $286,173 |
| GENERAL COUNSEL AND SENIOR ADVISOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $228,785 | $0 | $36,242 | $265,027 |
| DIR. OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE LITIGATION Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $191,906 | $0 | $17,726 | $209,632 |
| DEPUTY CHIEF COUNSEL Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $192,155 | $0 | $6,448 | $198,603 |
| VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $180,059 | $0 | $14,042 | $194,101 |
| VICE PRESIDENT FOR POLICY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $176,528 | $0 | $15,076 | $191,604 |
| SR. V.PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $165,619 | $0 | $24,515 | $190,134 |
17 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $887K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2024 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b8 · 8 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4Yes
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 534
- Volunteers Part I, line 610
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| ASCEND DIGITAL STRATEGIES Fundraising services | $542,060 |
| SR CONSULTING Fundraising services | $212,500 |
| HETHERINGTON INFORMATION SERVICES LLC Expert investig. & intel. Services | $167,075 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 3 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
28 private foundations reported grants to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington totaling $878K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington spent in 2024, $67.26 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
Embed on your site
Similar-sized charities in this cause
- FUSE CorpsSan Francisco, CA · revenue $11M · programs 83.2% · FY2025
- Miss Dig SystemGladstone, MI · revenue $11M · programs 100.0% · FY2025
- Northwest Minnesota FoundationBemidji, MN · revenue $11M · programs 73.7% · FY2025
- Mackinac CenterMidland, MI · revenue $11M · programs 83.8% · 2024
- Vermont Information Technology LeadersSouth Burlington, VT · revenue $11M · programs 85.8% · FY2025
All public & societal benefit charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported that 67.3% of its $8.4 million in expenses went to program services, 23.4% to management and general and 9.3% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $411,155, for the role of PRESIDENT AND CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington get its money?
Of $11.2 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 96.6% came from contributions and grants and 0.4% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 03-0445391 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202503209349301745 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202432629349301118 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202302799349301225 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202212379349300346 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202101269349300845 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202042969349301649 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 03-0445391: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.