William J Brennan Center for Justice
William J Brennan Center for Justice reported $73.8 million in revenue and $58.1 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $71.52 went to program services, $19.69 to management and general costs and $8.79 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 81.1% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $700,616 (PRESIDENT). 113 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue fell 13% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $58MFor context, the median across 5,499 covered education charities: $85.56 programs, $13.59 management, $0.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $74MOther revenue was negative: −$272K. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 71.5% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 19.7% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 8.8% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.09 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 81.1% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $700,616 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.20% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 113 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 60.3 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 27 of 28 | 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
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseThe Brennan Center works to: protect voting rights; ensure free and fair elections; balance civil liberties with national security; defend the rule of law; and advance meaningful criminal justice reform. We conduct research and develop policy proposals in those and related areas. We educate the public on and advocate for our policy proposals. We litigate and provide other legal advocacy and policy expertise on our issues nationally and to bolster advocacy led by state and grassroots initiatives
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · 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 Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $650,385 | $0 | $50,231 | $700,616 |
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $444,089 | $0 | $24,861 | $468,950 |
| VP/COO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $387,921 | $0 | $40,537 | $428,458 |
| VP, PROGRAMS Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $387,212 | $0 | $36,265 | $423,477 |
| VP, DEMOCRACY PROGRAM Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $374,013 | $0 | $39,511 | $413,524 |
| CHIEF OF STAFF Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $363,755 | $0 | $49,095 | $412,850 |
| VP, DEVELOPMENT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $355,969 | $0 | $54,034 | $410,003 |
| VP, COMMUNICATIONS & STRAT Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $332,233 | $0 | $51,638 | $383,871 |
113 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from William J Brennan Center for Justice (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $3.7M (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
FY2025 · 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–1b28 · 27 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 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5258
- Volunteers Part I, line 629
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| UNISPACE OF BOSTON LLC Construction/architecture | $2,385,965 |
| TRILOGY INTERACTIVE Digital marketing services | $1,094,941 |
| THE ELECTIONS GROUP LLC Work to support the committee for safe & | $583,337 |
| GREEN KEY SOLUTIONS Recruitment company/employment agency | $473,991 |
| GPS IMPACT Digital strategy | $390,479 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 16 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
160 private foundations reported grants to William J Brennan Center for Justice totaling $25M 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 William J Brennan Center for Justice's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for William J Brennan Center for Justice, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 William J Brennan Center for Justice spent in FY2025, $71.52 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Dean CollegeFranklin, MA · revenue $74M · programs 92.5% · FY2025
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Questions people ask
How much of William J Brennan Center for Justice's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, William J Brennan Center for Justice reported that 71.5% of its $58.1 million in expenses went to program services, 19.7% to management and general and 8.8% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does William J Brennan Center for Justice pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation William J Brennan Center for Justice reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $700,616, for the role of PRESIDENT (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does William J Brennan Center for Justice get its money?
Of $73.8 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 81.1% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is William J Brennan Center for Justice a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 13-3839293 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
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202621289349303897 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202540849349300949 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202440969349300834 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202300869349301015 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202230289349300708 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202130119349300328 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 13-3839293: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.