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American Civil Liberties Union Foundation
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation reported $306.8 million in revenue and $245.5 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $83.54 went to program services, $7.98 to management and general costs and $8.48 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 93.9% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $1,128,202 (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO). 237 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 65% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending March 31, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $246MFor context, the median across 132 covered civil rights, social action & advocacy charities: $84.11 programs, $11.40 management, $4.49 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending March 31, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $307MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 83.5% | 82.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 8.0% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 8.5% | 4.4% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.07 | $0.05 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 93.9% | 94.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $1,128,202 | $321,771 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.46% | 1.81% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 237 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 38.1 | 10.5 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 12 of 12 | 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 expenseAffiliate support - the aclu has an affiliate or chapter in every state, the district of columbia, and in puerto rico. Affiliates handle requests for legal assistance, lobby state legislatures and host educational forums throughout the year. The national aclu coordinates fundraising efforts with its affiliates and shares the proceeds of fundraising efforts with affiliates in accordance with a detailed policy. Through its affiliate support and nationwide initiatives department (asni), the national aclu also provides grants and support to affiliates on specific initiatives and projects that…
Legal - the aclu foundation's litigation program is the cornerstone of its Civil Liberties program. The aclu today is the nation's preeminent Civil Liberties organization, with a staff of attorneys in the national office working in collaboration with attorneys at affiliate offices nationwide to address cases involving a wide range of Civil Liberties issues. The aclu appears before the U.S. Supreme court more than any other legal services organization or governmental agency except the U.S. Department of justice
EDUCATION - THROUGH NEWSLETTERS, ITS WEBSITE, ADVERTISEMENTS, OP-ED ARTICLES, MEDIA INTERVIEWS, PUBLICATIONS, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND NUMEROUS MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS CONDUCTED IN COLLABORATION WITH ITS AFFILIATES THROUGHOUT THE US, THE ACLU FOUNDATION PROVIDES ONGOING EDUCATION TO THE ACLU'S approximately 1,400,000 supporters NATIONWIDE AND TO THE PUBLIC AT LARGE WITH RESPECT TO A WIDE RANGE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES ISSUES AND CONCERNS. A CORE COMPONENT OF THE ORGANIZATION'S EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGNS IS THE EMPHASIS ON KEY RIGHTS, INCLUDING FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS TO FREE SPEECH, ASSOCIATION AND ASSEMBLY; THE…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO Officer, 14.0 hrs/week | $0 | $759,792 | $368,410 | $1,128,202 |
| DEP. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/GENERAL COUNSEL Officer, 14.0 hrs/week | $0 | $569,229 | $90,020 | $659,249 |
| NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF AFFILIATES SUPPORT & NATIONWIDE INITIATIVES Key employee, 34.0 hrs/week | $498,809 | $0 | $148,185 | $646,994 |
| DEP. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY & CULTURE Officer, 14.0 hrs/week | $0 | $569,934 | $49,383 | $619,317 |
| CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Key employee, 34.0 hrs/week | $520,123 | $0 | $68,959 | $589,082 |
| COO Officer, 14.0 hrs/week | $0 | $492,394 | $46,634 | $539,028 |
| NATIONAL LEGAL DIRECTOR (THRU 10/15/2024) Key employee, 34.0 hrs/week | $494,121 | $0 | $36,995 | $531,116 |
| CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER (THRU 11/30/2024) Highest compensated employee, 14.0 hrs/week | $0 | $431,847 | $71,778 | $503,625 |
237 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $4.2M (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–1b12 · 12 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 5464
- Volunteers Part I, line 613
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Production Solutions Inc Printing & Publishing | $1,556,352 |
| MSP Communications Printing & Production | $737,073 |
| New York Interior Concepts Inc Renovation & Repairs | $677,686 |
| Mosaic Strategies Group Consulting | $523,622 |
| FENTON COMMUNICATIONS INC Communication services | $442,021 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 11 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
366 private foundations reported grants to American Civil Liberties Union Foundation totaling $26M 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 American Civil Liberties Union Foundation's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 American Civil Liberties Union Foundation spent in FY2025, $83.54 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Anti-Defamation LeagueNew York, NY · revenue $135M · programs 75.3% · FY2025
- American Jewish CommitteeNew York, NY · revenue $127M · programs 80.2% · 2024
- Alliance Defending FreedomScottsdale, AZ · revenue $120M · programs 77.9% · FY2025
- Our American Future FoundationWashington, DC · revenue $104M · programs 99.7% · FY2025
- Brooklyn Defender ServicesBrooklyn, NY · revenue $93M · programs 88.0% · FY2025
All civil rights, social action & advocacy charities · Largest charities in New York
Questions people ask
How much of American Civil Liberties Union Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation reported that 83.5% of its $245.5 million in expenses went to program services, 8.0% to management and general and 8.5% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does American Civil Liberties Union Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation American Civil Liberties Union Foundation reported for one person in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025 was $1,128,202, for the role of EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does American Civil Liberties Union Foundation get its money?
Of $306.8 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, 93.9% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is American Civil Liberties Union Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 13-6213516 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 March 31, 2025, object 202533449349300343 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, object 202413279349300946 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, object 202342859349300014 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, object 202243189349320129 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, object 202113219349300801 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, object 202023049349302052 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 13-6213516: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.