Home › Civil rights, social action & advocacy
Human Rights Foundation
Human Rights Foundation reported $38.7 million in revenue and $39.8 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $90.39 went to program services, $5.54 to management and general costs and $4.07 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 76.6% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $344,091 (PRESIDENT). 14 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 202% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $40MFor 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
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $39MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 90.4% | 82.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 5.5% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 4.1% | 4.4% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.05 | $0.05 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 76.6% | 94.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 1.3% | 0.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $344,091 | $321,771 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.86% | 1.81% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 14 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 26.2 | 10.5 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 5 of 6 | 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 expenseGlobal advocacy - hrf defends Human Rights through global advocacy, executing innovative campaigns and deploying international legal mechanisms to influence institutions and policymakers.in 2024, hrf's impact litigation program filed eleven complaints, two urgent appeals, and one joint petition before the un, and received two favorable decisions from the un working group on arbitrary detention. For the 2024 sessions of the un Human Rights council, hrf submitted 10 universal periodic reviews. Hrf's tyranny tracker (formerly, the political regime project) continued to track authoritarianism…
Community outreach - since its founding, hrf has cultivated a global community of Human Rights defenders, connecting activists, dissidents, civil society organizations, and industry leaders who share in their dedication to the protection of democracy.in 2024, in the form of microgrants, hrf provided funding to activists and organizations working on the frontlines of democratic change in 12 countries around the world. Through targeted skills-development programs, hrf augmented the abilities of at-risk advocates, artists, and students who are working to defend democracy in countries ruled by…
Audience education - through creative campaigns, impactful storytelling, and strategic media coverage, hrf continued to educate global audiences on the threat of authoritarianism in 2024. Hrf highlighted the intersection of Human Rights with various sectors, amplifying the struggle for freedom across industries and audiences.hrf augmented its media presence across various platforms in 2024, garnering 22,000 media mentions, 82 billion global media impressions, and 24 million social media impressions. Hrf's work was featured in top international media outlets including the wall street journal…
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 Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $329,588 | $0 | $14,503 | $344,091 |
| CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $312,735 | $0 | $28,344 | $341,079 |
| CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $268,138 | $0 | $15,087 | $283,225 |
| CHIEF LEGAL AND POLICY OFFICER Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $249,988 | $0 | $29,592 | $279,580 |
| CHIEF ADVOCACY OFFICER Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $236,888 | $0 | $32,125 | $269,013 |
| CHIEF TALENT OFFICER Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $221,846 | $0 | $17,645 | $239,491 |
| DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL FREEDOM Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $177,955 | $0 | $11,706 | $189,661 |
| COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $146,188 | $0 | $11,629 | $157,817 |
14 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Human Rights Foundation (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.9M (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–1b6 · 5 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 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 549
- Volunteers Part I, line 610
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Z EVENT AS Event production services | $1,418,363 |
| LE PACTE AS Design services | $357,808 |
| CULTIVATOR CONTENT LABS Program event video production services | $303,121 |
| HEIERVANG COMMUNICATIONS Communication services | $212,294 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 14 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
12 private foundations reported grants to Human Rights Foundation totaling $1.0M 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 Human Rights 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 Human Rights Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Human Rights Foundation spent in 2024, $90.39 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
Embed on your site
Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Center for American ProgressWashington, DC · revenue $37M · programs 79.0% · 2024
- Refugee & Immigrant Center for Education & Legal ServicesSan Antonio, TX · revenue $39M · programs 80.0% · 2024
- Democracy Matters FoundationWashington, DC · revenue $36M · programs 99.3% · 2024
- Legal Aid Center of Southern NevadaLas Vegas, NV · revenue $40M · programs 90.9% · 2024
- States United Democracy CenterWashington, DC · revenue $33M · programs 90.8% · 2024
All civil rights, social action & advocacy charities · Largest charities in New York
Questions people ask
How much of Human Rights Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Human Rights Foundation reported that 90.4% of its $39.8 million in expenses went to program services, 5.5% to management and general and 4.1% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Human Rights Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Human Rights Foundation reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $344,091, for the role of PRESIDENT (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Human Rights Foundation get its money?
Of $38.7 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 76.6% came from contributions and grants and 1.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Human Rights Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 20-2669700 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 202523179349312452 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202413189349310531 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202303199349311575 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202223199349332467 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202210469349303401 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202013219349323401 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 20-2669700: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.