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Common Cause Education Fund
Common Cause Education Fund reported $26.8 million in revenue and $24.9 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $91.45 went to program services, $3.65 to management and general costs and $4.90 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 97.9% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $327,392 (PRESIDENT/CEO (AS OF 2/24)). 57 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 112% 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 $25MFor 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
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $27MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 91.4% | 84.9% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 3.7% | 10.7% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 4.9% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.05 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 97.9% | 83.8% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 3.2% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $327,392 | $357,133 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.31% | 1.52% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 57 | 12 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 15.5 | 10.5 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 23 of 23 | 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 expenseWe worked with Common Cause state organizations, grassroots advocates, and coalition partners across the country to support democracy-related advocacy, civic participation, public education, and community engagement efforts at the state and local level.our state operations supported coalition coordination, public outreach, communications activities, research support, stakeholder engagement, legislative and policy education efforts, and strategic consulting related to democracy reform priorities. Activities included convenings, alliance meetings, advocacy support, public messaging initiatives…
We worked to ensure that every eligible citizen had the freedom to vote and that every vote was accurately counted. During the 2024 election cycle, we led one of the nation's largest nonpartisan voter protection efforts to defend voting rights, strengthen election administration, and help voters navigate rapidly changing election conditions.as a co-leader of the national nonpartisan election protection coalition, we mobilized more than 40,000 volunteers across 42 states to monitor polling locations, assist voters, identify election administration issues, and connect voters to legal and voter…
We worked to protect a free and open internet, defend independent journalism, and ensure that voters had access to accurate and reliable information.after the federal communications commission (fcc) voted unanimously to outlaw robocalls using artificial intelligence (ai) voice-cloning technology to mislead voters, we launched public education campaigns warning voters about deceptive ai-generated election content and advocating for stronger safeguards against election disinformation.as part of our longstanding net neutrality advocacy, we collected and delivered more than 126,000 petition…
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/CEO (AS OF 2/24) Officer, 21.00 hrs/week | $313,981 | $0 | $13,411 | $327,392 |
| PRES. TO 2/24, THEN SVP, PROGRAMS Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $194,430 | $0 | $48,154 | $242,584 |
| PRES. TO 2/24, THEN SVP, PEI Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $201,958 | $0 | $39,334 | $241,292 |
| SVP, FIN. & ADMIN Officer, 24.50 hrs/week | $206,266 | $0 | $33,526 | $239,792 |
| SVP, STATE OPS Key employee, 17.50 hrs/week | $175,400 | $0 | $19,603 | $195,003 |
| ASSOCIATE VP, DEVELOPMENT Highest compensated employee, 17.50 hrs/week | $148,580 | $0 | $34,060 | $182,640 |
| DIRECTOR, FOUNDATION RELATIONS Highest compensated employee, 17.50 hrs/week | $139,352 | $0 | $38,973 | $178,325 |
| NATIONAL MEDIA STRATEGIST Highest compensated employee, 17.50 hrs/week | $142,894 | $0 | $33,380 | $176,274 |
57 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Common Cause Education Fund (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.1M (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–1b23 · 23 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 5227
- Volunteers Part I, line 63,500
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| FLORES CONSULTING LLC Digital advertising | $500,000 |
| WASSERMAN MUSIC LLC Artist performance | $361,500 |
| FENTON COMMUNICATIONS INC Advertising | $300,000 |
| WKQ MEDIA LLC Media and communcations | $250,000 |
| MPITOO Advertising | $218,850 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 5 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
67 private foundations reported grants to Common Cause Education Fund totaling $4.8M 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 Common Cause Education Fund's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Common Cause Education Fund, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Common Cause Education Fund spent in FY2025, $91.45 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Tampabay Workforce AllianceTampa, FL · revenue $26M · programs 92.1% · FY2025
- Public Citizen FoundationWashington, DC · revenue $27M · programs 82.9% · FY2025
- Texas Public Policy FoundationAustin, TX · revenue $26M · programs 74.9% · 2025
- HealthixNew York, NY · revenue $27M · programs 84.1% · 2024
- Give N KindBuffalo Grove, IL · revenue $26M · programs 99.6% · 2025
All public & societal benefit charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of Common Cause Education Fund's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Common Cause Education Fund reported that 91.4% of its $24.9 million in expenses went to program services, 3.7% to management and general and 4.9% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Common Cause Education Fund pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Common Cause Education Fund reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $327,392, for the role of PRESIDENT/CEO (AS OF 2/24) (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Common Cause Education Fund get its money?
Of $26.8 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 97.9% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Common Cause Education Fund a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 31-1705370 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 202611359349312906 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202501359349310760 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202420609349301727 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202301049349301000 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202113139349301426 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202042969349301434 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 31-1705370: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.