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Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State reported $18.6 million in revenue and $15.5 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $66.49 went to program services, $13.73 to management and general costs and $19.78 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 96.1% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $307,467 (PRESIDENT AND CEO). 25 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 181% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $16MFor 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 September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $19MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 66.5% | 82.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 13.7% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 19.8% | 4.4% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.17 | $0.05 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 96.1% | 94.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $307,467 | $321,771 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.98% | 1.81% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 25 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 24.0 | 10.5 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 13 of 13 | 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 expenseEducational and publication division: provide both print and electronic educational material for distribution to the general public regarding the constitutional principle of separation of church and state
Field services division: maintain close contact with various government leaders and faith leaders nationwide. Alert members to proposed legislation on church-state separation issues
Legal division: legal expenses incurred in the defense of the separation of church and state
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 AND CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $294,265 | $0 | $13,202 | $307,467 |
| ASSOCIATE LEGAL DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $196,264 | $0 | $43,457 | $239,721 |
| ASSOCIATE VP OF PUBLIC POLICY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $189,016 | $0 | $44,620 | $233,636 |
| CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $195,067 | $0 | $32,474 | $227,541 |
| CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $197,769 | $0 | $24,493 | $222,262 |
| VICE PRESIDENT FOR STATE OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $184,598 | $0 | $28,730 | $213,328 |
| SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $149,024 | $0 | $36,635 | $185,659 |
| VP STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $169,625 | $0 | $15,947 | $185,572 |
25 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $906K (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–1b13 · 13 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 553
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| RWT PRODUCTION LLC Direct mail services | $1,378,951 |
| NATIONAL PUBLIC MEDIA Advertising | $366,750 |
| EIDOLON COMMUNICATIONS INC Fundraising consulting | $345,600 |
| SIRIUSXM MEDIA Adverrtising | $244,098 |
| KEY ACQUISTION PARTNERS LLC Direct mail services | $175,592 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 5 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
36 private foundations reported grants to Americans United for Separation of Church and State totaling $3.6M 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 Americans United for Separation of Church and State's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Americans United for Separation of Church and State spent in FY2025, $66.49 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All civil rights, social action & advocacy charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of Americans United for Separation of Church and State's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, Americans United for Separation of Church and State reported that 66.5% of its $15.5 million in expenses went to program services, 13.7% to management and general and 19.8% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Americans United for Separation of Church and State pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Americans United for Separation of Church and State reported for one person in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 was $307,467, for the role of PRESIDENT AND CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Americans United for Separation of Church and State get its money?
Of $18.6 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, 96.1% came from contributions and grants and 0.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Americans United for Separation of Church and State a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 53-0184647 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 September 30, 2025, object 202631979349300213 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, object 202522049349300222 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, object 202432209349300008 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, object 202331879349300618 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021 (amended), object 202222739349301427 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, object 202132029349301143 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 53-0184647: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.