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American Center for Law and Justice
Also known as ACLJ - National
American Center for Law and Justice reported $32.4 million in revenue and $31.2 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. Of every $100 it spent, $89.01 went to program services, $8.58 to management and general costs and $2.41 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 $529,314 (SENIOR COUNSEL FOR DIGITAL). 36 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 37% between FY2020 and FY2026. Source: Form 990, FY2026.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending March 31, 2026 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $31MFor 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, 2026 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $32MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2026 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 89.0% | 82.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 8.6% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 2.4% | 4.4% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.03 | $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 | 23.3% | 0.3% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $529,314 | $321,771 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.69% | 1.81% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 36 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 1.9 | 10.5 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 2 of 3 | 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
FY2026 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseThe organization has participated in numerous supreme court, circuit court, court of appeals and state superior and supreme court cases regarding freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and other US constitutional issues. Research staff at the center provides up to date information regarding various cases related to the protection of religious and human rights. A complete list of cases is available upon request
Highest reported compensation
FY2026 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SENIOR COUNSEL FOR DIGITAL Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $479,790 | $0 | $49,524 | $529,314 |
| SECRETARY/TREASURER Officer, 30.00 hrs/week | $487,181 | $0 | $26,552 | $513,733 |
| SENIOR COUNSEL FOR LITIGA Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $438,452 | $0 | $46,386 | $484,838 |
| VP OF FINANCE/CFO Officer, 30.00 hrs/week | $415,159 | $0 | $39,573 | $454,732 |
| DIRECTOR OF POLICY & SENIO Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $405,843 | $0 | $38,265 | $444,108 |
| SENIOR COUNSEL Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $381,791 | $0 | $49,450 | $431,241 |
| CORPORATE COUNSEL Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $407,550 | $0 | $14,750 | $422,300 |
| DIRECTOR OF MEDIA OPERATIONS Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $322,207 | $0 | $48,598 | $370,805 |
36 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from American Center for Law and Justice (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $2.3M (Part IX, line 5).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2026 · 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–1b3 · 2 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 2Yes
- 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 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 5116
Largest outside contractors
FY2026 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| CONSTITUTIONAL LITIGATION AND ADVOCACY G Legal | $10,460,896 |
| KANSAS CNQ LLC Legal & media | $300,000 |
| RASKIN & RASKIN PA Legal | $150,000 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 4 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
17 private foundations reported grants to American Center for Law and Justice totaling $137K 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 Center for Law and 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 American Center for Law and Justice, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 American Center for Law and Justice spent in FY2026, $89.01 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 Virginia
Questions people ask
How much of American Center for Law and Justice's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, American Center for Law and Justice reported that 89.0% of its $31.2 million in expenses went to program services, 8.6% to management and general and 2.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does American Center for Law and Justice pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation American Center for Law and Justice reported for one person in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026 was $529,314, for the role of SENIOR COUNSEL FOR DIGITAL (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does American Center for Law and Justice get its money?
Of $32.4 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, 76.6% came from contributions and grants and 23.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is American Center for Law and Justice a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 54-1586817 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, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2026: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, object 202622499349300002 · read the filing
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, object 202512269349301811 · read the filing
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, object 202432689349300143 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023, object 202312269349300216 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, object 202243329349300929 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021 (amended), object 202102929349300310 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, object 202003369349301210 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 54-1586817: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.