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Lever for Change
Lever for Change reported $5.7 million in revenue and $11.3 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $79.21 went to program services, $17.66 to management and general costs and $3.13 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 91.8% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $866,713 (FORMER SECRETARY (THRU 6/16/23)). Revenue rose 253% between 2020 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $11MFor context, the median across 1,001 covered philanthropy, voluntarism & grantmaking charities: $91.65 programs, $6.50 management, $1.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $5.7MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 79.2% | 90.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 17.7% | 6.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 3.1% | 1.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | Not reported | $0.02 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 3.9% | 79.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 91.8% | 0.0% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $866,713 | $325,675 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 7.70% | 1.56% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 5.8 | 56.6 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 4 of 5 | 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
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseCompetition design and philanthropic capital mobilization:lever for change designs, manages, and administers large-scale philanthropic competitions and open calls that identify, evaluate, and elevate high-impact nonprofit organizations addressing significant social and environmental challenges. Through transparent, rigorous, and equitable competition processes, the organization helps funders identify vetted solutions capable of achieving meaningful, scalable impact. During 2025, lever for change continued to manage and support multiple global and domestic funding competitions, providing…
Highest reported compensation
2025 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FORMER SECRETARY (THRU 6/16/23) Former, 0.00 hrs/week | $0 | $767,780 | $98,933 | $866,713 |
| CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Director/trustee, officer, 50.00 hrs/week | $0 | $539,059 | $97,337 | $636,396 |
| FORMER SECRETARY (THRU 12/20/24) Former, 0.00 hrs/week | $0 | $293,146 | $82,669 | $375,815 |
| PRESIDENT Officer, 50.00 hrs/week | $0 | $296,769 | $65,678 | $362,447 |
| SECRETARY Officer, 50.00 hrs/week | $0 | $242,140 | $70,816 | $312,956 |
| TREASURER Officer, 10.00 hrs/week | $0 | $213,721 | $69,197 | $282,918 |
0 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Lever for Change (Part VII, line 2).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · 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–1b5 · 4 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 50
- Volunteers Part I, line 6137
Largest outside contractors
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| PAYONEER INC Competition management | $978,720 |
| THE BRIDGESPAN GROUP Competition management | $740,500 |
| SUBMITTABLE HOLDINGS INC Competition management | $407,507 |
| OPEN TECH STRATEGIES LLC Proposal database development | $396,643 |
| RODRIGUEZ COMMUNITY GROUP Operational consulting | $169,250 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 12 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
1 private foundation reported grants to Lever for Change totaling $10,000 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 Lever for Change's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Lever for Change, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Lever for Change spent in 2025, $79.21 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Lever for Change's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Lever for Change reported that 79.2% of its $11.3 million in expenses went to program services, 17.7% to management and general and 3.1% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Lever for Change pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Lever for Change reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $866,713, for the role of FORMER SECRETARY (THRU 6/16/23) (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Lever for Change get its money?
Of $5.7 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 3.9% came from contributions and grants and 91.8% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Lever for Change a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 83-3044655 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 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202622439349300047 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202513169349306366 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202433179349308008 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202303179349312550 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202243189349318219 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202103199349314460 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 83-3044655: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.