Rethink Priorities
Rethink Priorities reported $20.6 million in revenue and $20.4 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $78.07 went to program services, $19.16 to management and general costs and $2.77 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 87.5% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $214,660 (Associate Director (Epoch)). 44 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 851% between 2020 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $20MFor context, the median across 3,614 covered human services charities: $88.27 programs, $11.52 management, $0.21 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 $21MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 78.1% | 87.2% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 19.2% | 11.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 2.8% | 0.2% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.03 | $0.02 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 87.5% | 20.6% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 2.4% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 9.3% | 70.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $214,660 | $274,992 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.05% | 1.18% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 44 | 6 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 8.9 | 6.9 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 4 of 8 | 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 expenseSpecial Projects: RP's Special Projects (SP) team supports priority projects that RP fiscally sponsors, incubates, or directly launches. In 2024, some of SP's notable achievements include: 42 fiscal sponsorship expressions of interest received; 10 projects supported; $6.4m total direct costs of supported projects; 7 sponsee hiring rounds completed; 39 total sponsee staff at year end; 6 visa sponsorship applications (UK & US); 9 in-person events; and 216 total event attendees. In 2024, the following projects were fiscally sponsored or incubated at RP: Epoch, Apollo Research, Consultants for…
AI Policy and Strategy: In 2024, Rethink Priorities' (RP's) AI work was conducted by the Institute for AI Policy and Strategy (IAPS). A brief overview of IAPS' four main workstreams and 2024 accomplishments follows: (1) Compute policy work aims to explore novel interventions and strategic considerations for managing access to massive AI compute resources. In 2024, IAPS work on this area included publishing a landmark paper with the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) focused on using on-chip governance mechanisms to manage national security risks from AI and advanced computing, working…
Animal Welfare: Rethink Priorities' (RP's) Animal Welfare (AW) Department aims to be a leading hub of research and innovation to accelerate the end of factory farming and reduce the suffering of other animals. Through work spanning independent research, consulting services, and applied projects, the team supports advocacy organizations, philanthropic foundations, and other actors to drive evidence-based and reason-driven change for animals. Some notable accomplishments from the Animal Welfare department during 2024 include: A series of case studies demonstrating innovative initiatives that…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate Director (Epoch) Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $207,277 | $0 | $7,383 | $214,660 |
| Head of AI Governance (Apollo) Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $183,214 | $0 | $2,494 | $185,708 |
| CEO Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $145,988 | $0 | $29,986 | $175,974 |
| CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $144,470 | $0 | $16,567 | $161,037 |
| Program Director Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $139,409 | $0 | $12,362 | $151,771 |
| Research Scientist Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $140,208 | $0 | $7,690 | $147,898 |
| Chf Strategy Ofcr Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $133,413 | $0 | $13,614 | $147,027 |
| Program Director Listed in Part VII, 40.00 hrs/week | $140,427 | $0 | $2,798 | $143,225 |
44 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Rethink Priorities (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $822K (Part IX, line 5).
5 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–1b8 · 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 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 50
- Volunteers Part I, line 62
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Remote Technology Services Inc tech. services | $196,046 |
| Ege Eredil Konutkent Mah expert research support | $139,182 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 2 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
4 private foundations reported grants to Rethink Priorities totaling $5.3M 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 Rethink Priorities's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Rethink Priorities, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Rethink Priorities spent in 2024, $78.07 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All human services charities · Largest charities in California
Questions people ask
How much of Rethink Priorities's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Rethink Priorities reported that 78.1% of its $20.4 million in expenses went to program services, 19.2% to management and general and 2.8% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Rethink Priorities pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Rethink Priorities reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $214,660, for the role of Associate Director (Epoch) (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Rethink Priorities get its money?
Of $20.6 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 87.5% came from contributions and grants and 9.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Rethink Priorities a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 84-3896318 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. 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 202502879349301540 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202433179349301723 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202342289349301659 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202231409349301268 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202131039349300638 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 84-3896318: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.