America First Legal Foundation
America First Legal Foundation reported $32.0 million in revenue and $15.2 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $82.70 went to program services, $8.05 to management and general costs and $9.25 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 98.4% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $793,500 (VP, General Counsel, Secretary). 7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 400% between 2021 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $15MFor context, the median across 274 covered crime & legal-related charities: $87.85 programs, $11.30 management, $0.85 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 $32MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 82.7% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 8.1% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 9.2% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.04 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 98.4% | 94.8% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 50.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $793,500 | $245,814 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 5.22% | 1.41% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 7 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 23.4 | 6.4 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 4 of 6 | 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 expenseTo encourage, sponsor, and facilitate the cultivation and diffusion of knowledge and understanding of the law and individual rights, to promote the rule of law in the United States and to ensure due process and equal protection under the law for all Americans
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VP, General Counsel, Secretary Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $645,738 | $120,000 | $27,762 | $793,500 |
| President, Executive Director Director/trustee, officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $527,414 | $0 | $39,912 | $567,326 |
| Lawyer Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $400,000 | $0 | $17,250 | $417,250 |
| Lawyer Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $219,943 | $120,000 | $17,437 | $357,380 |
| Lawyer Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $276,872 | $0 | $26,433 | $303,305 |
| Chief Development Officer Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $243,195 | $0 | $843 | $244,038 |
| Lawyer Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $207,369 | $0 | $10,972 | $218,341 |
7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from America First Legal Foundation (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.2M (Part IX, line 5).
4 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–1b6 · 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 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 531
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| Ashbrook Byrne Kresge LLC Outside Counsel | $1,182,936 |
| The Prosper Group Marketing Services | $1,159,000 |
| Boyden Gray & Associates PLLC Outside Counsel | $818,015 |
| Schaerr Jaffe LLP Outside Counsel | $404,757 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 12 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
17 private foundations reported grants to America First Legal Foundation totaling $2.0M 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 America First Legal Foundation's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for America First Legal Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 America First Legal Foundation spent in 2024, $82.70 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All crime & legal-related charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of America First Legal Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, America First Legal Foundation reported that 82.7% of its $15.2 million in expenses went to program services, 8.1% to management and general and 9.2% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does America First Legal Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation America First Legal Foundation reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $793,500, for the role of VP, General Counsel, Secretary (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does America First Legal Foundation get its money?
Of $32.0 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 98.4% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is America First Legal Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 86-2190372 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 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 202523219349315387 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202413209349311446 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202323199349307967 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202213199349322976 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 86-2190372: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.