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Equis Institute
Equis Institute reported $12.4 million in revenue and $16.1 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $78.87 went to program services, $18.89 to management and general costs and $2.24 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.4% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $140,843 (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (SEE SCH. O)). 2 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $16MFor context, the median across 876 covered arts, culture & humanities charities: $79.98 programs, $13.89 management, $6.13 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 $12MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 78.9% | 78.5% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 18.9% | 13.6% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 2.2% | 6.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.03 | $0.10 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 99.4% | 57.5% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 20.8% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $140,843 | $385,706 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.87% | 2.03% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 5.5 | 36.6 |
| 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 expenseResearchequis institute provides latino-serving groups with actionable research to help strengthen their programs and outreach efforts. In 2024, the research team polled 24,666 individuals across multiple key states, with targeted oversampling in critical swing states to ensure accuracy and depth of insights. In total, 18 polls were conducted, including 8 key state polls, 1 recontact poll, and 9 state-specific polls designed to capture the nuances of local races and issues
Youtube projectthe youtube initiative leads the charge in culturally relevant, engaging content creation that helps latinos make sense of the world, politics, and current events to inoculate latino voters against harmful narratives and misinformation, and to build confidence and trust in our democratic institutions. Launched two new channels: a ver a ver+, which expands our network through pop culture content, and pueblo extrano, which builds a millennial male audience through talk shows exploring cultural, policy, and personal issues
Cultural mobilizationthrough the cultural mobilization project, equis partnered with dozens of state, local, and national organizations to organize a larger cultural moment of latino pride around the film, flamin' hot. We filled 29 screenings nationwide, generating 151 million combined tiktok and instagram impressions. The success of the grassroots campaign not only turned the movie into a community-wide cultural event but also led to an oscar nomination, culminating in a historic bilingual performance during the oscars telecast. This effort connected over 100 partners from hollywood…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (SEE SCH. O) Officer, 10.00 hrs/week | $129,593 | $0 | $11,250 | $140,843 |
| BOARD MEMBER (SEE SCH. O) Director/trustee, 1.00 hrs/week | $121,758 | $0 | $6,072 | $127,830 |
| CHAIRPERSON (SEE SCH. O) Director/trustee, officer, 1.00 hrs/week | $26,518 | $0 | $0 | $26,518 |
2 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Equis Institute (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $295K (Part IX, line 5).
3 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 2bNo
- 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 15aNo
- 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 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 50
- Volunteers Part I, line 64
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| RISING TIDE INTERACTIVE LLC Media buy, ad dev., & messaging/strat. C | $1,095,000 |
| SOLIDARITY STRATEGIES LLC Produce & execute digital paid media pla | $960,288 |
| MARKHAM GROUP Pre-planning & execution of cultural mex | $229,265 |
| THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER Advertising | $185,000 |
| FOUR STAR VENTURES LLC Media & entertainment consulting | $145,773 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 9 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
9 private foundations reported grants to Equis Institute totaling $12M 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 Equis Institute's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Equis Institute, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Equis Institute spent in 2024, $78.87 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Flint Cultural Center FoundationFlint, MI · revenue $12M · programs 100.0% · FY2025
- Museum of African American HistoryDetroit, MI · revenue $12M · programs 65.6% · FY2025
- Phoenix Symphony AssociationPhoenix, AZ · revenue $12M · programs 70.0% · FY2025
- Stafford Air & Space Museum FoundationWeatherford, OK · revenue $12M · programs 96.4% · 2024
- Miami Children's MuseumMiami, FL · revenue $12M · programs 86.7% · FY2025
All arts, culture & humanities charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of Equis Institute's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Equis Institute reported that 78.9% of its $16.1 million in expenses went to program services, 18.9% to management and general and 2.2% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Equis Institute pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Equis Institute reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $140,843, for the role of EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (SEE SCH. O) (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Equis Institute get its money?
Of $12.4 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 99.4% came from contributions and grants and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Equis Institute a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 87-1337465 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 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 202513209349300941 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202423209349325192 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202333139349305093 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 87-1337465: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.