ACLU of Massachusetts

Legal name: American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts Inc

Overview

Mission

The ACLU of Massachusetts is the state affiliate of the national ACLU, dedicated to defending and advancing civil liberties and civil rights for all people in Massachusetts through litigation, legislative advocacy, and community engagement.

What it reported doing in 2024

Aclu of ma was established to defend freedoms guaranteed in the constitution and bill of rights through public education and legislation.- the aclu of Massachusetts continued to help lead implementation of the work & family mobility act, including by hosting study groups and workshops helping over 400 community members understand the process of applying for a driver's license under the new law. - the aclu of ma helped pass historic bills to reduce maternal health disparities, safeguard family lgbtq family relationships, and address stigma related to substance use disorder and save lives. The aclu also launched campaigns to create firewalls for freedom against federal assaults, including bold advocacy for immigrants' rights and data privacy.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 70% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
041180450
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2009
Headquarters
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6174823170
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 53
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 73
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 44%; rating input score 44
  • Program expense ratio: 84.9%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 41.4%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.57; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 41.5%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16.3% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.3% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 22% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 44% of revenue deployed · 84.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 31 of 31 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $480K · 44 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $150K reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 annual filings from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

44 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • CAROL ROSE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $479,770 total reported compensation
  • SHIRLEY LAI (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE): $315,597 total reported compensation
  • KAFI HARRINGTON (CHIEF OPERATIONS & TALENT OFFICER): $252,556 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.