Forward Justice

Overview

Mission

Forward justice is a nonpartisan law policy and strategy center dedicated to advancing racial social and economic justice.

What it reported doing in 2024

The organization lead the statewide protect our vote coalition including voter and election protection through legal cases policy advocacy and statewide tours. Voter protection hotlines provided real-time assistance information and advocacy for voters experiencing barriers at the polls. The organization conducted the Unlock Our Vote peer-to-peer voter engagement program reaching directly impacted voters through phone calls text outreach and in-person events. The initiative expanded civic participation by providing accurate voting information and supporting voter readiness. The organization supported the Long March for Unity and Justice with the Beloved Community Center helping to uplift community concerns strengthen solidarity across groups and mobilize residents toward collective action and social transformation. The organization provided voter protection and community-based support work to end poverty across the U.S. South.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 69% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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
812450800
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Morrisville, NC, USA
Phone
9193233889
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy

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: 51
  • Transparency & Controls: 60
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 41.1%; rating input score 41
  • Program expense ratio: 70.5%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 10th 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Limited
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 42%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.19; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.1%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.2% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 22.7% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 41.1% of revenue deployed · 70.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $3.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $204K · 8 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $725K reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 42 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 annual filings from 2017 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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

8 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Daryl Atkinson (Co-Director): $203,694 total reported compensation
  • Caitlin Swain (Co-Director): $203,585 total reported compensation
  • Dr Ashley Marshall (Senior Director of Sustainability Emergence): $183,575 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.