State Democracy Defenders Action D/b/a Democracy Defenders Action

Overview

Mission

State democracy defenders action, d/b/a democracy defenders action is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization which was formed on may 24, 2023 and located in the district of columbia. Democracy defender action's mission is to safeguard american democracy from corruption and election interference through public policy and other advocacy initiatives and by shaping public understanding of the threats posed by autocracy.

What it reported doing in 2024

Rapid response coordination hub: an independent, nonpartisan hub to combat complex and targeted attacks against actors in the pro-democracy and civil rights ecosystem

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 63% for direct work, and 37% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
931524544
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2025949958
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Voter Education, Registration

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 72
  • Accountability: 69
  • Sustainability: 57
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.8%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 76.4%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $15.72 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 98.8%; rating input score 99; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 71.4%; rating input score 71; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 24.6%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.06; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.34; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.1%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 152.2% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 119.2% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 136.5% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 57.8% of revenue deployed · 76.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 14 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $6.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $252K · 18 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.7M reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 31 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 2 annual filings from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 17 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 11 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

18 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • SUSAN CORKE (PRESIDENT (EFFECTIVE 12/19/24)): $251,992 total reported compensation
  • JAMES LEVINE (VP OF INVESTIGATIONS (THRU 9/27/24)): $201,121 total reported compensation
  • KIM ROGERS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THRU 8/1/24)): $179,452 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.