Alliance Defending Freedom International

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
932111530
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Lansdowne, VA, USA
Phone
4804440020
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Christianity
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,821,570
Expenses
$9,377,296
Assets
$3,297,840
Liabilities
$1,328,069

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • PAUL COLEMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/TREASURER)

Highest reported compensation

  • KRISTEN WAGGONER (CHAIR): $622,744 total reported compensation
  • REBECCA EGGLESTON PART YEAR (SECRETARY): $399,286 total reported compensation
  • MARK TJERNAGEL (SECRETARY): $47,839 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Adfi exists to support a global effort to advance every person's god-given right to live and speak the truth, and to keep the door open for the gospel.

What it reported doing in 2024

Education: adfi seeks to educate in favor of public policies supporting religious freedom, freedom of speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life and marriage. Adfi provides operational support and grants to entities related to alliance defending freedom and other global organizations that educate in favor of public, policies supporting religious freedom, freedom of speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life and marriage.

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 50% for direct work, and 50% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

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

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 62
  • Accountability: 31
  • Sustainability: 52
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.5%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 84.8%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $30.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 17th 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: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 98.9%; 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 13.3%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.35; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.4; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.8%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 22.4% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 46.1% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.5% of revenue deployed · 84.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $623K · 4 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $225K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 5 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.