American Tort Reform Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
311577324
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2015, Form 990-EZ 2024, Form 990-N 2016
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2026821163
Rating
89
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Administration of Justice, Courts

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$25,000
Expenses
$79,879
Assets
$32,451
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHERMAN JOYCE (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • SHERMAN JOYCE (PRESIDENT)
  • MELISSA H BROWN (CHAIR)
  • ROBERT LEVY (CHAIR ELECT)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

The american tort reform foundation (atrf) was organized as a not-for-profit organization under the laws of the district of columbia on august 8, 1997. Atrf was established to educuate the general public regarding the civil justice system and tort law issues. Atrf accomplishes its mission by conducting surveys and research on the cost, operation, and effects of tort laws on our legal system and society as well as collecting, publishing, and disseminating statistical and economic information relevant to the legal system and society.

What it reported doing in 2024

The judicial hellholes program serves to increase public awareness of jurisdictions where equal justice under the law is denied to parties involved in lawsuits.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 88.8%; rating input score 89

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -219.5%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.41; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.6% per year; rating input score 0; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.7% per year; rating input score 0; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -6.7% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 88.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $71K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.