Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237321017
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2023708100
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Civil Liberties

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,774,866
Expenses
$5,004,081
Assets
$5,089,835
Liabilities
$7,719,168

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KRISTIN BROWN (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • KRISTIN BROWN (PRESIDENT): $553,779 total reported compensation
  • ELIZABETH DUNNING (CHIEF DEVEL & ENGAGEMENT OFFICER): $301,601 total reported compensation
  • SUSAN LAVINGTON (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $295,188 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We're freeing america from gun violence.in a country where firearms outnumber people, our country's gun violence epidemic requires a multi-pronged approach and that's what brady, the leading gun violence prevention organization in america, delivers. Inspired by the roadmap behind successful movements to curb youth smoking, promote seatbelt use, and prevent drunk driving, we tackle three critical areas: change the laws, change the industry, and change the culture. This combination is unique in the gun violence prevention movement and is essential to tackling this epidemic. The overwhelming majority of americans including democrats, republicans, independents, and gun owners support stronger gun laws and responsible gun ownership. Our goal is to build a sensible policy foundation that keeps americans safe without infringing on their second amendment rights. We build upon the bipartisan legacy of our namesakes, jim and sarah brady, who won the landmark brady bill.

What it reported doing in 2024

Policy advocacy and grassroots organizing: brady's emphasis is on crafting, promoting, and lobbying for lifesaving policy changes at the federal and state level to expand and protect universal background checks, renew the lapsed assault weapons ban, enact public health policies and investments that reduce violence in communities most impacted across the united states, and propose life-saving gun violence prevention innovations that promote gun industry reforms critical to stemming the flow of illegal guns.our policy and organizing teams engage our grassroots network across the country, activating them to engage lawmakers to support or oppose key measures nationally and locally. These advocates are provided materials, communications guidelines, support, and expertise in shaping strategy and messaging around enhancing state, local, and federal laws. This grassroots network is a key driver of brady's message and influence - lending their voice, critical connections, expertise, and capability to brady programs as well. We know that we cannot prevent gun violence in america until we dismantle structural barriers to a healthy democracy. Our guns & democracy work relies on grassroots advocacy to increase voting access, reform the filibuster, and more.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

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: 42
  • Transparency & Controls: 68
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 47.2%; rating input score 47
  • Program expense ratio: 45.1%; rating input score 45
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 20th 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: 97.4%; rating input score 97; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 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: -4.8%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.02; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.52; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.9%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 47.2% of revenue deployed · 45.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $554K · 27 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.4M reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 37 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 13 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 47/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 45/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 20/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.