Center for Innovative Governance Research

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
823264419
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2018, Form 990-N 2017
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2026566901
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,225,879
Expenses
$2,934,470
Assets
$3,514,503
Liabilities
$506,803

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Dr Mark Lutter (Executive Director, Board Chairman)

Highest reported compensation

  • Dr Mark Lutter (Executive Director, Board Chairman): $172,916 total reported compensation
  • Michael Holstein (Head of Communications): $159,699 total reported compensation
  • John Hoyt (Head of Operations): $123,842 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We work with entrepreneurs, investors, policy experts, governments, humanitarians and new city developers to build a common understanding of charter cities and create relationships which can work toward implementing charter cities. Our goal is to lift tens of millions of people out of poverty by helping incubate dozens of charter cities around the world.

What it reported doing in 2025

African Urban Lab - In 2025, the Africa Urban Lab (AUL) expanded its work in urban education, research, and policy engagement across Africa. AUL graduated the inaugural cohort of 38 professionals from 10 countries in its Professional Diploma in Urban Development and welcomed a second cohort of 50 students from 15 countries, reflecting strong demand for applied urban training and supported by 33 full scholarships and additional tuition waivers. The organization also strengthened knowledge exchange by hosting two public talks, participating in 11 international conferences and policy forums, and launching the Economics of Greenfield Urban Planning working paper series. In addition, AUL established new institutional initiatives, including the University Coalition on Curricula for Cities (UCCC) to modernize urban planning education in East Africa and the Urban Expansion and the Periphery (UXP) program to support evidence-based planning with municipal partners.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 95% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 84% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 67
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 44
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 78.6%; rating input score 79
  • Program expense ratio: 85.8%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 99%; rating input score 99; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.2; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.6%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.4% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 78.6% of revenue deployed · 85.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $173K · 7 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $215K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.