Center for Strategic and International Studies

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521501082
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2028870200
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Affairs, Foreign Policy, & Globalization

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$50,281,330
Expenses
$66,503,396
Assets
$239,929,777
Liabilities
$29,438,610

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

Leadership & pay

58 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN J HAMRE - PRESIDENT (CEO, & LANGONE CHR IN AMER. LDRSHP)
  • CRAIG COHEN (PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER)
  • NAHMYO THOMAS - VP PROGRAM (OPS;ACT. PRESIDENT HUMAN SEC & DEV)
  • NAVIN GIRISHANKAR (PRESIDENT)
  • EMILY HARDING (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOHN J HAMRE - PRESIDENT (CEO, & LANGONE CHR IN AMER. LDRSHP): $600,846 total reported compensation
  • CRAIG COHEN (PRESIDENT & CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $499,819 total reported compensation
  • SETH JONES - PRESIDENT (DEFENSE AND SECURITY DPT): $431,272 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The center for strategic and international studies (csis) is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to advancing practical ideas to address the world's greatest challenges.

What it reported doing in 2024

The csis international security program (isp) is a constant source of reliable analysis on the threats and opportunities shaping u.s. Security interests at home and abroad.isp tackles one of the most robust and ambitious research agendas in the field. It covers conventional political-military issues, including defense strategy and policy, acquisition and industry, counterterrorism and homeland security, u.s. Nuclear policy, wmd proliferation, defense budget analysis, missile defense, strategic futures, and security cooperation. Isp is also committed to addressing a growing range of nonmilitary issues defining u.s. Foreign and security policy.nonpartisan/bipartisan analysis of the ongoing defense and security challenges facing the nation provides congress, the executive branch, and industry the information needed to make tough decisions. Isp assembles top-level leaders and provides the platform for them to define critical issues and explain the impact nationally and globally.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 54
  • Accountability: 99
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.1%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 65.4%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.31 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 97.6%; rating input score 98; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -32.3%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.61; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.3%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.1% of revenue deployed · 65.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 41 of 42 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $43.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $601K · 58 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.2M reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 17 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.