Citizen Action Defense Fund

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
850910069
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Olympia, WA, USA
Phone
8505193495
Rating
63
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public Interest Law

Reported finances

Revenue
$736,646
Expenses
$734,746
Assets
$33,574
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JACKSON MAYNARD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JACKSON MAYNARD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $327,950 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To sustain, defend and provide the means to preserve the individual constitutional rights of all washingtonians, including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, freedom of movement, due process and equal protection, particularly during declared states of emergencies, and to carry on other charitable activities associated with this purpose as allowed by law.

What it reported doing in 2024

Litigation - cadf files lawsuits, represents affected parties, and intervenes in other cases when the state enacts laws that violate the state or federal constitutions, when government officials take actions that infringe upon first amendment or other constitutional rights, or when agencies promulgate rules in violation of state law.cadf v. Ofm. Cadf prevailed in litigation against the governor's office of financial management for withholding documents from billion-dollar negotiations with public sector unions.undivided media v. City of seattle. Cadf filed a public records lawsuit in state court to obtain records regarding a councilmember's public safety vote.cadf et al. V. State building code council. Lawsuit filed in federal court to block or delay restrictions to the natural gas infrastructure that harmed businesses and homeowners in Washington state.smith v. Wsdot. Cadf defended a whistleblower who was forced out of his job after he was pressured to lie about the impacts of the governor's cap and trade program on fuel costs.n. Pearl st. V. Tacoma. Cadf challenged an unconstitutional measure (the tacoma initiative) that will increase the cost of housing in tacoma.doriot v. Wsdot. Cadf filed a suit on behalf of a small business challenging the state legislature's passing of a transportation package that violated the single subject requirement of the state constitution.walsh v. Hobbs. Cadf intervened in a lawsuit that challenged the law that allowed the attorney general to write misleading economic impact statements for statewide initiatives.

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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 58
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 62
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.5%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 64.7%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.3%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.05; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 44.6%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 31.7% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 52.4% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 64.5% of revenue deployed · 64.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $475K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $328K · 5 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $260K reported
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors 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: 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.