Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
363704776
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2018
Forms available
Form 990 2018
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3126639057
Rating
70
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Civil Liberties

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$424,949
Expenses
$593,046
Assets
$474,635
Liabilities
$21,712

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2018. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

40 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KATHY MILLER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • KATHY MILLER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO): $91,000 total reported compensation
  • GARY T COLEMAN (CFO): $63,424 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2018. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The constitutional rights foundation of chicago (crfc) strenghthens american democracy by providing elementary and secondary students with hands-on learning about the constitution to prepare them for informed civic engagement. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, crfc designs and conducts local, national and international programs that emphasize current and historical controversies involving rights, law, and policy.

What it reported doing in 2018

Local and National Civic Learning Teacher Professional Development Programs: Training to promote law-related education knowledge and skills for elementary, middle, and secondary teachers in Illinois and nationally, including professional development conferences, seminars, and sustained programs, as well as curriculum development and dissemination. Over 400 teachers participated with support by approximately 60 volunteers in law, history, public policy, and government. Included introduction of major statewide initiative to support new mandatory civics course graduation requirement in Illinois.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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 a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. A relatively small share of total spending goes to programs and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 20
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 75.5%; rating input score 75
  • Program expense ratio: 53.9%; rating input score 54
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.62 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -39.6%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.8; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -10.1% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -22.7% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -19.9% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 75.5% of revenue deployed · 53.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 47 of 38 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $320K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $91K · 40 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 33 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2012 to 2018
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 54/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Independent members within voting members did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.