Defending Democracy Together

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
823877328
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2028006948
Rating
90
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$18,799,464
Expenses
$13,879,736
Assets
$14,173,125
Liabilities
$1,126,313

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WILLIAM KRISTOL (DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT)
  • SARAH LONGWELL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • SARAH LONGWELL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $12,000 total reported compensation
  • WILLIAM KRISTOL (DIRECTOR/PRESIDENT): $500 total reported compensation
  • MONA CHAREN (DIRECTOR/SECRETARY): $500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Bill Kristol _The Bulwark_. He was a _The Weekly Standard_ , and is a regular guest on leading political commentary shows. Prior to his work at _The Weekly Standard,_ Kristol led the Project for the Republican Future, an organization that helped shape the strategy that produced the 1994 Republican congressional victory. From 1985 to 1993, Kristol served as chief of staff to Education Secretary William Bennett in the Reagan Administration and as chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle in the George H. W. Bush administration. Before coming to Washington, Kristol taught politics at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University. Twitter Website Mona Charen.

What it reported doing in 2024

Republicans for ukraine (rfu) continued its public education and advocacy efforts to promote american leadership on the global stage, support u.s. Allies, and advance policies that help ukraine prevail in its defensive war against russia. In 2024, rfu deployed advertising and communications campaigns that highlighted the stakes of democracy versus autocracy, underscored the importance of trans-atlantic solidarity, and reaffirmed america's core values of freedom and independence. The project also elevated the voices of conservative americans who champion these principles, making the case that standing with ukraine is consistent with both u.s. Interests and long-held republican values.in 2024, the Nebraska project advanced public education on the importance of democratic participation and the principles that strengthen trust in american governance. Through communications and storytelling, the project highlighted community voices in Nebraska that emphasized accountability, constitutional values, and the importance of every citizen's role in sustaining democracy.in 2024, the presidential reform project (prp) advanced public understanding of the laws, norms, and practices that govern the modern presidency. Through research, communications, and public education efforts, prp highlighted the importance of clarifying and strengthening executive branch authorities to ensure accountability and adherence to constitutional principles.the democracy innovation fund (dif) incubates and accelerates pro-democracy infrastructure on the center-right. Dif grants to nascent organizations to put these organizations on a path to independent growth and sustainability. During 2024, dif saw significant progress by its grantees and made grants to new organizations.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 73% for direct work, and 27% for grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.1%; rating input score 73
  • Program expense ratio: 97.9%; rating input score 98
  • Fundraising efficiency: $466.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 66th 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: 26.2%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.02; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.1%; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 73.1% of revenue deployed · 97.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $13.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $12K · 5 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $7.8M reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 4 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 — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.