Federal Defenders of the Middle District of Georgia Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 203469281
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Macon, GA, USA
- Phone
- 4787434747
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Legal Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $5,606,705
- Expenses
- $5,319,486
- Assets
- $255,084
- Liabilities
- $255,084
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
16 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- CHRISTOPHER BRIAN JARRARD (PRESIDENT)
- BYRON CONWAY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- CATHERINE M WILLIAMS (FIRST ASSISTANT DEFENDER): $243,978 total reported compensation
- TIMOTHY SAVIELLO (ASST. FEDERAL DEFENDER): $242,019 total reported compensation
- JONATHAN DODSON (ASST. FEDERAL DEFENDER): $227,216 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 federal defenders of the middle district of Georgia, inc. (hereinafter referred to as "fdmdga") is the designated federal community defender organization for the united states district court for the middle district of Georgia pursuant to 18 U.S.c. §3006a(g)(b). The fdmdga is an organization incorporated under the laws of the state of Georgia and dedicated to providing high quality legal services for indigent persons. As a community defender organization, this office and its employees are not officers, employees, or agents of the federal government. Since august 2005, when it was created, the fdmdga has been federally funded through a grant from the administrative office of the united states courts. These federal funds are provided solely for the purpose of rendering defense services to individuals who are unable to afford counsel and who are under investigation for, or charged with, violations of the laws of the united states.
What it reported doing in 2024
To provide legal services free of charge to qualifying defendants as identified by the united states federal court system in the middle district of Georgia. The fdmdga has two office locations. The headquarters is in macon, Georgia and a branch office in columbus, Georgia. The fdmdga office provides representation to five divisional locations stemming from the South Carolina border line across to the Alabama border down to the Florida border. The five divisions are macon, athens, albany, columbus, and valdosta. We represent someone when the federal district court appoints us to do so. We are only allowed to work for you in defense of your federal criminal case. We do not prosecute or file charges against anyone; represent individuals in state court; handle civil matters; or file grievances or complaints against other people or government agencies. For example, we do not handle cases involving violations of civil rights deprivation of government assistance (i.e. Withholding social security benefits). However, to the extent other litigation, grievance proceedings or personal or social matters may affect a client's federal criminal case, we will thoroughly investigate these matters. Our entire staff and all of our resources are dedicated to achieving the best possible result for our clients.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 100% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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 the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 79
- Transparency & Controls: 74
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 26
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 87%; rating input score 87
- Program expense ratio: 91.7%; rating input score 92
- 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: 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: Fail
- 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: 5.1%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.05; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 1; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 29.7%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 87% of revenue deployed · 91.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $244K · 16 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 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.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 2/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 51/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Whistleblower policy not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 5/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.