Freedom House
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 131656647
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Aug 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2022965101
- Rating
- 88
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- International Human Rights
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $69,437,963
- Expenses
- $71,571,850
- Assets
- $34,175,942
- Liabilities
- $17,748,515
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
36 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- NICOLE BIBBINS SEDACA (INTERIM PRESIDENT (END 1/3/2025))
- ANNE BOYAJIAN (PRESIDENT)
- GERARDO BERTHIN (PRESIDENT)
- MICHAEL ABRAMOWITZ (FORMER PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- NICOLE BIBBINS SEDACA (INTERIM PRESIDENT (END 1/3/2025)): $378,481 total reported compensation
- EMILY TAYLOR END 10182024 (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $277,704 total reported compensation
- JOSE RAVANO (CHIEF OF PARTY (END 6/3/2025)): $275,538 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Freedom House is America’s oldest organization dedicated to supporting and defending democracy and freedom worldwide. > Our mission is to expand and defend freedom globally. Freedom House** was founded in 1941 to rally policymakers and a broadly isolationist American public around the fight against Nazi Germany, and to raise awareness of the fascist threat to American security and values. In the decades since, Freedom House has established itself through its advocacy, programs, and research as the leading American organization devoted to the support and defense of democracy around the world. We work across political divides to advance policies that strengthen democracy and protect human rights. We support a vast, trusted network of activists and advocates who are leading the struggle for democratic change i.
What it reported doing in 2024
Research & analysis - freedom house's research activities consist of collection and analysis of data, which is integrated into various special reports and annual publications, including freedom in the world, nations in transit, and freedom on the net.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 92% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 53% for direct work, and 47% for grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 96
- Transparency & Controls: 80
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 18
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 99.6%; rating input score 100
- Program expense ratio: 96.6%; rating input score 97
- Fundraising efficiency: $38.42 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Pass
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 99%; rating input score 99; 38th 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; 77th 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: -3.1%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.48; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.52; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.7%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 11.1% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 99.6% of revenue deployed · 96.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $69.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $378K · 36 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.1M reported
- Consistency: 40 of 41 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 30 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 12 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 16/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.