Illinois State Public Interest Research Group Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 363673399
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2009
- Location
- Chicago, IL, USA
- Phone
- 3125444433
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $649,217
- Expenses
- $611,532
- Assets
- $3,079,895
- Liabilities
- $195,679
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ANDRE DELATTRE (PRESIDENT)
- BRIAN IMUS (VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- DIANE BROWN (DIRECTOR): $102,458 total reported compensation
- ABRAHAM SCARR (STATE DIRECTOR): $69,373 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
When consumers are cheated or the voices of ordinary citizens are drowned out by special interest lobbyists, illinoispirg speaks up and takes action. We uncover threats to public health and wellbeing and fight to end them, using the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposes, grassroots organizing, advocacy, and litigation. The purpose for which the corporation is organized are: social welfare purposes within the meaning of section 501c4 of the internal revenue code. Within these general purposes, the organization shall have the authority to engage in any lawful activities under the laws of Illinois governing not-for-profit corporations. The primary purpose shall be to engage in public interest research, education, and advocacy on issues affecting the quality of life of citizens of Illinois and in other states in areas including environmental and consumer protection, corporate responsibility, and utilities reform.
What it reported doing in 2024
Public education and outreach: recruiting volunteers, distributing educational literature, conducting surveys and discussing issues with the public to stop the pollution from single-use plastics, protecting consumers from unfair price gouging and working to give citizens the right to repair their own devices.
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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and revenue has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 73
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 83
- Sustainability: 58
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77.5%; rating input score 78
- Program expense ratio: 81.8%; rating input score 82
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.83 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 80%; rating input score 80; 18th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 5.8%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.04; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13.3%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 77.5% of revenue deployed · 81.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $500K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $102K · 6 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $350K reported
- Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 29 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 22/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 52/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.