Institute for Black Justice

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
852866010
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Spanaway, WA, USA
Phone
2533253530
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Minority Rights

Reported finances

Revenue
$582,535
Expenses
$327,508
Assets
$274,704
Liabilities
$9,194

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

Leadership & pay

2 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Carol Mitchell (Director of Advocacy): $15,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The Institute for Black Justice purpose is to relentlessly pursue equity and justice for all with people of Black African descent as our first priority. The IBJs mission is three-fold: to be an advocate for fairness and equity; to be an accelerator of justice system transformation; and to be an accomplice to credible social justice influencers and the communities they serve.

What it reported doing in 2024

Advocacy and Community Education Programs: In 2024 IBJ expanded its Advocacy and Community Education Programs to engage broader audiences influence public policy and strengthen community access to justice. The Black Robe Podcast produced over 25 new episodes offering intergenerational dialogue on legal and policy issues impacting communities of color. Through guest interviews and timely discussions the podcast served as a hub for civic education and public discourse. Additionally IBJ hosted a range of community events and learning forums through the IBJ Institute further deepening engagement with youth families and justice system stakeholders. A major milestone in 2024 was the launch of Unlocking Justice a new civil legal aid initiative designed to expand access for individuals and families historically harmed by racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. In collaboration with community organizations members of the Pierce County Minority Bar and nonprofit and private law firms the program supports legal relief related to drug possession convictions-specifically vacating eligible criminal convictions eliminating legal financial obligations and restoring civil rights. Phase I of the program focused on Pierce County residents with Phase II set to expand services statewide. Unlocking Justice is aligned with the Community Reinvestment Act CRA priorities and is building a statewide network of legal professionals committed to racial equity in civil legal aid.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 83% 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 total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 40
  • Sustainability: 66
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 47.9%; rating input score 48
  • Program expense ratio: 85.1%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $135.59 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 50%; rating input score 50; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 43.8%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.84; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.7%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 22.3% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 43.8% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 71.4% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 47.9% of revenue deployed · 85.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 1 of 2 board members independent · 2 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $279K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $16K · 2 people listed
  • Consistency: 41 of 42 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 48/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 7 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.