Leadership Now Project

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
821780610
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2017
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2026596570
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,555,748
Expenses
$4,709,403
Assets
$657,211
Liabilities
$555,234

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DANIELLA BALLOU-AARES (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • DANIELLA BALLOU-AARES (CEO): $312,132 total reported compensation
  • CHAVA KALLBERG (CGO (UNTIL 9/13/2024)): $242,252 total reported compensation
  • LELA BRODSKY (CHIEF OF STAFF): $214,509 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 leadership now project is a membership organization of business and thought leaders committed to protecting and renewing american democracy. We mobilize our members' expertise, networks, and resources to advance high-impact solutions that (continued on schedule o) strengthen democratic institutions.

What it reported doing in 2024

Enabling leadership now members to engage in democracy-supporting activities: leadership now project empowers its members to strategically use their expertise, influence, and investment to protect and renew democracy at the state and federal levels. Through data-driven analysis and collaboration with academic and political experts, we identify areas where our members can have a meaningful impact in strengthening democratic institutions.leadership now offers recommendations on initiatives that promote civic engagement and democratic participation, and advocate for reforms that uphold democratic principles ensuring our members contribute to a stronger, more resilient democracy and economy. In 2024, leadership now helped safeguard elections in key states such as Wisconsin and Arizona and mobilized business and civic leaders to publicly urge president biden to "pass the torch" at a pivotal moment for national leadership. Our work was featured in over 200 media outlets, reflecting our growing influence in the national democracy and business conversation. Each year, we convene civic and business leaders committed to democratic renewal; in 2024, our 7th annual member meeting brought together members and invited guests with speakers including melinda french gates, governor gretchen whitmer, and former representative adam kinzinger. Our members are leading executives, entrepreneurs, and investors across more than 25 states.

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 96% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 67
  • Sustainability: 14
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 97.8%; rating input score 98
  • Program expense ratio: 94.6%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: $85.1 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 96.1%; rating input score 96; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.4%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.14; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.84; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 34.6%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 31.7% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 30.6% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 21.2% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 97.8% of revenue deployed · 94.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 3 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $4.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $312K · 10 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $877K reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 4/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.