Middle East Policy Network Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
270627017
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2015
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
8583679652
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Peace and Security

Reported finances

Revenue
$785,645
Expenses
$784,477
Assets
$983,218
Liabilities
$4,433

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TAREQ BACONI (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • TAREQ BACONI (PRESIDENT): $112,926 total reported compensation
  • MEGAN DRISCOLL (CO-DIRECTOR): $71,382 total reported compensation
  • YARA HAWARI (CO-DIRECTOR): $71,382 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Al-shabaka: the palestinian policy network is an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization whose mission is to convene a multidisciplinary, global network of palestinian analysts to produce critical policy analysis and collectively imagine a new policymaking paradigm for palestine and palestinians worldwide.

What it reported doing in 2025

As an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit organization, al-shabaka's programmatic work continues to focus on publication of analysis. This analysis is sourced primarily from members of al-shabaka's network, with a focus on political, economic, and social affairs. The analysis comes in a variety of long and short-form written content, as well as online webinars and through a podcast series.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 55
  • Accountability: 81
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.3%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 73.8%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.05 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 41; 41st 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: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 75%; rating input score 75; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.1%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.25; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.6%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.5% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.5% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.3% of revenue deployed · 73.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 4 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $579K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $113K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 41/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.