Nacdl Foundation for Criminal Justice

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
522289169
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2028728600
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Crime, Legal Related N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,276,552
Expenses
$2,799,911
Assets
$5,503,381
Liabilities
$1,739,328

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CYNTHIA EVA HUJAR ORR (PRESIDENT)
  • MICHAEL P HEISKELL (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • LISA M WAYNE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • LISA M WAYNE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $374,220 total reported compensation
  • KYLE O'DOWD (DEPUTY DIRECTOR): $224,828 total reported compensation
  • STEVEN LOGAN (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $157,965 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To preserve and promote the core values of america's justice system guaranteed by the constitution - among them due process, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, fair sentencing and assistance of effective counsel - by educating the public and the legal profession to the role of these rights and values in a free society. The foundation supports the work of the national association of criminal defense lawyers toward these ends.

What it reported doing in 2024

Fourth amendment center: the nacdl fourth amendment center ("the center") was established to safeguard the fundamental values embodied in the fourth amendment to protect individuals from unreasonable government surveillance, searches, and seizures in the digital age. New technologies, such as gps tracking devices; automated license plate readers, biometric surveillance, including facial recognition technology; and a wide range of technologies that foster the collection of bulk data threaten to undermine basic privacy rights. The center builds on nacdl's steadfast commitment to limit unreasonably intrusive government conduct through the unique capacity of the nation's defense bar to challenge the limits of government conduct in the context of criminal investigations and prosecutions. The center maintains an infrastructure to provide the following core resources to criminal defense lawyers and their clients: (1) advanced education on emerging issues at the intersection of technology, privacy, and constitutional rights; (2) a dynamic toolkit of resources to help lawyers identify opportunities to challenge government surveillance; and (3) a tactical litigation support to assist in cases that present an opportunity to challenge the use of new technologies that infringe on the fourth amendment rights of citizens.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 97.3%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: $37.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 63rd 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: -23%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.97; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.32; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.7%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.5% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.5% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 97.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $374K · 18 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 2 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.