Southern Poverty Law Center Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Legal - the southern poverty law center (splc) seeks justice by supporting victims of civil rights abuses and hate crimes and promoting the civil and human rights of groups most affected by bias and discrimination in our society: communities of color, immigrants, guests workers, children, the poor, and the lgbt community - both in the deep south and nationwide. Its case docket focuses on holding hate groups accountable for murders and other violent acts committed by their members; ending workplace exploitation of immigrants; challenging unconstitutional or discriminatory laws and policies affecting immigrants, communities of color and the lgbt community; in addition to working to reform juvenile justice, mental health, and education systems that fail children and routinely push students out of classrooms and into the criminal justice system, disproportionately harming african-american and latino students living in poverty. The splc attorneys focus on these critical civil rights issues from five splc offices in the deep south. The center has identified four areas of work that pose the greatest opportunities to achieving its mission. The center has prioritized these areas of work in order to achieve maximum impact on its goals, including eradicating poverty and racial income inequality, ending over-criminalization and mass incarceration, strengthening democracy, and countering white supremacy."

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 68.8%; rating input score 69
• Program expense ratio: 70.3%; rating input score 70
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.82 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • 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: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 14.5%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.21; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 9.5% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings