The Center for Victims of Torture

What it reported doing in 2024

Capacity developmentcvt's capacity development (cd) department supports organizations and individuals to strengthen their capacity to engage in torture and trauma prevention and rehabilitation work, including advancing justice and accountability. Through training, mentoring, coaching, consulting, and peer exchange, cd initiatives support other organizations to achieve improvements in advocacy, job performance, security, and organizational functioning (including improved service quality for torture survivors). The national capacity building (ncb) project organizes technical assistance for a large u.s.-based network of 49 torture survivor centers and programs in 26 states, along with other refugee and immigrant service organizations, to strengthen the delivery of integrated, sustainable care for survivors across the united states. In 2025 ncb provided training, webinars, meetings and consultations benefiting at least 104 organizations, representing 602 non-unique individuals. The helping survivors heal (hsh) project worked with 12 torture rehabilitation organizations outside the u.s. To expand access to appropriate evidence based mental health and psychosocial services to survivors of torture. Unfortunately, the hsh project and these partnerships were halted by the stop work orders from the u.s. Government in january 2025.the new tactics in human rights program promotes enhanced strategic and tactical planning and action among the global human rights community and online with thousands of training participants from 89 countries. The idream project supports human rights defenders (hrds) around the world who have been forced into exile due to their human rights advocacy work, by providing capacity development services in these three areas: mental health resilience, effective advocacy, and integrated security; other projects provide similar support to hrds in their home countries. The adaptive resilience for civil society at risk (arc) project measurably and sustainably fosters the holistic security and resilience of human rights groups, using a strengths-based and adaptive approach in the face of dynamic threat environments and closing civic space. It builds safety, enhances contextualized and accessible resources, and supports peer collaboration. Cvt's myanmar initiative engages with civil society in refuge and exile as they provide psychosocial support to their communities. The survivors of torture initiative (soti) supports syrian civil society to advance inclusive justice and heal trauma. With a network of about 100 syrian organizations as well as institutions like the international, impartial and independent mechanism (iiim) and the independent institution on missing persons in the syrian arab republic (iimp), soti provides critical support to groups rebuilding syria. It focuses on detainees, torture survivors and their families, providing resilience and rehabilitation services to victims as well as the human rights defenders who support them. Its therapeutic model for documentation of violations supports advocacy, litigation, and investigation efforts. In fy25, the project adapted to shifting circumstances in syria and throughout the region; however, lengthy project suspension and uncertainty impeded cvt's implementation. Relatedly, "systems of support for victims and witnesses of atrocity crimes participating in accountability processes" aims to strengthen justice for syrians. It does this by supporting civil society organizations, coordinating services for victims and witnesses, and engaging with accountability mechanisms to create awareness of participation barriers. A cornerstone of this project is the co-design of a collaborative system for coordinating and funding support across a wide range of needs and services. This project was suspended before the co-design process could take place, and subgrants could not be issued due to the uncertainty of ongoing project reviews.cvt's efforts to register and initiate operations

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 67.2%; rating input score 67
• Program expense ratio: 74.4%; rating input score 74
• Fundraising efficiency: $14.43 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Pass
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Pass
  • Conducts site visits: Limited
  • Requires grant agreements: Limited
  • May require repayment: 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; 66th 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: 9.5%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.43; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5.4%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings