Innocence Project

What it reported doing in 2024

Science and research: the data science & research department drives the research agenda for the innocence movement and supports the innocence project's litigation, policy, communications, and social work efforts with statistics, literature, and other resources. The team is central to improving data culture and building an environment appropriate for rigorous scientific exploration. During fy2025 (july 1, 2024-june 30, 2025) efforts focusing on internal infrastructure were substantial as the department continues to lead an organization-wide effort to centralize, standardize, clean, and expand all internal data sources - including auditing the database of all innocence project victories. Additionally, the department contributed to public education on wrongful convictions through several speaking engagements with a variety of audiences and hosted the third virtual international just data: advancing the innocence movement conference. Communications: the innocence project sees each exoneration as an opportunity to build public awareness and support for creating more fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. The communications department knows that exoneration storiescombined with our legal, scientific, and policy expertisehave the power to drive change and the team works to ensure they are given profiles in all types of media outlets and social media platforms. It works to shape and advance the agenda and national conversation around systemic criminal justice reform and designs communications strategies to further our public policy and litigation goals.to ensure the organization is reaching a wide array of audiences across as many channels as possible, the innocence project has built a robust communications strategy with a multi-prong approach that leverages earned media, as well digital platforms, public events, and other creative content for impact.the key elements of the communications strategy include: building and maintaining a high profile in the media, securing coverage of our legal and policy work in hundreds of outlets annually.-a robust digital presence that aims to engage and educate key audiences by creating and distributing messaging and other content on social media, our website, via emails, and virtual events.-print and digital publications that provide audiences with an overview of our clients' cases and stories, our research and policy initiatives, as well as the organization's goals and victories. -the innocence project speakers bureau, which offers former clients and innocence project staff to speak at hundreds of venuesincluding high schools, colleges/universities, corporations, law firms, organizations, and civic and religious organizationsaround the country. -public events and special projects. The department continues to strengthen its outreach and advocacy-centric efforts to advance the innocence project's strategic goal of tackling the underlying systemic issues and processes that compromise the integrity of our legal system and put particular communities at great risk of wrongful conviction. Network support: the organization's network support unit provides technical assistance and capacity building services to the innocence network, an affiliation of 74 like-minded organizations around the world dedicated to providing pro bono legal services to individuals seeking to prove their innocence. The team also manages and runs an annual conference for network members, freed and exonerated people, their families, and other interested partieslast year, the unit conducted twelve tailored in-person trainings for network members, held six webinars, facilitated four ongoing peer groups, released several online toolkits, and provided virtual coaching to more than 50 innocence organizations. They also held four in-person regional leadership summits and facilitated the 11th annual wrongful conviction day, a day to raise visibility and awareness around the causes and remedies of wrongful convictio

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 65.9%; rating input score 66
• Program expense ratio: 72.2%; rating input score 72
• Fundraising efficiency: $8.26 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• 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: 15.5%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.86; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6.9%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 10.5% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 11.1% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 18.7% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings