CRDF Global

Legal name: Us Civilian Research & Development Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
541773406
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Arlington, Virginia, USA
Phone
7035269720
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and Fund Distribution

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$73,586,507
Expenses
$71,164,390
Assets
$79,750,656
Liabilities
$72,182,210

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

Leadership & pay

26 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL DIGNAM (CEO & PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHAEL DIGNAM (CEO & PRESIDENT): $741,263 total reported compensation
  • TINA DOLPH (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $521,397 total reported compensation
  • ANKUR RAWAT (CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER): $480,244 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Advancing U.S. national security by mitigating threats and enhancing opportunities through technology, innovation, and collaboration.

What it reported doing in 2024

Security assistance: crdf global partners with international government agencies, industry, academia, and non-government organizations to develop solutions to mitigate the proliferation of cbrne threats and the intentional and accidental misuse of these materials. Our projects strengthen international safety and security culture by enhancing risk management practices, improving in-country detection and response capabilities, securing facilities, and encouraging collaborative partnerships to reduce risk. In addition, our programs enhance national export control regulation and the interdiction and detection capabilities of border security forces. We enhance regional, interagency, and industry coordination among stakeholders, building partner nation capacity to prevent transshipment of illicit goods, detect falsified information and improve the security infrastructure of land, air, and sea borders.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 90% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% 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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.8%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 98.2%; rating input score 98
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3,646.23 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Pass
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.5%; rating input score 99; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 69.2%; rating input score 69; 20th 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: 3.3%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.12; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.91; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.6%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.9% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.6% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 10 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 94.8% of revenue deployed · 98.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 13 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $69.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $741K · 26 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3.6M reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 36 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 27 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 4 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.

  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 49/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.