Vera Action Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
853897516
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Phone
2123341300
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,931,133
Expenses
$3,636,576
Assets
$3,008,352
Liabilities
$2,001,092

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NICHOLAS R TURNER (PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR)
  • INSHA RAHMAN (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • NICHOLAS R TURNER (PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR): $663,165 total reported compensation
  • INSHA RAHMAN (VICE PRESIDENT): $386,747 total reported compensation
  • ADAIR H IACONO (SECRETARY): $332,381 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Vera action is an independent, but aligned advocacy organization to the vera institute of justice, a 501(c)(3). Vera action harnesses the power of advocacy, lobbying, and political strategy to end mass incarceration, protect immigrants' rights, restore dignity to people behind bars, and build safe and thriving communities.

What it reported doing in 2024

Messaging justice: vera action produces public opinion research to shape a national conversation about safety and justice that recognizes that we can have both. We use tested messages and polling in our issue advocacy and media campaigns to counter fear-based narratives that otherwise dominate media and political dialogue.state and local advocacy: vera action brings data, evidence, and solutions to the policy arena. We work in over 20 statehouses and city and county legislatures across the country on campaigns for pretrial justice, ending unjust fines and fees, advancing the right to counsel for immigrants, winning budget investments in community-driven safety, and more.federal policy: vera action advocates in congress and the administration to impact federal levers for justice reform including appropriations, executive action, and federal legislation. In coalition with other advocates, we lead or are a part of federal campaigns to expand access to college in prison, win the right to guaranteed counsel for immigrants facing deportation, and advance sentencing reform, jail and prison oversight, and police accountability.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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. 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: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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; 76th 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: -88.3%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.83; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.67; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 50% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.1% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $663K · 9 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 9 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 1/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 11/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.