World Security Institute (Formerly Center for Defense Information)

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521289743
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2015
Forms available
Form 990 2015
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2025255962
Rating confidence
Limited
Sector
Research Institutes and Public Policy Analysis

Reported finances

Revenue
$0
Expenses
$4,155
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2015. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRUCE G BLAIR (PRESIDENT & CEO)

People named in this filing

  • BRUCE G BLAIR (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • ROBERT M MEYERS MD (CHAIRMAN)
  • JAMES D HEAD PHD (DIRECTOR)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2015. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Wsi is a non-profit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to independent research and journalism on global affairs. The organization provides news and research-based analysis to policy-makers around the globe and serves as an authoritative and impartial monitor of security issues.

What it reported doing in 2015

Center for defense information/wsi programs: general research, analysis and public education on defense commitments, military spending and policies and comparative costs and benefits of various defense programs. Provision of information on request to scholars, journalists, researchers and the general public. Provide expert analysis of the various components of the U.S.national security, international security and defense policy by promoting wide-ranging discussion and debate within the united states on issues affecting security such as nuclear weapons, space security, missile defense, small arms and military.

Operating model

Revenue model
No positive adjusted resources. The filing reports no positive adjusted operating resources.
Distribution model
No current program activity. The filing reports no program spending for the current year.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 0
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 73
  • Sustainability: 8
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: 0%; rating input score 0
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 75%; rating input score 75; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: Limited
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -113.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -71.3% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -92.7% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 0% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 4 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 14 of 14 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2011 to 2015
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.