Civil rights charities, by the numbers.
2,329 of them filed a full Form 990 and spent $6.2B between them.
- 2,329
- charities filing a full Form 990, 906 spending $1M+
- $6.2B
- spent in their latest year, with $5.9B coming in as gifts and grants
- 17%
- of all that spending by the 10 biggest
The biggest 400 civil rights charities.
| # | Charity | Spending | Program share | Cost to raise $1 | Savings | CEO pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Civil Liberties Union FoundationOur file New York, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $245.5M | 84% | 7¢ | 38 mo | $760K |
| 2 | Anti-Defamation LeagueOur file New York, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $128.2M | 75% | 12¢ | 5 mo | $1.33M |
| 3 | Alliance Defending FreedomOur file Scottsdale, AZ · Other · FY 2025 | $108.6M | 78% 77% CPA view | 12¢ 13¢ CPA view | 11 mo | $585K |
| 4 | Our American Future FoundationOur file Washington, DC · Other · FY 2025 | $105.3M | 100% | 0¢ | 4 mo | – |
| 5 | American Jewish CommitteeOur file New York, NY · Other · FY 2024 | $102.3M | 80% 80% CPA view | 11¢ 11¢ CPA view | 36 mo | $736K |
| 6 | Brooklyn Defender ServicesOur file Brooklyn, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $89.4M | 88% | 0¢ | 1 mo | $390K |
| 7 | NAACP Empowerment Programs Baltimore, MD · Other · FY 2024 | $77.6M | 67% | 12¢ | 9 mo | $828K |
| 8 | Trevor ProjectOur file W Hollywood, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $67.4M | 82% | 9¢ | 9 mo | $435K |
| 9 | The Voter Participation Center Washington, DC · Other · FY 2024 | $66.5M | 94% | 4¢ | 3 mo | $257K |
| 10 | The Center for Reproductive Rights New York, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $65.2M | 71% | 18¢ | 15 mo | $595K |
| 11 | NAACP Legal Defense & Educ Fund New York, NY · Other · FY 2025 | $63.8M | 67% 67% CPA view | 22¢ 23¢ CPA view | 80 mo | $577K |
| 12 | Christian Advocates Serving Atlanta, TN · Other · FY 2025 | $63.2M | 93% 75% CPA view | 5¢ 28¢ CPA view | 18 mo | $26K |
| 13 | Individual Advocacy Group Romeoville, IL · Other · FY 2025 | $62.0M | 89% | 23¢ | 6 mo | $250K |
| 14 | Institute for Healthcare Improvement Boston, MA · Other · FY 2025 | $58.9M | 79% | 0¢ | 27 mo | $900K |
| 15 | Illinois Coalition for Immigrant Chicago, IL · Other · FY 2025 | $54.1M | 98% | 1¢ | 2 mo | $230K |
| 16 | Equal Justice Initiative Montgomery, AL · Other · FY 2025 | $52.1M | 95% | 0¢ | 107 mo | – |
| 17 | Center for Disability Rights Rochester, NY · Other · FY 2024 | $49.6M | 92% | 0¢ | 7 mo | $233K |
| 18 | Center for American Progress Washington, DC · Other · FY 2024 | $48.3M | 79% | 9¢ | 8 mo | $393K |
| 19 | Institute for Justice Arlington, VA · Other · FY 2025 | $47.6M | 81% | 9¢ | 35 mo | $797K |
| 20 | Disability Rights California Sacramento, CA · Other · FY 2025 | $46.8M | 86% | 0¢ | 7 mo | $305K |
| 21 | Texas Casa Austin, TX · Other · FY 2025 | $40.3M | 96% | 1¢ | 4 mo | $220K |
| 22 | Human Rights Foundation New York, NY · Other · FY 2024 | $39.8M | 90% | 5¢ | 26 mo | $330K |
| 23 | Refugee & Immigrant Center for San Antonio, TX · Other · FY 2024 | $37.5M | 80% | 13¢ | 14 mo | $432K |
| 24 | Children's Defense Fund Washington, DC · Other · FY 2024 | $34.9M | 73% | 11¢ | 10 mo | $367K |
| 25 | Democracy Matters Foundation Washington, DC · Other · FY 2024 | $34.7M | 99% | 1¢ | 1 mo | – |
Program share = program expenses ÷ total expenses (Part IX, line 25). Cost to raise $1 = fundraising expenses ÷ contributions (Part IX, Part VIII line 1h). Savings = net assets ÷ annual spending × 12, which includes buildings, endowments and restricted gifts, so zoos and aquariums run high. CEO pay is reportable compensation from the charity (Part VII). “CPA view” moves joint fundraising costs reported on line 26 out of programs. Names link to our file where we have one, otherwise to the filing on ProPublica.
Benchmarks for civil rights.
Medians across 906 charities spending $1M or more. Use them to judge any charity in this cause.
- 80%
- median program share, as reported
- 6¢
- median cost to raise $1, among charities taking in $100K+ in gifts
- 10 mo
- median net assets, in months of spending
| Annual spending | Charities | Median CEO pay | Median program share |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1–5M | 670 | $143K | 79% |
| $5–25M | 195 | $243K | 81% |
| $25–100M | 36 | $367K | 83% |
| $100M+ | 5 | $748K | 80% |
The yes-or-no answers.
Counts of civil rights charities answering “yes” (or failing a basic check) in their latest Form 990. The charities answer these themselves.
charities told the IRS they discovered a significant diversion of assets (theft, embezzlement or misuse).
charities reported a paid fundraiser that kept half or more of what it raised.
charities reported an excess benefit transaction with an insider.
charities had $2M+ in revenue and no audited financial statements.
charities had $1M+ in revenue and no conflict-of-interest policy.
charities reported loans to or from officers or directors.
A “yes” is a reason to read the filing, not a verdict. Learn what each answer means in how to check a charity, and see how we read a 990.
Every civil rights charity we cover.
Questions about civil rights charities.
What is the largest civil rights charity?
By spending, American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (NY), at $245.5M in its fiscal year ending 2025, per its Form 990.
How much do civil rights charity CEOs make?
The median CEO of a civil rights charity spending $1–5M a year was paid $143K. At charities spending $100M or more, the median was $748K. Figures are reportable compensation from the charity, Form 990 Part VII.
What percentage of donations to civil rights charities goes to programs?
The median civil rights charity spending $1M or more reported 80% of its spending on programs, on Form 990 Part IX. That is the charity's own split. Some charities count part of their fundraising mail as program work; our pages show the number both ways.
How many civil rights charities are there?
2,329 civil rights organizations filed a full Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, 906 of them spending $1 million or more. Thousands more file the short 990-EZ or the 990-N postcard.
Where this comes from.
Each charity's latest Form 990 in the IRS's 2025 and 2026 e-file releases, joined to the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File for its NTEE cause code. Organizations that file as charities but aren't funded like one (research contractors, sports bodies and similar) are left out of the comparison table. Charities that file a 990-EZ or 990-N aren't included. Figures are as filed; we haven't reviewed each one, except where a charity has our full file.
Charity Math, “Civil rights charities, by the numbers,” data as of 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/causes/civil-rights/