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    The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies
    Proceed with Caution
    Impact & Measurement
    Accountability & Finance
    Culture & Community
    Leadership & Adaptability

    The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies

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    Is this your nonprofit?
    501(c)(3) organization
    Donations are tax-deductible
    https://fedsoc.org/
    1776 I Street, NW
    Suite 300Washington DC 20006

    Washington DC | IRS ruling year: 1983 | EIN: 36-3235550  
    An EIN is a unique nine-digit number that identifies a business for tax purposes.
    An EIN is a unique nine-digit number that identifies a business for tax purposes.
     
    Organization Mission
    Founded in 1982, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a group of conservatives and libertarians dedicated to reforming the current legal order ... (More)
     

    Rating Information

    rating
    Great

    This charity's score is 97%, earning it a Four-Star rating.

    This overall score is calculated entirely from a single beacon score, weighted as follows: 100% Accountability & Finance. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.

    Historical Ratings
    Charity Navigator's ratings previously did not consider Leadership & Adaptability, Culture & Community, or Impact & Measurement. The historic rating mainly reflects a version of today’s Accountability and Finance score. More information on our previous rating methodologies can be found on our rating methodology page.
    Date PublishedOverall Rating
    12/23/2021
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    12/1/2020
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    8/1/2019
    rating
    8/1/2018
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    12/1/2017
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    11/1/2016
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    6/1/2016
    rating
    11/1/2015
    rating
    This organization received multiple star ratings within this fiscal year, due to an update to its Accountability and Transparency data and/or the receipt of an amended Form 990.
    12/1/2014
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    9/1/2013
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    6/1/2012
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    10/1/2011
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    9/20/2011
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    8/1/2010
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    10/1/2009
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    10/1/2008
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    7/1/2007
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    7/1/2006
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    7/1/2005
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    11/1/2004
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    Proceed with Caution—Reported Other Material Investigation

    On October 30, 2023, The Hill reported that The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is the subject of an active investigation in an article titled, "Jordan, Comer launch probe into DC AG’s investigation of conservative judicial activist." For more information regarding this matter, please see The Hill article.

    • On March 23, 2024, Politico published an article titled "What happens when an AG dares to investigate Leonard Leo’s network." For more information, please see Politico article

    For more information about our alerts methodology, see here.

    Rating Report

    Accountability & Finance
    Score

    97

    Most Recent Fiscal Year:
    FY 2023
    This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
    Learn more

    Key Accountability Metrics

    Full Credit
    Partial Credit
    No Credit
    Majority Independent Board Members - 76% independent members
    10 out of 10 points
    Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. We check to see that a majority of board members are identified as independent on their tax form.

    Source: IRS Form 990
    Independent Board Size - 10 independent members
    10 out of 10 points
    Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. For most organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least three independent board members. For large, donor-funded organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least five independent board members

    Source: IRS Form 990
    Financial Statements - Audit and Oversight Committee
    20 out of 20 points
    An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
    Total Revenue AmountExpectation to Receive Credit
    $2 million or higher and 40% or higher donor supportExpected to complete an audit and have an audit oversight committee
    $1 million or higherExpected to complete an audit
    $500,000 - $1 millionExpected to complete an audit, review, or compilation
    Less than $500,000No expectation (removed from scoring methodology)

    Source: IRS Form 990
    Material Diversion of Assets - None
    20 out of 20 points
    A diversion of assets — any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft — also can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We review the charity's most recent IRS Form 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets.

    Source: IRS Form 990

    Tax Form Disclosures and Policies

    Full Credit
    Partial Credit
    No Credit
    Website Listed on Tax Form - Listed
    5 out of 5 points
    Charity Navigator looks for a website on the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.

    Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.

    Source: IRS Form 990
    Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed
    5 out of 5 points
    Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.

    This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.

    Source: IRS Form 990
    Whistleblower Policy - Listed
    5 out of 5 points
    Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.

    This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.

    Source: IRS Form 990
    Document Retention and Destruction - Listed
    5 out of 5 points
    Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the IRS Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.

    This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.

    Source: IRS Form 990
    Documents Board Meeting Minutes - Yes
    5 out of 5 points
    Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the IRS Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.

    An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.

    Source: IRS Form 990
    Tax Form Distributed to Board Before Filing - Listed
    5 out of 5 points
    Providing copies of the IRS Form 990 to the governing body prior to filing is considered a best practice, as it allows for thorough review by the individuals charged with overseeing the organization. The Form 990 asks the charity to disclose whether or not it has followed this best practice.
    Loans to/from Officers - None
    5 out of 5 points
    Making loans to related parties, such as key officers, staff, or Board members, is not standard practice in the sector as it diverts the charity's funds away from its charitable mission and can lead to real and perceived conflict-of-interest problems.
    The IRS requires charities to disclose on their Form 990 any loans to or from current and former officers, directors, trustees, key employees, and other "disqualified persons." Some state laws go so far as to prohibit loans to board members and officers.
    Although employees and trustees are permitted to make loans to charities, this practice can also result in real and/or perceived conflict of interest problems for the charity. Furthermore, it is problematic because it indicates that the organization is not financially secure. Our analysts check to see if any loans have been made.

    Website Disclosures

    Full Credit
    Partial Credit
    No Credit
    Tax Form Posted on Nonprofit's Website as stated on Form 990 - Missing
    0 out of 5 points
    For almost all charities, we check the charity's IRS Form 990 to see if it discloses that the Form 990 is available on the charity's website. As with the audited financial statement, donors need easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well.

    Source: IRS Form 990

    Financial Metrics

    Full Credit
    Partial Credit
    No Credit
    Liabilities to Assets: Ratio - 26.74%
    25 out of 25 points
    The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent IRS Form 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization's solvency and/or long-term sustainability.

    Source: IRS Form 990
    Program Expense: Ratio - 89.04%
    25 out of 25 points
    The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three IRS Forms 990). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.


    Source: IRS Form 990
    Fundraising Efficiency: Ratio - $0.03
    25 out of 25 points
    The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.

    Source: IRS Form 990
    Working Capital: Ratio - 1.60 years
    25 out of 25 points
    Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed IRS Form 990. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.

    Source: IRS Form 990

    Additional Information

    Total Revenue and Expenses - Data Available
    This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
    Salary of Key Persons - No Data Available
    No Data Available
    Salary of Key Persons data is currently unavailable for this organization. This data is only available if this charity has at least one year of electronically-filed Form 990 data filed within the last 3 years. In some cases, there may be an electronically-filed 990 on file but the nonprofit may have not included the information and therefore we cannot post it.
    IRS Published Data (Business Master File) - Data Available
    Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website

    Foundation Status:
    Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public   170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)

    Affiliation:
    Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
    Data Sources (IRS Forms 990) - Data Available
    The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage accountability and finance data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies) or EIN (363235550) in the 'Search Term' field.
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