Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jul 1982.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
80 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
43 people listed on the 990; $2.1M paid to officers and key staff.
Marc Tobias’s $225K as COO is at the 81st percentile of top reported officer pay among 1168 $1–10M international nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Breen | — | — | $351,160 | $268,637 | $288,882 |
| Breen Michael F | — | $325,891 | — | — | — |
| Shora Kareem | — | $228,518 | — | — | — |
| Kareem Shora | — | — | $225,315 | — | — |
| Marc Tobias | $224,655 | — | — | — | — |
| Welton Chang | — | — | — | $200,822 | $223,969 |
| Nyiendo Licha M | — | $198,788 | — | — | — |
| Bernfield James B | — | $185,317 | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Investigates and exposes global human rights abuses and corruption, advocating for systemic policy changes and supporting human rights defenders to promote justice worldwide.
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Protecting refugeeshuman rights first's refugee representation team promotes human rights by assisting refugees who are fleeing persecution. We provide legal representation, frequently with pro bono lawyers, to help our clients access legal protections in the united states consistent with U.S. And international law.
Accountability and human rights defendershuman rights first works to hold corrupt actors and human rights abusers around the world accountable for their actions. Key 2023 achievements resulting from our work INCLUDE:1) produced the first-ever joint report with civil society counterparts in the U.K., european union, and canada on a…
Innovation labthe innovation lab at human rights first was founded in 2019 to develop technology solutions that deliver transformative impact and protect human rights in the digital age. Key 2023 achievements include: 1) iterated on a machine-powered tool called docdb, which can be used to search through thousands of documents.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2023 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY23 | End FY23 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $1.3M | $2.0M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $8.0M | $5.3M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $243K | $169K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $16.2M | $16.9M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $2.9M | $4.2M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $13.3M | $12.7M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $1.4M | $1.1M | $192K | $148K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $6.1M | $4.6M | $891K | $662K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $110K | $95K | $6K | $8K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $845K | $734K | $48K | $64K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $573K | $497K | $32K | $43K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $155K | $155K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $65K | $65K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $34K | $34K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $2.6M | $2.5M | $46K | $90K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $15K | $7K | $8K | $12 |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $38K | $27K | $8K | $2K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $99K | $88K | $5K | $7K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $905K | $801K | $42K | $62K |
| TravelLn 17 | $152K | $99K | $39K | $14K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $26K | $12K | $13K | $380 |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $144K | $119K | $11K | $14K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $78K | $69K | $4K | $6K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $1.5M | $1.4M | $53K | $62K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $182K | $68K | $97K | $17K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $15.1M | $12.1M | $1.7M | $1.2M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest | $7.6M | $12.2M | −$4.7M | $4.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 Viewing | $14.7M | $15.1M | −$375K | $12.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $14.5M | $15.9M | −$1.4M | $13.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $13.9M | $13.5M | $345K | $16.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $12.9M | $10.4M | $2.5M | $15.7M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $14,711,146 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 29 of 29 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $14,711,146 across 10 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $15,085,940 across 19 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $16,896,740 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $12,672,867 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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