Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Feb 2007.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
94 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
17 people listed on the 990.
Lynn Swaner’s $163K as President, US, Cardus is at the 52nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 2832 $1–10M community development 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 · 2 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Van Pelt | — | — | $175,406 |
| Lynn Swaner | $163,200 | $160,000 | — |
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 15aNo
Programs and updates
Cardus INC is a community improvement nonprofit based in Washington, DC, formed in 2004.
Questions for Cardus INC
Your first name shows with your question. Cardus INC answers here, for everyone.
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Comment is one of the core publications of cardus, a think tank devoted to renewing north american social architecture, rooted in 2000 years of christian social thought. In our print and online essays and reviews we zoom in on the multiple components that make up this "social architecture": the institutions that serve as the scaffolding…
The cardus religious school initiative (crsi) seeks to generate new theoretical and empirical tools for understanding religious schools. Crsi conducts research which aims to appreciate the uniqueness of religious schools mission and organization and to reveal the extent to which religious schools improve outcomes for students, families…
The cardus education survey research project on the culture shaping impact of christian education in the us and canada originally began as a two year pilot project in 2009. Extended into 2012, this has now become a long term project, conducted jointly with the cardus institute, to provide reliable, credible data for non-government school…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2022 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY22 | End FY22 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $40K | $357K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $41K | $358K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $159K | $311K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | −$117K | $47K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal feesLn 11b | $53K | $53K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $4K | $4K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $998 | $998 | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $7K | $3K | $4K | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $65K | $45K | $20K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $4K | $4K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $1K | $1K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $425K | $423K | $2K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $560K | $529K | $31K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $1.1M | $1.3M | −$231K | $11K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $1.1M | $983K | $96K | $242K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $890K | $791K | $99K | $146K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 Viewing | $725K | $560K | $165K | $47K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $244K | $348K | −$104K | −$117K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $251K | $317K | −$66K | −$14K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2022 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $724,932 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 0 of 12 board members independent, 3 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $724,932 across 3 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $560,072 across 8 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $357,982 assets, 9 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $47,398 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2022 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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