Mdrc FY2021 filing

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Mdrc is dedicated to improving the well-being of low-income people. (see schedule o) through our research, we seek to enhance the effectiveness of social policies & programs that affect the poor.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
81¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$3.1M paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2021 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
1 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $1.8M a year · 2% of revenue · last 5 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 1 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
81%
of spending
Looks good: 81% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$3.1M
to officers and key staff · 4% of spending
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 4% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
7 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $65.0M in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Looks good: 6.9 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $814K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$37.6M
26% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 26% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
14
of 14 voting members
Looks good: 14 of 14 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$93.1M
+42% vs prior year
Spent
$75.1M
To programs
81%
Net assets
$106.3M
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$93.1M
FY2021▲ +42%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$65.6M
FY2021$93.1M
FY2022$82.8M
FY2023$83.9M
FY2024$89.3M
Expenses
$75.1M
FY2021▲ +14%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$66.0M
FY2021$75.1M
FY2022$85.7M
FY2023$85.0M
FY2024$93.9M
Net assets
$106.3M
FY2021▲ +25%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$84.8M
FY2021$106.3M
FY2022$91.6M
FY2023$95.9M
FY2024$92.0M

From the FY2021 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jul 1974.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

81 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 81% · $60.7M Management & general 19% · $14.4M Fundraising 0% · $8K

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

28 people listed on the 990; $3.1M paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
$460,846Pt VII · Sec A
SR. Vice President & CFO
$391,346Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President & Dep. Dir Pred
$268,123Pt VII · Sec A
SR. Vice President & Dir. Pred
$258,935Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President & General Cnsel
$232,994Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Economist
$232,624Pt VII · Sec A
Principal Research Fellow
$230,724Pt VII · Sec A
VP, Dir Deployment & Accountability
$216,618Pt VII · Sec A

Virginia W Knox’s $578K as President is at the 95th percentile of top reported officer pay among 414 $10–100M employment 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

NameFY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Virginia W Knox$577,629$537,852$460,846$445,532
Jesus M Amadeo$474,585$456,910$391,346$398,929
Dan J Bloom - SR Vice Pres$305,331$292,384——
Dan J Bloom——$258,935$272,662
Sharon Rowser Thru 072021——$268,123—
Charles Michalopoulos$264,924$257,339$232,624$229,588
James a Riccio$260,920$248,103$230,724$233,609
Rose Kob$251,854$239,945$232,994—

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.

See Mdrc executive salaries →

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

Conducts rigorous social policy research and evaluations to help schools and public programs improve the well-being and academic achievement of low-income individuals.

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3 programs · $39.8M · in their own filed words · FY2021
01

Family well-being and child developmentfor more than two decades, MDRC has been a leader in an expanding field of research that examines how children are affected by welfare reform and other social policies that are primarily designed to affect the employment and income status of their parents.

$16.8Mprogram expense
02

Youth development, criminal justice, and employmentmdrc was originally established to study programs for americans who face serious obstacles to finding and keeping steady work. Our very first project, the national supported work demonstration, tested the impact of paid work experience for long-term welfare recipients, ex-offenders, high…

$13.5Mprogram expense
03

Economic mobility, housing, and communitiesas an investigator of policies to improve the lives of families receiving welfare benefits, MDRC has brought its program development skills and reputation for methodological rigor to the challenge of learning how best to improve the economic health of workers and communities.

$9.5Mprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$814K
Grants paid · 147 grants · $10.3M · 2020–2023
Houston Housing AuthorityFY2023$419,415
Impact for Equity INCIL · FY2023$289,716
Ascend Stl INCMO · FY2023$250,000
Housing Authority of Baltimore CityFY2023$63,758
Board of Education Fulton CountyFY2023$26,762
Khan Academy INCFY2023$25,000
Washington Student Achievement CouncilFY2023$20,000
The Family PartnershipMN · FY2023$15,000
The Wildflower FoundationMN · FY2023$15,000
ZenoWA · FY2023$15,000
Sesame WorkshopNY · FY2023$15,000
Northwestern UniversityIL · FY2023$15,000
Regents of the University of MinnesotaFY2023$15,000
Davidson-Davie Community CollegeFY2023$10,000
Union County CollegeFY2023$10,000
See all 147 grants →

Federal money

Single Audit · Federal Audit Clearinghouse · money spent from federal programs
Year ending Dec 2025 · $30.9M federal money spent
Testing Identified Elements for Success in Fatherhood Programs (fatherhood Ties)Department of Health and Human Services · ALN 93.RD · Direct and through The Trustees of Columbia University in New York and 11 more$22.1M
Ies Re-Enrollment and Completion Team (react): a Multisite Randomized Controlled TrialDepartment of Education · ALN 84.305A · Direct and through New York University and 3 more$3.9M
The Using Generative Ai for Reading R&d CenterDepartment of Education · ALN 84.305C · Direct and through Digital Promise$1.7M
Ies Leveraging Wash St Lds School-To-Work PathwaysDepartment of Education · ALN 84.305S · Direct$791K
Wioa Adult Program - Building Opportunities and Optimizing Skills for Transitions (boost)Department of Labor · ALN 17.258 · Through State of California Employment Development Dept.$621K

Plus 8 smaller programs.

The auditor reported no findings.

Year ending Dec 2024 · $35.4M federal money spent
Responsible Fatherhood Local Evaluation Technical Assistance (rfleta) ProjectDepartment of Health and Human Services · ALN 93.RD · Direct and through Arch Systems and 6 more$24.2M
Ies Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (capr) Continuation Grant Long-Term Follow Up Study and Dissemination of Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (dcmp)Department of Education · ALN 84.RD · Direct and through Columbia University, Teacher's College and 4 more$4.1M
Ies Re-Enrollment and Completion Team (react): a Multisite Randomized Controlled TrialDepartment of Education · ALN 84.305A · Direct and through New York University and 3 more$2.9M
Westat Techhire Follow-OnDepartment of Labor · ALN 17.RD · Direct and through Westat, INC. and 2 more$814K
Ies the Higher Education Randomized Controlled Trials (the-Rct) Stats & MethodsDepartment of Education · ALN 84.305D · Direct$754K

Plus 13 smaller programs.

The auditor reported no findings.

Year ending Dec 2023 · $40.5M federal money spent
Testing Identified Elements for Success in Fatherhood Programs (fatherhood Ties)Department of Health and Human Services · ALN 93.RD · Direct and through Administration for Children and Families and 5 more$25.2M
Changing Policy and Practice in Developmental Education: Assessing the Evidence and Engaging the FieldDepartment of Education · ALN 84.RD · Direct and through Columbia University, Teacher's College and 4 more$3.6M
Ies City Year EvaluationDepartment of Education · ALN 84.305A · Direct and through American Institutes for Research and 4 more$2.9M
New York State Mobility Counseling ProgramDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · ALN 14.RD · Direct and through Enterprise Community Partners, INC.$2.5M
Child Support ServicesDepartment of Health and Human Services · ALN 93.563 · Through State of Georgia Department of Human Services$1.7M

Plus 15 smaller programs.

The auditor reported no findings.

Year ending Dec 2022 · $50.1M federal money spent
National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse DisseminationDepartment of Health and Human Services · ALN 93.RD · Direct and through Father's Incorporated and 5 more$36.0M
Study of the New World of Work ProgramDepartment of Education · ALN 84.305A · Direct and through New York University and 3 more$3.1M
Changing Policy and Practice in Developmental Education: Assessing the Evidence and Engaging the FieldDepartment of Education · ALN 84.RD · Direct and through Columbia University, Teacher's College and 3 more$2.0M
New York State Mobility Counseling ProgramDepartment of Housing and Urban Development · ALN 14.RD · Direct and through Enterprise Community Partners, INC.$2.0M
Procedural Justice Informed Alternatives (pjac)Department of Health and Human Services · ALN 93.563 · Through State of Georgia Department of Human Services$1.8M

Plus 14 smaller programs.

The auditor reported no findings.

By the numbers

The FY2021 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$93.1M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$89.2M
Investment incomeLn 3$2.5M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$1.4M
Money outPt IX
$75.1M
Ln 25
Programscol B$60.7M
Managementcol C$14.4M
Fundraisingcol D$8K
Owns and owesPt X
$106.3M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$43.2M
Total assetsLn 16$143.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$37.6M
PeoplePt VI, VII
28
listed · VII A
PaidVII A12
Voting boardVI 1a14
IndependentVI 1b14
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$89.2M
Government grantsLn 1e$50.5M
Fees for servicesLn 2g$1.4M
Investment incomeLn 3$2.5M
Gains on assetsLn 7$961K
Total revenueLn 12$93.1M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$4.0M
SavingsLn 2$39.2M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$43.2M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$65.0M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$7.6M
Other assetsLn 15$1.3M
Total assetsLn 16$143.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$37.6M
Net assetsLn 32$106.3M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 5334
VolunteersI 615
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3More from this return
EndowmentSch D · Pt V
LineFY21FY20FY19FY18FY17
End of yearLn 1g$49.5M$42.6M$38.6M$35.3M$37.5M
SpentLn 1d–1f$1.4M$1.4M$2.0M$1.3M$393K
4Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY21End FY21
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$30.4M$43.2M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$55.6M$65.0M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$8.3M$7.6M
Total assetsLn 16$118.5M$143.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$33.8M$37.6M
Net assetsLn 32$84.8M$106.3M
5Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$3.0M$3.0M
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$1.8M$1.3M$468K$200
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$217K$217K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$26.4M$19.5M$6.9M$3K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$1.6M$1.2M$412K$284
Other employee benefitsLn 9$5.4M$4.0M$1.4M$947
Payroll taxesLn 10$2.0M$1.5M$513K$354
Legal feesLn 11b$350K$147K$203K
Investment management feesLn 11f$516K$516K
Office expensesLn 13$273K$267K$6K
Information technologyLn 14$4.1M$3.8M$308K$3K
OccupancyLn 16$3.2M$2.5M$789K
TravelLn 17$43K$35K$8K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$253K$112K$141K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$715K$535K$180K$73
InsuranceLn 23$272K$204K$68K$28
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$23.3M$20.6M$2.7M$42
All other expensesLn 24e$1.6M$1.7M−$131K$448
Total functional expensesLn 25$75.1M$60.7M$14.4M$8K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 LatestFiled with the IRS Nov 17, 2025 $89.3M$93.9M−$4.6M$92.0M 990 PDF
FY2023Filed with the IRS Nov 13, 2024 $83.9M$85.0M−$1.1M$95.9M 990 PDF
FY2022 $82.8M$85.7M−$3.0M$91.6M 990 PDF
FY2021 ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 11, 2022 $93.1M$75.1M$18.0M$106.3M 990 PDF
FY2020Filed with the IRS Nov 14, 2021 $65.6M$66.0M−$447K$84.8M 990 PDF

Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support J · Pay O · Explanations
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $93,136,568 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $62,468,182$89,213,706
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $1,312,280$1,435,053
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $1,799,274$2,487,809
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $65,579,736$93,136,568
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $3,925,358$2,958,012
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $36,553,739$37,479,942
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $25,547,195$34,654,323
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $66,026,292$75,092,277
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$446,556$18,044,291
Part VI · Governance 14 of 14 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body14
VI-1b Independent voting members14
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $93,136,568 across 7 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$50,458,080
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$38,755,626
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$89,213,706
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $1,435,053$1,435,053
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $1,526,814$1,526,814
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax $960,995$960,995
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $1,435,053 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $2,487,809$93,136,568
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $75,092,277 across 18 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $2,958,012$2,958,012
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $1,343,692 · Management $467,663 · Fundraising $200$1,811,555
IX-6 Pay of disqualified personsPrograms $216,618$216,618
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $19,514,479 · Management $6,867,272 · Fundraising $2,942$26,384,693
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $1,212,667 · Management $412,231 · Fundraising $284$1,625,182
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $4,042,796 · Management $1,374,298 · Fundraising $947$5,418,041
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $1,510,144 · Management $513,355 · Fundraising $354$2,023,853
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $146,644 · Management $203,168$349,812
IX-11f Investment management feesManagement $516,438$516,438
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $266,852 · Management $6,035$272,887
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $3,837,251 · Management $308,024 · Fundraising $2,623$4,147,898
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $2,455,664 · Management $788,795$3,244,459
IX-17 TravelPrograms $35,152 · Management $8,303$43,455
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $111,925 · Management $140,708$252,633
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $535,086 · Management $179,509 · Fundraising $73$714,668
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $204,003 · Management $68,438 · Fundraising $28$272,469
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $20,558,654 · Management $2,696,355 · Fundraising $42$23,255,051
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $1,714,874 · Management −$130,769 · Fundraising $448$1,584,553
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $60,664,513 · Management $14,419,823 · Fundraising $7,941$75,092,277
Part X · Balance sheet $143,919,606 assets, 17 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $7,487,466$3,974,293
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $22,916,476$39,205,922
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $20,904,057$25,110,149
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $1,148,789$1,757,378
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $8,278,667$7,565,518
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $42,243,716$46,215,685
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $13,311,213$18,756,707
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $2,259,207$1,333,954
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $118,549,591$143,919,606
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $8,732,119$16,083,919
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $11,410,374$12,811,241
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $13,636,252$8,742,184
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $33,778,745$37,637,344
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $59,477,109$79,806,296
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $25,293,737$26,475,966
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $84,770,846$106,282,262
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $118,549,591$143,919,606
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $106,282,262 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$93,136,568
XI-2 Total expenses$75,092,277
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$18,044,291
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$84,770,846
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$3,467,125
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$106,282,262

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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