Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Aug 1941.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
53 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
119 people listed on the 990; $534K paid to officers and key staff.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 4 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurence J Msall | — | $215,111 | $419,213 | $399,440 | $388,376 | $373,311 |
| Joseph Ferguson | $335,417 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sarah J Wetmore | $164,039 | $251,840 | $170,025 | $153,943 | $145,735 | $137,737 |
| Lauracyn Duncan | — | $129,702 | $126,856 | $103,531 | — | — |
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 2Yes
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Conducts non-partisan research and advocates for rational tax policies to improve government efficiency, accountability, and the use of public funds in Illinois.
Questions for Civic Federation
Your first name shows with your question. Civic Federation answers here, for everyone.
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The civic federation provides objective, non-partisan information and advocates for improvements in government efficiency and tax policy through research, information and action. The civic federation challenges elected leaders of illinois as well as local governments to adopt rational tax policies and improve government efficiency…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $396K | $842K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $3.5M | $3.9M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $193K | $167K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $4.7M | $5.4M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $493K | $479K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $4.2M | $5.0M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $653K | $428K | $154K | $70K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $634K | $287K | $258K | $89K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $31K | $14K | $13K | $4K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $66K | $32K | $27K | $8K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $70K | $37K | $24K | $9K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $30K | $30K | ||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $387 | $387 | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $29K | $12K | $13K | $3K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $24K | $15K | $6K | $2K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $134K | $71K | $50K | $13K |
| TravelLn 17 | $620 | $136 | $309 | $175 |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $6K | $3K | $3K | $248 |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $34K | $16K | $13K | $4K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $4K | $4K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $47K | $15K | $13K | $20K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.8M | $931K | $608K | $223K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $2.4M | $1.8M | $529K | $5.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $1.9M | $1.8M | $58K | $4.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $1.7M | $1.9M | −$160K | $4.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $1.8M | $1.9M | −$77K | $4.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 Viewing | $2.3M | $1.8M | $521K | $5.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $1.6M | $1.8M | −$238K | $4.2M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $2,283,232 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 116 of 116 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $2,283,232 across 9 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,761,892 across 15 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $5,430,949 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $4,952,201 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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