Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jan 1988.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
82 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
17 people listed on the 990; $1.5M paid to officers and key staff.
Joseph G Lehman’s $468K as President is at the 74th percentile of top reported officer pay among 232 $10–100M public & societal benefit 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph G Lehman | $467,801 | $457,411 | — | — | — |
| Mr Joseph G Lehman | — | — | $437,836 | $438,719 | $439,871 |
| James L Walker | $367,801 | $412,961 | $436,336 | $414,719 | $303,371 |
| Michael Reitz | $193,217 | $198,847 | — | — | — |
| Michael J Reitz | — | — | $188,004 | $182,886 | $174,871 |
| Patrick J Wright | $150,134 | $148,520 | $139,903 | $126,791 | $143,571 |
| Lindsay K Killen | — | — | $149,047 | $129,963 | $128,297 |
| Steven J Virgadamo | — | — | — | $131,808 | — |
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 Mackinac Center 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
Research and analyze Michigan public policy to improve quality of life through free-market principles.
Questions for Mackinac Center
Your first name shows with your question. Mackinac Center answers here, for everyone.
Conduct scholarly research and analysis of public policy issues related to state labor policies, and communicate the results of that research and analysis to citizens, in order to improve the quality of life for all citizens by advancing the principles of a free-market economy, limited government and respect for private property.
Public interest law firm that advances individual freedom and the rule of law through strategic litigation and education of the public to secure the liberties of residents, workers, students and ENTREPRENEURS.CONDUCT scholarly research and analylsis of public policy issues related to the rule of law and litigation, and communicate the…
Conduct scholarly research and analysis of state of michigan public policy issues related to the state's educational systems, and communicate the results of that research and analysis to michigan citizens, in order to improve the quality of life for all michigan citizens by advancing the principles of a free-market economy, limited…
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 | FY21 | FY20 | FY19 | FY18 | FY17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $1.3M | $1.0M | $881K | $694K | $719K |
| Given inLn 1b | $5K |
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $6.1M | $7.4M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $2.7M | $3.1M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $11.2M | $16.8M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $287K | $233K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $10.9M | $16.6M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $800 | $800 | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $475K | $209K | $104K | $161K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $3.4M | $2.5M | $307K | $605K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $96K | $67K | $10K | $19K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $327K | $229K | $34K | $64K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $246K | $172K | $26K | $48K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $8K | $5K | $2K | $1K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $33K | $21K | $6K | $5K |
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $210K | $135K | $41K | $34K |
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $63K | $63K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $1.4M | $1.4M | $4K | $10K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $2.2M | $2.2M | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $144K | $136K | $6K | $1K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $224K | $179K | $5K | $41K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $48K | $42K | $5K | $1K |
| TravelLn 17 | $416K | $332K | $8K | $75K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $27K | $9K | $14K | $4K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $165K | $157K | $7K | $2K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $43K | $40K | $3K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $500K | $416K | $12K | $72K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $57K | $15K | $8K | $34K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $10.1M | $8.3M | $603K | $1.2M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 LatestFiled with the IRS Nov 10, 2025 | $11.4M | $12.9M | −$1.5M | $13.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Nov 1, 2024 | $11.0M | $12.6M | −$1.6M | $14.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Nov 6, 2023 | $11.5M | $11.5M | −$32K | $16.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 14, 2022 | $15.6M | $10.1M | $5.4M | $16.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Oct 26, 2021 | $7.0M | $9.4M | −$2.4M | $10.9M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $15,562,407 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 10 of 11 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $15,562,407 across 7 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $10,121,925 across 21 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $16,839,253 assets, 14 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $16,606,570 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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