Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 2001.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
67 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
30 people listed on the 990; $75K paid to officers and key staff.
Tahir Atwater’s $75K as Executive Di is at the 9th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1147 $1–10M crime & legal 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 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tricia Bushnell | — | $120,094 | $119,571 | $113,886 | $93,304 | $90,846 |
| Tahir Atwater | $74,783 | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Advocates for and secures release of wrongly convicted individuals in the Midwest.
Questions for Midwestern Innocence Project INC
Your first name shows with your question. Midwestern Innocence Project INC answers here, for everyone.
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Screen inmate requests for legal assistance, provided pro-bono legal and investigative services for clients with claims of innocence, support services for exoneress, and provided public education through events, policy advocasy, speakers, and website.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $229K | $160K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $599K | $333K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $839K | $512K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $2K | $0 |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $838K | $512K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $80K | $52K | $16K | $12K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $775K | $504K | $156K | $116K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $79K | $50K | $17K | $12K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $72K | $46K | $15K | $11K |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $28K | $2K | $9K | $18K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $5K | $4K | $1K | $122 |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $40K | $23K | $12K | $5K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $27K | $16K | $6K | $4K |
| TravelLn 17 | $14K | $7K | $7K | $449 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $11K | $8K | $2K | $1K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $185K | $175K | $452 | $10K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $33 | $33 | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.3M | $886K | $241K | $189K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $1.0M | $1.3M | −$274K | $512K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $1.7M | $2.0M | −$279K | $838K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $2.6M | $2.8M | −$184K | $1.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $1.8M | $2.2M | −$325K | $1.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $2.4M | $1.3M | $1.1M | $1.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $913K | $738K | $176K | $532K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,041,263 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 29 of 29 board members independent, 2 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,041,263 across 10 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,315,235 across 12 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $512,092 assets, 11 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $512,092 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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