Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jan 2005.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
79 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
8 people listed on the 990; $209K paid to officers and key staff.
Nikolas T Nikas’s $197K as President is at the 97th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1031 $100K–1M civil rights & advocacy 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikolas T Nikas | $196,800 | $187,800 | $204,000 | $212,000 | $212,000 |
| Dorinda C Bordlee | — | — | — | $72,000 | $66,000 |
| Monique C Toso | $12,250 | $13,600 | $25,000 | — | — |
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.
See Bioethics Defense Fund 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
Advocates for the right to life through legal action, policy, and education.
Questions for Bioethics Defense Fund
Your first name shows with your question. Bioethics Defense Fund answers here, for everyone.
Educational Seminars
In 2024, BDF gave over 50 educational talks to various groups, including lawyers and physicians, law and medical school students, university and college students and professors, high school students, catholic parishes, and catholic retreats or religious gatherings, addressing a range of bioethical issues at the intersection of science…
Book Research
In 2024, BDF began research for a potential book with ignatius press on the moral and ethical questions surrounding in vitro fertilization (ivf) and surrogacy.
Media
Conducted six radio interviews and one television interview discussing now and at the hour of our death: making moral decisions at the end of life and end of life decision-making.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $600K | $538K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $0 | $0 |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $605K | $538K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $0 | $0 |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $605K | $538K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $241K | $205K | $24K | $12K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $12K | $12K | $613 | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $14K | $11K | $2K | $712 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $4K | $4K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $500 | $500 | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $6K | $4K | $2K | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $2K | $2K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $12K | $12K | ||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $6K | $205 | $6K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $298K | $235K | $44K | $19K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 17, 2025 | $230K | $298K | −$68K | $538K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Jan 27, 2025 | $233K | $293K | −$60K | $605K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Sep 21, 2023 | $294K | $356K | −$62K | $665K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Nov 14, 2022 | $456K | $403K | $53K | $727K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Dec 15, 2021 | $348K | $411K | −$63K | $675K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $230,479 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 6 of 6 board members independent, 2 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $230,479 across 5 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $298,066 across 9 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $537,811 assets, 9 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $537,811 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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