The Policy Academies INC

Tax-deductible

Washington, DC501(c)(3)Public & Societal BenefitEIN 81-3333541Revenue $374K in FY2024

On file with the IRSthepolicyacademies.org740 15th St Nw Ste 900, 20005-1031 · Washington, DCTax-exempt since Sep 2016Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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The Policy academies' mission is to build and sustain meaningful diversity in public Policy analysis and research by: cultivating the Policy careers of young scholars and working with leading Policy institutions to ensure research practice is grounded in racial equity.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
78¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 45 volunteers and 1 employee.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2024 · 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
4 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $199K a year · 15% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
78%
of spending
Looks good: 78% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$731K
to officers and key staff · 42% of spending
Concern: pay to officers and key staff is 42% of spending; over 30%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
10 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 9.6 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
3
named funders · $310K
Looks good: 3 funders name it on their filings; 3 or more.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$226K
15% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 15% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
3
of 4 voting members
Looks good: 3 of 4 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$374K
-65% vs prior year
Spent
$1.7M
To programs
78%
Net assets
$1.3M
By yearFY2019–FY2024
Revenue
$374K
FY2024▼ -65%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2019$478K
FY2020$477K
FY2021$3.4M
FY2022$2.0M
FY2023$1.1M
FY2024$374K
Expenses
$1.7M
FY2024▼ -24%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2019$308K
FY2020$371K
FY2021$600K
FY2022$1.3M
FY2023$2.3M
FY2024$1.7M
Net assets
$1.3M
FY2024▼ -51%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2019$198K
FY2020$381K
FY2021$3.1M
FY2022$3.9M
FY2023$2.7M
FY2024$1.3M

From the FY2024 Form 990 · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Sep 2016.

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

Where the money goes

78 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 78% · $1.4M Management & general 12% · $212K Fundraising 10% · $175K

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

7 people listed on the 990; $731K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Founder, President and CEO
$395,000Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$163,935Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$163,866Pt VII · Sec A
COO & SVP (ending 01/24)
$8,269Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Lynette Rawlings’s $395K as Founder, President and CEO is at the 100th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1043 $100K–1M 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 · 4 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020FY2019
Lynette Rawlings$395,000$470,000$270,000$175,000$175,000$114,157
Arlene Williams$8,269$215,000————
Alexandr L Maza$163,935—————
Marlene Castro$163,866—————

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 The Policy Academies INC executive salaries →

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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

Cultivates diverse policy careers and promotes racial equity in research.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $1.1M · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

Academy Training

Fellowship and Research Scholars Programs:These include one- and two-year fellowship programs for undergraduates, pre-masters and graduate students in partnership with the nation's leading think tanks. When Academy Fellows complete their training fellowship they become a part of the Alumni Career and Leadership Development Program.

$510Kprogram expense
02

Equity in Institutional and Research Practice

This initiative supports efforts to improve practices within the policy research and broader policy fields by encouraging broader representation of scholars and on research topics and methodologies. The program works with partners to enhance institutional practices in the development and application of public policy research.

$371Kprogram expense
03

Alumni Career and Leadership Development Program

This program, which is often shortened to "The Alumni Program", supports the early career development of Academy graduates by helping them attend career accelerating conferences, providing specialized training courses, and by providing personalized training and mentorship.

$219Kprogram 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 · FY2024
PolicylinkFY2024$10K
Total grants receivedfrom 3 funders$310K
See all 3 funders →
Grants paid · 34 grants · $1.6M · 2020–2024
Festival of the Diaspora INCFY2024$100,000
MdrcNY · FY2024$75,000
Russell Sage FoundationNY · FY2024$51,000
University of Maryland College ParkFY2024$20,000
St Johns University New YorkNY · FY2024$20,000
New York UniversityNY · FY2024$20,000
Unitemized GrantFY2024$19,000
Northeastern UniversityMA · FY2024$15,000
Story of Our SchoolsDC · FY2024$10,000
Texas State University- San MarcosFY2024$10,000
The Aspen Institute INCDC · FY2023$200,000
The University of Texas at AustinFY2023$110,000
Howard University - Ronald W Walters Leadership and Public PolicyMS · FY2023$65,000
Indiana UniversityIN · FY2023$58,374
MdrcNY · FY2023$55,000
Russell Sage FoundationNY · FY2023$40,000
See all 34 grants →

By the numbers

The FY2024 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$374K
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$320K
Investment incomeLn 3$53K
Other incomeLn 4–11$661
Money outPt IX
$1.7M
Ln 25
Programscol B$1.4M
Managementcol C$212K
Fundraisingcol D$175K
Owns and owesPt X
$1.3M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$1.4M
Total assetsLn 16$1.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$226K
PeoplePt VI, VII
7
listed · VII A
PaidVII A4
Voting boardVI 1a4
IndependentVI 1b3
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$320K
Investment incomeLn 3$53K
Other incomeLn 4–11$661
Gains on assetsLn 7−$3K
Total revenueLn 12$374K
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$690K
SavingsLn 2$698K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$1.4M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$124K
Other assetsLn 15$2K
Total assetsLn 16$1.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$226K
Net assetsLn 32$1.3M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 51
VolunteersI 645
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY24End FY24
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$2.0M$1.4M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$72K$124K
Total assetsLn 16$2.9M$1.5M
LiabilitiesLn 26$271K$226K
Net assetsLn 32$2.7M$1.3M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$355K$355K
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$19K$19K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$451K$341K$43K$68K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$203K$153K$19K$31K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$17K$13K$2K$3K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$9K$6K$811$1K
Payroll taxesLn 10$33K$25K$3K$5K
Accounting feesLn 11c$44K$44K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$219K$116K$74K$29K
Office expensesLn 13$27K$15K$9K$3K
TravelLn 17$284K$250K$10K$24K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$56K$45K$2K$9K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$13K$9K$1K$2K
InsuranceLn 23$4K$3K$403$605
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$5K$2K$3K$227
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.7M$1.4M$212K$175K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest Viewing $374K$1.7M−$1.4M$1.3M 990 PDF
FY2023 $1.1M$2.3M−$1.2M$2.7M 990 PDF
FY2022 $2.0M$1.3M$734K$3.9M 990 PDF
FY2021 $3.4M$600K$2.8M$3.1M 990 PDF
FY2020 $477K$371K$106K$381K 990 PDF
FY2019 $478K$308K$170K$198K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $373,724 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $1,013,063$320,499
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $0$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $69,504$52,564
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$661
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $1,082,567$373,724
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $711,479$374,343
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $889,327$712,824
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $695,319$652,644
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $2,296,125$1,739,811
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$1,213,558−$1,366,087
Part VI · Governance 3 of 4 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body4
VI-1b Independent voting members3
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 $373,724 across 6 lines filed
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$320,499
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$320,499
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $55,991$55,991
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax −$3,427−$3,427
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Excluded from tax $661$661
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $53,225$373,724
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,739,811 across 15 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $355,343$355,343
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $19,000$19,000
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $340,585 · Management $42,763 · Fundraising $68,115$451,463
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $153,182 · Management $19,233 · Fundraising $30,637$203,052
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $12,710 · Management $1,596 · Fundraising $2,542$16,848
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $6,459 · Management $811 · Fundraising $1,293$8,563
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $24,818 · Management $3,116 · Fundraising $4,964$32,898
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $44,449$44,449
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $115,582 · Management $74,108 · Fundraising $29,347$219,037
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $15,425 · Management $8,957 · Fundraising $3,057$27,439
IX-17 TravelPrograms $250,124 · Management $10,303 · Fundraising $24,043$284,470
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $44,713 · Management $2,249 · Fundraising $8,559$55,521
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $9,487 · Management $1,265 · Fundraising $1,897$12,649
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $3,024 · Management $403 · Fundraising $605$4,032
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $2,280 · Management $2,540 · Fundraising $227$5,047
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $1,352,732 · Management $211,793 · Fundraising $175,286$1,739,811
Part X · Balance sheet $1,524,901 assets, 15 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $367,741$690,209
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $1,676,183$697,604
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $250,000$0
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $550,000$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $8,727$11,359
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $72,038$123,932
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $11,287$1,797
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $2,935,976$1,524,901
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $270,834$150,846
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $0$75,000
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $270,834$225,846
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $1,290,915$1,036,555
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $1,374,227$262,500
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $2,665,142$1,299,055
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $2,935,976$1,524,901
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,299,055 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$373,724
XI-2 Total expenses$1,739,811
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$1,366,087
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$2,665,142
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$1,299,055

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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