Common Justice develops and advances solutions to violence that transform the lives of those harmed and foster racial equity without relying on incarceration.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
74¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 5 volunteers and 33 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · 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
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $1.3M a year · 17% of revenue · last 6 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
74%
of spending
Fine: 74% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$1.3M
to officers and key staff · 16% of spending
Fine: pay to officers and key staff is 16% of spending; 15% to 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
16 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 16.1 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $15K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$4.0M
21% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 21% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
7
of 7 voting members
Looks good: 7 of 7 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$7.4M
+23% vs prior year
Spent
$8.0M
To programs
74%
Net assets
$15.4M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$7.4M
FY2025▲ +23%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$6.6M
FY2021$4.0M
FY2022$13.4M
FY2023$8.5M
FY2024$6.0M
FY2025$7.4M
Expenses
$8.0M
FY2025▼ -6%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$3.9M
FY2021$5.5M
FY2022$5.6M
FY2023$6.8M
FY2024$8.4M
FY2025$8.0M
Net assets
$15.4M
FY2025▼ -4%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$9.9M
FY2021$8.8M
FY2022$16.6M
FY2023$18.4M
FY2024$15.9M
FY2025$15.4M

From the FY2025 Form 990 (year ending June 2025) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jun 2017.

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

Where the money goes

74 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 74% · $5.9M Management & general 16% · $1.3M Fundraising 11% · $850K

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

16 people listed on the 990; $1.3M paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
Executive Director & Presi
$202,407Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Policy and Organizing
$171,701Pt VII · Sec A
Interim COO
$166,578Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Training
$161,954Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Programs
$155,990Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Development
$144,240Pt VII · Sec A
Director of HR
$140,424Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Partnerships & Replication
$129,400Pt VII · Sec A

Danielle Sered’s $202K as Executive Director & Presi is at the 64th percentile of top reported officer pay among 145 $1–10M social science 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

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Danielle Sered$202,407$190,619$192,064——$140,371
Danielle Sered President and———$190,423$156,122—
Christian Philemon———$179,746——
Kira Shepherd$171,701$168,415$166,030$158,212——
Christian Martin Philemon————$167,752—
Myles Paisley$166,578$133,540$126,885$110,690——
Raymond Maccani JR$161,954$131,886$121,099———
Olapeju O Oyeyemi$155,990—————

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

Transforms lives and fosters racial equity by developing violence solutions outside of incarceration.

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Provided by the organization

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3 programs · $5.0M · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

Direct Services

We operated a restorative justice-based alternative to incarceration and victim service program for young people who have committed violent crime and those they harm in brooklyn, the bronx, and manhattan.

$3.0Mprogram expense
02

Partnerships & Training

Common justice worked to demonstrate that our interventions are possible and can be successful, creating space for others to do similar work across the country. We have laid the groundwork for replication and expansion by building national and local partnerships, especially in jurisdictions where violence is a central concern.

$1.1Mprogram expense
03

Advocacy

Common justice raised awareness about new york state's victim compensation program in order to eliminate barriers to access that survivors face. We expanded awareness that survivors are no longer required to report their harm to the police in order to be eligible for victim compensation.

$989Kprogram 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 · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$15K
Grants paid · 18 grants · $1.4M · 2021–2024
Freedom Community CenterMO · FY2024$100,000
Freedom Community CenterMO · FY2023$250,000
Freedom Community CenterMO · FY2022$250,000
Unitemized GrantFY2022$56,054
Be Wise INCFY2022$24,824
Unitemized GrantFY2021$45,150
Both Sides of the ViolenceNY · FY2021$17,000
Wheelchairs Against Guns INCNY · FY2021$15,000
Rising Ground INCNY · FY2021$15,000
Queens Royal Priest Hood INCNY · FY2021$15,000
Nyc Together INCNY · FY2021$15,000
East Flatbush Village INCNY · FY2021$15,000
Be Wise INCFY2021$15,000
Bronx Works INCNY · FY2021$8,000
Individual RecipientFY2021$6,000

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$7.4M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$7.0M
Investment incomeLn 3$450K
Money outPt IX
$8.0M
Ln 25
Programscol B$5.9M
Managementcol C$1.3M
Fundraisingcol D$850K
Owns and owesPt X
$15.4M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$10.7M
Total assetsLn 16$19.4M
LiabilitiesLn 26$4.0M
PeoplePt VI, VII
16
listed · VII A
PaidVII A8
Voting boardVI 1a7
IndependentVI 1b7
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$7.0M
Government grantsLn 1e$2.0M
Fundraising eventsLn 1c$59K
Investment incomeLn 3$450K
Total revenueLn 12$7.4M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$10.7M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$10.7M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$478K
Other assetsLn 15$3.3M
Total assetsLn 16$19.4M
LiabilitiesLn 26$4.0M
Net assetsLn 32$15.4M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 533
VolunteersI 65
Fiscal year endsHeaderJune
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 FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$3.5M$10.7M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$297K$478K
Total assetsLn 16$16.8M$19.4M
LiabilitiesLn 26$908K$4.0M
Net assetsLn 32$15.9M$15.4M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$100K$100K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$630K$595K$35K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$3.5M$2.6M$474K$480K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$93K$69K$12K$11K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$801K$703K$2K$96K
Payroll taxesLn 10$372K$281K$44K$47K
Accounting feesLn 11c$283K$283K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$950K$719K$155K$76K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$4K$4K
Office expensesLn 13$39K$29K$7K$4K
Information technologyLn 14$179K$115K$52K$13K
OccupancyLn 16$567K$389K$122K$56K
TravelLn 17$131K$123K$8K$1K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$24K$10K$12K$2K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$37K$37K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$228K$155K$44K$29K
Total functional expensesLn 25$8.0M$5.9M$1.3M$850K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $7.4M$8.0M−$566K$15.4M 990 PDF
FY2024 $6.0M$8.4M−$2.4M$15.9M 990 PDF
FY2023 $8.5M$6.8M$1.8M$18.4M 990 PDF
FY2022 $13.4M$5.6M$7.8M$16.6M 990 PDF
FY2021 $4.0M$5.5M−$1.5M$8.8M 990 PDF
FY2020 $6.6M$3.9M$2.7M$9.9M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support J · Pay O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $7,405,997 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $5,601,151$6,957,017
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $0$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $359,925$450,403
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $42,720−$1,423
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $6,003,796$7,405,997
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $506,000$100,000
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $5,723,204$5,428,996
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $2,212,529$2,443,030
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $8,441,733$7,972,026
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$2,437,937−$566,029
Part VI · Governance 7 of 7 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body7
VI-1b Independent voting members7
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 $7,405,997 across 7 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $1,985 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1c Fundraising events$58,908
VIII-1e Government grants$1,985,121
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$4,912,988
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$6,957,017
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $450,403$450,403
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising eventsExcluded from tax −$3,408−$3,408
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $0 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $448,980$7,405,997
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $7,972,026 across 16 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $100,000$100,000
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $594,615 · Fundraising $34,975$629,590
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $2,579,669 · Management $474,333 · Fundraising $479,718$3,533,720
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $69,199 · Management $12,393 · Fundraising $11,156$92,748
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $703,097 · Management $1,588 · Fundraising $96,332$801,017
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $280,793 · Management $43,963 · Fundraising $47,165$371,921
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $283,098$283,098
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $718,944 · Management $155,053 · Fundraising $76,054$950,051
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $3,788$3,788
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $28,734 · Management $6,807 · Fundraising $3,533$39,074
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $114,537 · Management $51,617 · Fundraising $12,958$179,112
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $388,923 · Management $121,670 · Fundraising $56,370$566,963
IX-17 TravelPrograms $122,571 · Management $7,640 · Fundraising $1,276$131,487
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $9,700 · Management $12,352 · Fundraising $1,537$23,589
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationManagement $37,431$37,431
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $155,386 · Management $44,346 · Fundraising $28,705$228,437
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $5,869,956 · Management $1,252,291 · Fundraising $849,779$7,972,026
Part X · Balance sheet $19,370,665 assets, 14 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $3,492,135$10,704,555
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $3,102,051$3,365,545
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $1,700,198$1,443,123
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $61,371$83,784
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $296,817$477,999
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $178,677$3,295,659
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $16,831,249$19,370,665
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $846,580$737,904
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $61,339$3,275,460
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $907,919$4,013,364
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $11,280,296$11,732,657
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $4,643,034$3,624,644
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $15,923,330$15,357,301
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $16,831,249$19,370,665
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $15,357,301 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$7,405,997
XI-2 Total expenses$7,972,026
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$566,029
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$15,923,330
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$15,357,301

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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