Democracy Forward Foundation EIN 82-1007988 Form 990 (PDF) Claim this org

Democracy Forward Foundation

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Advocates for government accountability and the rule of law through legal action and public education to strengthen democracy. For fiscal year 2024 it reported $65.7M in revenue, $29.0M in expenses, and $50.3M in net assets.Pt I

Founded
2017
Type
Public charity (501(c)(3)) · Crime & Legal
Location
Washington, DC
Website
www.democracyforward.org
Filings
5 on file (2020–2024)
Revenue
$65.7MFY2024
Expenses
$29.0M
Net assets
$50.3M
People
16
Filings
5
Updates
0
More identity details & actions ⌄
EIN  82-1007988 Public charity (501(c)(3)) Washington, DC Founded 2017
Form 990 (PDF)
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Figures match the IRS filing checked 8/11/26 · see original: IRS
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Size
$10–100M
What they do
Advocates for government accountability and the rule of law through legal action and public education to strengthen democracy.
Leadership
Skye L Perryman · President and CEO · $591K
Money in and out
$65.7M revenue, $29.0M expenses
Bottom line
91% program efficiency
Where the money goes · FY2024
Total revenue
$65.7M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$29.0M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$50.3M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $36.7M
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.91 Management & general $0.08 Fundraising $0.01
Program efficiency
91%
of spending reaches programs▲ +3% vs prior filing year
Operating runway
19.6mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate▲ +61% vs prior filing year
Surplus margin
+56%
revenue over expenses, this year▲ +110% vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2024 · Form 990
Revenue
$65.7M
FY2024▲ +270%
Expenses
$29.0M
FY2024▲ +123%
Total assets
$60.9M
FY2024▲ +318%
Total liabilities
$10.6M
FY2024▲ ×11
Total revenue
$65.7M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$29.0M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$50.3M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$36.7M
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$60.9M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B91%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 35
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 45

Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CDemocracy Forward Foundation
EINHdr · item D82-1007988
Principal addressHdr · item CWashington, DC
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.democracyforward.org
Year of formationHdr · item L2017
State of legal domicileHdr · item MDC
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFCrime & Legal (I83)
Ruling yearIRS BMFJun 2017

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a5
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b5
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
President and CEO
$590,521Pt VII · Sec A
Legal Director
$236,713Pt VII · Sec A
Director for State Litigation and Emerging Issues
$233,016Pt VII · Sec A
Senior Advisor
$222,353Pt VII · Sec A
Senior Legal Advisor
$218,407Pt VII · Sec A
Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs Directo
$208,667Pt VII · Sec A
Senior Counsel
$200,577Pt VII · Sec A
General Council
$176,654Pt VII · Sec A

Skye L Perryman’s $591K as President and CEO is at the 97th percentile of top reported officer pay among 247 $10–100M 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 · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2024FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Skye L Perryman$590,521$453,887$331,402
Sean Lev$231,011$257,083$265,625
Anne Harkavy$238,333$260,000
Javier Guzman$249,687
Robin F Thurston$236,713$221,039$176,811
Victoria Nugent$233,016
Sunu P Chandy$222,353
Jeffery Dubner$219,447$175,584

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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Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

1 program service account for $26.4M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2024.
01

To protect the rights and institutions that make our nation's democracy strong by working through the legal system and administrative processes to preserve the rule of law and hold government accountable, and to educate the public about those efforts.

$26.4Mprogram expense

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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants100%$65.6M
Investment income$73K
Other revenue$91K
Total revenueLn 12$65.7M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.91 Management & general $0.08 Fundraising $0.01
Program services91%$26.4M
Management & general8%$2.3M
Fundraising1%$406K
Total functional expensesLn 25$29.0M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$44.1M
Total assetsLn 16$60.9M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$10.6M
Total net assetsLn 32$50.3M
Months of cash on handcomputed18.2

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2024 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $44.1M · Operating expenses (Pt IX) $29.0M · Less non-cash grants $2.1M · Cash operating expenses/yr $27.0M
19.6 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $26.4M · Total expenses $29.0M
91%
Management & General
Management & general $2.3M · Total expenses $29.0M
8%
Fundraising
Fundraising $406K · Total expenses $29.0M
1%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $394K · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $31.9M
$0.01 to raise $1 (3-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $65.6M · Total revenue $65.7M
100%
Government reliance
Government grants — · Total revenue $65.7M
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $0 · Total revenue $65.7M
0%
Investment reliance
Investment income $73K · Total revenue $65.7M
+0.1%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $0 · Total expenses $29.0M
0%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $65.7M · Prior year $17.8M
+270%
Revenue CAGR
FY2019 $4.8M · FY2024 $65.7M
+69%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $50.3M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $65.7M · Expenses $29.0M
+56%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $60.9M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $50.3M · Total assets $60.9M
83%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) — · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $60.9M
Excludes program-related investments (Pt X, ln 13)
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Skye L Perryman · Reported title PRESIDENT AND CEO · Highest reported compensation $591K · Total expenses $29.0M
2%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $14.5M · Total expenses $29.0M
50%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 91%
Overhead ratio 8%
Fundraising cost ratio 0.6%
Revenue growth 270%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
See all 10 funders →
Grants paid · 4 grants · $120K · 2022–2024

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2024$17.8M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$12.4M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$6.2M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$5.3M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$4.8M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2024IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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