Civil Rights & Advocacy (R200) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

CHILDRENS DEFENSE FUND

EIN: 52-0895622 · WASHINGTON, DC 20001-3723 · United States · FY 2023 Data

3 out of 5 56 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 74/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 90/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2023 · Scored 9/13/2026

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Mission Statement

The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities

Financial Overview — FY 2023

$20.2M

Total Revenue

$33.5M

Total Expenses

$36.4M

Net Assets

296

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 70.2%

Fundraising Efficiency 384.8%

Operating Reserve 13.03x

Liability-to-Asset 34.8%

Revenue Diversification 74.5%

Executive Compensation $965K

Compared with Peers

FY 2023

Compared with 90 similar organizations (United States, Civil Rights & Advocacy, $10M–$100M in expenses), FY 2023.

This organization Middle half of peers (P25–P75) Peer median

Ratio	This org	Peer median	Position (P10 → P90)
Program expense ratio Program expenses / total expenses · higher is better	70.2%	81.5%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	22.7%	12.3%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	7.1%	5.3%	P10P90	Below median
Fundraising efficiency Fundraising expenses / gross fundraising income · lower is better	384.8%	1032.5%	P10P90	Above median
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	13.0 mo	13.2 mo	P10P90	Below median
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	34.8%	15.9%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	74.5%	95.6%	P10P90	Top quarter
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	15.2%	3.7%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	18.2%	14.0%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	-66.1%	-0.2%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2023	$20.2M	$33.5M	$36.4M	70.2%	296
2022	$17.5M	$28.3M	$42.8M	64.5%	278
2021	$12.6M	$5.1M	$58.4M	68.3%	242

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Organization Details

EIN: 52-0895622
State: DC
City: WASHINGTON
ZIP: 20001-3723
Classification: R200
Category: Civil Rights & Advocacy
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year: 1973
Foundation Code: 15
Form 990: On File

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CharityAI™ rates charities from 0 to 100 using public filings (IRS Form 990 and the equivalent registries outside the US) together with the information the charity itself provides on DonationX. Ratings are recalculated every quarter, without human bias, and shown as stars.

Four pillars

Financial strength30%

Program expense ratio, fundraising efficiency, operating reserves, liabilities and revenue diversification, compared with similar organizations.

Reliability20%

Standing with the registry, filing history, verification and how complete the profile is.

Effectiveness25%

How much goes to programs and how consistently the organization delivers them.

Impact25%

The outcomes the charity reports on DonationX: people served, cost per service and results.

Stars

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