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Nonprofiteer
← TAX FOUNDATION

Form 990 for tax year 2022

Filed by TAX FOUNDATION.

Totals

Total revenue
$6,768,789
Total expenses
$5,840,958
Contributions and grants received
$6,864,038
Grants paid
$24,895
Program service revenue
$0
Investment income
$233,143
Other revenue
-$328,392
Total assets, end of year
$7,496,698
Total liabilities, end of year
$2,290,853
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$5,205,845
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$4,081,888
Management and general expenses
$674,165
Fundraising expenses
$1,084,905
Program service expenses (Part III)
$4,081,888

Program services were 69.9% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1c · Fundraising events

    $870,656

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $5,993,382

  • 1g · Noncash contributions included above

    $47,244

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $73,217 · excluded $73,217

  • 5 · Royalties

    total $6,732 · excluded $6,732

  • 7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

    securities $337,000

  • 7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

    securities $177,074

  • 7c · Gain or loss

    securities $159,926

  • 7d · Net gain or loss

    total $159,926 · excluded $159,926

  • 8a · Fundraising events: gross income

    $97,825

  • 8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

    $870,656

  • 8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

    $432,949

  • 8c · Net income from fundraising events

    total -$335,124 · excluded -$335,124

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

    total $24,895 · program services $24,895

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $591,944 · program services $430,758 · management and general $46,897 · fundraising $114,289

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $2,727,318 · program services $2,032,497 · management and general $153,611 · fundraising $541,210

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $115,028 · program services $40,264 · management and general $68,814 · fundraising $5,950

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $128,161 · program services $95,014 · fundraising $33,147

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $247,858 · program services $183,633 · management and general $15,329 · fundraising $48,896

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $14,278 · program services $10,641 · management and general $804 · fundraising $2,833

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $124,980 · management and general $124,980

  • 11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

    total $10,000 · fundraising $10,000

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $379,300 · program services $306,234 · management and general $58,037 · fundraising $15,029

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $132,388 · program services $98,662 · management and general $7,455 · fundraising $26,271

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $112,527 · program services $67,915 · management and general $26,480 · fundraising $18,132

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $99,425 · program services $77,556 · management and general $1,218 · fundraising $20,651

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $352,743 · program services $262,882 · management and general $19,862 · fundraising $69,999

  • 17 · Travel

    total $121,308 · program services $86,129 · management and general $12,130 · fundraising $23,049

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $89,891 · program services $63,822 · management and general $8,990 · fundraising $17,079

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $87,249 · program services $65,022 · management and general $4,913 · fundraising $17,314

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $20,859 · program services $14,811 · management and general $2,583 · fundraising $3,465

  • 24a · Other expenses: DIRECT MAIL EXPENSES

    total $299,924 · program services $134,774 · management and general $90,668 · fundraising $74,482

  • 24b · Other expenses: DUES & SUBSCRIPTIONS

    total $82,316 · program services $61,364 · management and general $4,612 · fundraising $16,340

  • 24c · Other expenses: BAD DEBT EXPENSE

    total $26,250 · program services $5,250 · management and general $21,000

  • 24d · Other expenses: IN KIND EXPENSES

    total $23,990 · fundraising $23,990

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $28,326 · program services $19,765 · management and general $5,782 · fundraising $2,779

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $695,822 · end of year $549,861

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $603,652 · end of year $1,576,887

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $443,000 · end of year $147,500

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $118,000 · end of year $154,200

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $55,755 · end of year $89,725

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $1,233,240

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $934,786

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $291,182 · end of year $298,454

  • 12 · Investments: other securities

    beginning of year $3,795,939 · end of year $3,168,921

  • 15 · Other assets

    beginning of year $86,496 · end of year $1,511,150

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $291,442 · end of year $310,115

  • 19 · Deferred revenue

    end of year $25,000

  • 25 · Other liabilities

    beginning of year $667,610 · end of year $1,955,738

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $4,579,233 · end of year $4,599,470

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $551,561 · end of year $606,375

Mission and programs · 2022

Mission

TO ACHIEVE SIMPLE, SENSIBLE TAX POLICY AT THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVELS BY PRODUCING AND DISSEMINATING BASIC INFORMATION AND ECONOMICALLY PRINCIPLED ANALYSIS OF TAX POLICY ISSUES AND THE SIZE OF THE TAX BURDEN BORNE BY AMERICANS AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT.

Activities or mission (Part I)

THE TAX FOUNDATION IS THE NATION'S LEADING INDEPENDENT TAX POLICY NONPROFIT. SINCE 1937, OUR PRINCIPLED RESEARCH, INSIGHTFUL ANALYSIS, AND ENGAGED EXPERTS HAVE INFORMED SMARTER TAX POLICY AT THE FEDERAL, STATE, AND GLOBAL LEVELS. FOR OVER 80 YEARS, OUR GOAL HAS REMAINED THE SAME: TO IMPROVE LIVES THROUGH TAX POLICIES THAT LEAD TO GREATER ECONOMIC GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY.

  • FEDERAL TAX POLICY - THIS PROGRAM PROMOTES SOUND TAX POLICY IN WASHINGTON D.C. THE FOUNDATION PROVIDES OBJECTIVE DATA AND ANALYSIS ON TAX POLICY, USING SEVERAL TOOLS, INCLUDING MODELING OF ECONOMIC AND BUDGETARY EFFECTS, RESEARCH AND WRITING, CAPITOL HILL BRIEFINGS, AND CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY. THE FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS THE GO-TO RESOURCE ON FEDERAL TAX ISSUES FOR POLICYMAKERS. IN 2022, DESPITE IN-PERSON LIMITATIONS, THE STAFF CONDUCTED MORE THAN 60 CAPITOL HILL MEETINGS, BRIEFINGS, AND PRESENTATIONS TO VARIOUS PUBLIC AUDIENCES, AND PRODUCED DOZENS OF REPORTS AND BLOG POSTS ON A VARIETY OF ISSUES THAT RECEIVED 12,570 CITATIONS IN LEADING MEDIA OUTLETS.

    Expenses $1,630,543 · Grants $6,971

  • MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION - THE FOUNDATION'S MARKETING TEAM MAKES TAX POLICY ENGAGING AND ACCESSIBLE TO TAXPAYERS, LEGISLATORS, AND THE MEDIA THROUGH INNOVATIVE, MULTI-CHANNEL CAMPAIGNS. THE FOUNDATION'S TEAM DELIVERS HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE, AT THE RIGHT TIME, IN A FORMAT THAT PROMOTES DEEPER UNDERSTANDING USING TOOLS LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA, DIGITAL ADVERTISING, INTERACTIVE WEB EXPERIENCES, AND EMAIL. IN 2022, THE FOUNDATION EARNED 23,500 MEDIA CITATIONS IN THE WORLD'S TOP NEWS OUTLETS, INCLUDING THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE NEW YORK TIMES, NBC NEWS, FOX NEWS, AND NPR; ITS EXPERTS CONDUCTED 122 RADIO AND TV INTERVIEWS AND PLACED 24 OP-EDS; TAXFOUNDATION.ORG WAS VISITED 16.9 MILLION TIMES; ITS SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIENCE GREW 12 PERCENT TO 99,805 TOTAL FOLLOWERS; ITS DIGITAL ADVERTISING RESULTED IN 27.7 MILLION IMPRESSIONS AND DROVE 745,751 VIDEO VIEWS; AND ITS EMAIL NEWSLETTER GREW 8 PERCENT TO 58,110 SUBSCRIBERS.

    Expenses $1,360,745 · Grants $5,726

  • STATE TAX POLICY - THIS PROGRAM PROMOTES STATE TAX REFORM WITH COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL REPORTS, RESEARCH, POLICY ANALYSIS, AND IN-DEPTH STATE-SPECIFIC STUDIES. IN 2022, THE FOUNDATION TESTIFIED OR PRESENTED TO OFFICIALS-VIRTUALLY AND IN-PERSON-IN 27 STATES, HELD MEETINGS WITH LAWMAKERS FROM 38 STATES, AND HAD 97 MEETINGS WITH IN-STATE GROUPS SPANNING NEARLY EVERY STATE AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE FOUNDATION IS OFTEN LOOKED TO BY LEGISLATORS, TAXPAYERS, AND THE MEDIA (WITH 10,110 MEDIA CITATIONS IN 2022) TO RECOMMEND TAX REFORM OPTIONS OR PROVIDE ANALYSIS OF TAX PLANS, NAVIGATE AN INCREASINGLY MOBILE POST-PANDEMIC ECONOMY CHARACTERIZED BY A GREATER FOCUS ON TAX COMPETITIVENESS.THE FOUNDATION'S ANALYSIS, AND STUDIES SUCH AS THE STATE BUSINESS TAX CLIMATE INDEX, INFORM THE TAX REFORM DEBATE ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND HAVE BEEN CRUCIAL TO MAJOR TAX CHANGES IN MANY STATES, AND FOUNDATION EXPERTS HAVE BEEN A VITAL RESOURCE TO POLICYMAKERS AND JOURNALISTS AS STATES NAVIGATE AN INCREASINGLY MOBILE POST-PANDEMIC ECONOMY CHARACTERIZED BY A GREATER FOCUS ON TAX COMPETITIVENESS.

    Expenses $666,826 · Grants $10,206

  • GLOBAL TAX REFORM - WAS LAUNCHED IN 2018 IN ORDER TO PROMOTE PRO-GROWTH TAX POLICIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD WITH A PRIMARY FOCUS ON EUROPE. THE GLOBAL PROGRAM PRODUCES IN-DEPTH STUDIES OF ECONOMIC DATA AND USES A VARIETY OF MEASURES, SUCH AS THE INTERNATIONAL TAX COMPETITIVENESS INDEX, TO COMPARE TAX SYSTEMS. THE FOUNDATION'S EXPERTS HAVE PROVIDED BRIEFINGS IN COUNTRIES THROUGHOUT EUROPE AND ARE RELIED UPON BY MEDIA, POLICY MAKERS, AND OTHER POLICY GROUPS TO PROVIDE ANALYSIS OF TAX PROPOSALS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. IN 2022, THE TAX FOUNDATION'S WORK WAS CITED IN 95 COUNTRIES AND RECEIVED 4,120 INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CITATIONS.

    Expenses $423,774 · Grants $1,992

As filed on the 2022 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • DANIEL D BUNN

    PRESIDENT/SECRETARY AS OF OCTOBER

    Total calculated
    $228,567
    From this org
    $206,882
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $21,685
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $155,382
    Bonus
    $50,000
    Other
    $1,500
    Deferred
    $10,908
    Nontaxable benefits
    $10,777
    Filer's total
    $228,567

  • DAVID P LEWIS

    CHAIRMAN

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • JAMES W LINTOTT

    TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • THE HONORABLE PHILIP ENGLISH

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • DENNIS GROTH

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • STEPHEN KRANZ

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • PAMELA OLSON

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • SARAH MCGILL

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • TOM ROESSER

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • SCOTT HODGE

    PRESIDENT/SECRETARY UNTIL JULY

    Total calculated
    $363,377
    From this org
    $347,918
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $15,459
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $347,918
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $15,250
    Nontaxable benefits
    $209
    Filer's total
    $363,377

  • MICHAEL VOLGER

    SR. OFFICER, DEVELOPMENT & PARTNERSHIPS

    Total calculated
    $179,057
    From this org
    $170,348
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $8,709
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $170,348
    Bonus
    $0
    Other
    $0
    Deferred
    $8,500
    Nontaxable benefits
    $209
    Filer's total
    $179,057

  • WILLIAM MCBRIDE

    VP OF FEDERAL TAX POLICY

    Total calculated
    $186,503
    From this org
    $173,993
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $12,510
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $170,743
    Bonus
    $2,500
    Other
    $750
    Deferred
    $8,912
    Nontaxable benefits
    $3,598
    Filer's total
    $186,503

  • COLBY PASTRE

    VP OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

    Total calculated
    $147,859
    From this org
    $135,156
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $12,703
    Hours/week
    40

  • MICHAEL RESSEGUE

    CHIEF OF STAFF

    Total calculated
    $150,488
    From this org
    $144,219
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $6,269
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $140,969
    Bonus
    $2,500
    Other
    $750
    Deferred
    $2,952
    Nontaxable benefits
    $3,317
    Filer's total
    $150,488

  • JARED M WALCZAK

    VP OF STATE PROJECTS

    Total calculated
    $146,699
    From this org
    $136,469
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $10,230
    Hours/week
    40

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

  • 3 · Compensation survey or study
  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments

Answered no

  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

The filer's explanations (Part III)

PART I, LINE 3
THE TAX FOUNDATION PARTICIPATES IN THE ANNUAL THINK TANK COMPENSATION SURVEY WHICH COLLECTS COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS DATA RELEVANT TO THINK TANKS AND OTHER RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES THAT CONDUCT RESEARCH IN THE PUBLIC POLICY, FOREIGN POLICY, AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ARENAS. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UTILIZES ITS EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SURVEY RESULTS IN DETERMINING THE APPROPRIATE SALARY LEVEL ANNUALLY. THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMUNICATES IN WRITING THE SALARY APPROVED BY THE BOARD TO THE APPROPRIATE ACCOUNTING AND HUMAN RESOURCES PERSONNEL.
PART I, LINE 7
THE TAX FOUNDATION AWARDED PERFORMANCE BASED BONUSES TO SEVERAL EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING MOST OF THE HIGHEST COMPENSATED EMPLOYEES LISTED ON FORM 990, PART VII. THESE BONUSES ARE INCLUDED IN THE AMOUNTS REPORTED ON FORM 990, PART VII, SECTION A, COLUMN D - REPORTABLE COMPENSATION.

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2022
Filed
1 September 2023
IRS schema version
2022v5.0
Source object
202312449349300731

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