Mdrc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O
- Income
- $89.3 million
- Spending
- $93.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 81%
- Reserves
- 8.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 54%
- Employees
- 361
- Volunteers
- 17
- Highest pay
- $709,708, president
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 72 out of 100. Higher than 54% of charities in its peer group (employment, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 8.4 months of spending.
Debt
10 of 20It owes 41% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 6% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1581% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 41% of charities in its peer group (employment, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2517 of 17 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (8)
- $17.9 million spent. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, AND EMPLOYMENTMDRC IS TESTING TAILORED INTERVENTIONS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE DISCONNECTED FROM THE WORLDS OF SCHOOL AND WORK, YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS AT RISK OF ENTERING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, RETURNING CITIZENS REENTERING THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND PEOPLE WITH WORK-LIMITING DISABILITIES. THE FINDINGS OF OUR NEW STUDIES AS THEY EMERGE ARE INTENDED TO EXPAND IMPLEMENTATION OF EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS IN THE DIFFERENT PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, ENFORCEMENT, AND SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEMS THAT INTERACT WITH POPULATIONS THAT FACE BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT.
- $16.9 million spent. FAMILY WELL-BEING AND CHILD DEVELOPMENTFOR DECADES, MDRC HAS BEEN A LEADER IN DEVELOPING AND STUDYING INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN LIVING IN FAMILIES WITH LOW INCOMES. OUR CURRENT WORK IN THIS AREA FOCUSES ON TWO MAIN DOMAINS: EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION (ECE) SYSTEMS AND FAMILY-FOCUSED SERVICE SYSTEMS. IN EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION, WE'VE WORKED WITH PRACTITIONERS TO DEVELOP AND TEST INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE CLASSROOM QUALITY, CURRICULUM AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, MATH INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS, EARLY CHILDHOOD ASSESSMENTS, AND P-3 ALIGNMENTAS WELL AS STUDIED WAYS TO SUPPORT AND BUILD THE ECE WORKFORCE. (SEE SCHEDULE O)FAMILY WELL-BEING AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (CONTINUED):IN FAMILY-FOCUSED SERVICES, MDRC HAS BEEN EVALUATING VARIOUS HOME VISITING MODELS AND HAS BEEN A LEADER IN COCREATING AND STUDYING SERVICES IN FATHERHOOD PROGRAMS.
- $13.4 million spent. K-12 EDUCATIONFOR 25 YEARS, MDRC HAS BEEN LEARNING WHAT MAY BE MOST EFFECTIVE TO RAISE THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE AT RISK OF FAILING. WE COLLABORATE WITH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS, CHARTER ORGANIZATIONS, AND NATIONAL NONPROFITS TO EVALUATE THEIR PROGRAMS AND TO USE THAT INFORMATION TO HELP THEM DEVELOP EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES FOR CONTINUOUS PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT.
- $7.3 million spent. ECONOMIC MOBILITY, HOUSING, AND COMMUNITIESLONG REGARDED AS THE PREMIER INVESTIGATOR OF POLICIES TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF FAMILIES PARTICIPATING IN PUBLIC BENEFITS PROGRAMS, MDRC HAS BROUGHT ITS PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT SKILLS AND REPUTATION FOR METHODOLOGICAL RIGOR TO THE CHALLENGE OF LEARNING HOW BEST TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC HEALTH OF WORKERS AND COMMUNITIES. THE CONCENTRATION OF POVERTY AND AN ASSOCIATED LACK OF ACCESS TO GOOD JOBS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, QUALITY GOODS AND SERVICES, AND ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL RESOURCES PRESENTS SPECIAL CHALLENGES FOR IMPROVING THE PROSPECTS OF RESIDENTS OF NEIGHBORHOODS WITH HIGH POVERTY RATES. MDRC HAS EVALUATED A NUMBER OF "PLACE-BASED" PROJECTS THAT ADDRESSED URBAN POVERTY AND JOBLESSNESS. WE ARE ALSO EVALUATING A NUMBER OF HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER REFORMS, HELPING TO IMPROVE THE NATION'S PRINCIPAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.
- $7.1 million spent. POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONPOLICYMAKERS AND THE PHILANTHROPIC SECTOR HAVE FOCUSED NEW EFFORTS ON INCREASING STUDENT PERSISTENCE AND ACHIEVEMENT IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION. MDRC HAS IDENTIFIED THE MOST EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS DEVELOPED BY OTHERS, HELPED REPLICATE THOSE PROGRAMS IN NEW CONTEXTS, AND ASSISTED COMMUNITIES AND INSTITUTIONS IN DEVELOPING NEW INTERVENTIONS BASED ON THE EVIDENCE DEVELOPED IN THE STUDIES AVAILABLE. WE ARE NOW FOCUSED ON HELPING STATES AND HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ADOPT AND SCALE THE MORE SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND TESTED.
- $6.9 million spent. INFORMATION AND DISSEMINATION: FOR MDRC'S EVIDENCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE PUBLIC POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT AFFECT PEOPLE WITH LOW INCOMES, IT MUST REACH A BROAD AUDIENCE. WE PRODUCE CLEARLY WRITTEN RESEARCH REPORTS AS WELL AS POLICY BRIEFS, "HOW-TO" GUIDES AND TOOLKITS, INTERACTIVE TOOLS, INFOGRAPHICS, BLOG POSTS, COMMENTARIES, VIDEOS, AND PODCASTS THAT DISTILL THE RESULTS OF OUR STUDIES AND DISCUSS THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE. WE WIDELY DISSEMINATE OUR FINDINGS TO THE MEDIA AND PUBLIC INTEREST GROUPS; TO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND PHILANTHROPY; TO PRACTITIONERS AND MANAGERS IN STATES, LOCALITIES, EDUCATION SYSTEMS, AND COMMUNITIES; AT PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES AND IN JOURNAL ARTICLES; THROUGH NEWS BULLETINS E-MAILED TO MORE THAN 14,000 PEOPLE; VIA OUR COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE; THROUGH A ROBUST SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE, PARTICULARLY ON LINKEDIN, FACEBOOK, X/TWITTER, BLUESKY, AND INSTAGRAM (WITH A COMBINED 60,000+ FOLLOWERS); AND THROUGH THE PROVISION OF HANDS-ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO PUBLIC AND NONPROFIT PROGRAM OPERATORS. WE MAINTAIN SEVERAL WELL-READ BLOGS, INCLUDING IDEAS AND EVIDENCE, THE IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH INCUBATOR, REFLECTIONS ON METHODOLOGY, INPRACTICE, AND THE FUTURE OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION. MDRC'S INFORMATION AND DISSEMINATION EFFORTS ARE FUNDED BOTH BY PROJECT FUNDS AND BY ITS ENDOWMENT AND GRANTS FROM FOUNDATIONS.PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT: MDRC OPERATES MORE THAN 100 ACTIVE PROJECTS, FUNDED BY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND FOUNDATIONS, THROUGH ITS FIVE POLICY AREAS AND FOUR CENTERS. MDRC'S PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WORKS WITH THE POLICY AREAS AND CENTERS TO INCUBATE NEW WORK AND FIND SUPPORTERS TO FUND IT.METHODOLOGY: MDRC IS KNOWN FOR DEVELOPING AND USING CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES AND SHARING THEM WITH THE LARGER FIELD THROUGH JOURNAL ARTICLES, WORKING PAPERS, TOOLS FOR RESEARCHERS, AND ITS REFLECTIONS ON METHODOLOGY BLOG. AS A DEMONSTRATION OF OUR COMMITMENT TO OPEN SCIENCE AND RESEARCH REPLICABILITY, MDRC MAKES AVAILABLE PUBLIC USE DATA FILES AND RESTRICTED USE DATA FILES FROM ITS EVALUATIONS FOR OTHER RESEARCHERS TO ACCESS.STRATEGIC INITIATIVES: MDRC MAINTAINS CROSS-DEPARTMENTAL WORKING GROUPS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING CORPORATE STRATEGIES RELATED TO QUANTITATIVE METHODS, IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH, PROGRAM OPERATIONS, AND DATA SECURITY, AMONG OTHER IMPORTANT TOPICS.
- $3.7 million spent. CENTER FOR DATA INSIGHTSTHE CENTER FOR DATA INSIGHTS FURTHERS MDRC'S LONG-STANDING COMMITMENT TO HELPING ORGANIZATIONS WITH WHICH WE COLLABORATE THEIR PROGRAMS AND SYSTEMS BY HARNESSING THE BENEFITS OF OPERATIONAL DATA-SCIENCE TECHNIQUES THOSE THAT PRODUCE ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS THAT CAN AFFECT DAILY PRACTICE. RANGING FROM SIMPLE DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARIES TO ADVANCED MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS, THE CENTER'S PROJECTS AIM TO USE INSTITUTIONS' INCREASINGLY RICH DATA TO PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS THAT CAN HELP THEM REFINE AND TARGET THEIR SERVICES.
- $3.0 million spent. CENTER FOR APPLIED BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE (CABS)TOO OFTEN, PROGRAMS AND POLICIES DO NOT CONSIDER THE WAY PEOPLE ACTUALLY THINK AND BEHAVE. IT IS OFTEN ASSUMED THAT THOSE MOST IN NEED WILL FIND A WAY TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES, BUT BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE DEMONSTRATES THAT EVEN SMALL HASSLES CREATE BARRIERS THAT PREVENT THOSE IN NEED OF SERVICES FROM RECEIVING THEM. APPLYING THESE INSIGHTS CAN IMPROVE THE WAY PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED AND SERVICES ARE DELIVERED. CABS HAS COLLABORATED WITH MORE THAN 100 AGENCIES, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, AND NONPROFITS IN 26 STATES TO DEVELOP AND TEST BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR CLIENTS AND STUDENTS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 1974.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.