Invisible Institute
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Enhancing the capacity of citizens to hold public institutions accountable through the practice of investigative journalism. The Organization adheres to the central principle that citizens have co-responsibility with the government for maintaining respect for human rights and, when abuses occur, for demanding redress.
- Income
- $3.1 million
- Spending
- $2.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 75%
- Reserves
- 5.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 93%
- Employees
- 15
- Volunteers
- 5
- Highest pay
- $88,001, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (civil rights, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.2 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 36% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1575% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 60% of charities in its peer group (civil rights, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 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, 2025, 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 (4)
- $811,938 spent. Citizens Police Data Project CPDP - CPDP takes records of police interactions with the public - records that would otherwise be buried in internal databases - and opens them up to make the data useful to the public, thereby creating a permanent record for every police officer. The Organization utilizes its CPDP tool to present the underlying police data. In order to maximize the CPDP program coverage and effectiveness, the Organization makes the codebase for the CPDP tool and all underlying datasets plus data processing scripts and FOIA responses available to the public through the Organization's website.
- $435,972 spent. Journalism - The Organization is a journalism organization at its core, and utilizes different mediums to employ such tactics that include human rights documentation, investigative reporting, civil rights litigation, the curating of public information, conceptual art projects and the orchestration of difficult public conversations.
- $125,015 spent. Youth/Police - This program aims to build conversations with black teens about how their lives are affected by the character of the police presence in their neighborhoods. The program presents how teens describe their interactions with police in their own words, how those encounters make them feel, and how their experiences with the police shape their behavior.
- $110,939 spent. Legal & Outreach - The program provides legal support and public strategy for ongoing work to make police records available to the public, including support for Freedom of Information Act requests and lawsuits.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, 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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 2016.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.