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Institute on Religion and Public Life

EIN 52-1628303 · New York, NY

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak44 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE INSTITUTE ON RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE IS AN INTERRELIGIOUS, NONPARTISAN RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION. THE INSTITUTE'S MISSION IS TO ARTICULATE A GOVERNING CONSENSUS THAT SUPPORTS: (SEE SCHEDULE O)- A RELIGIOUSLY PLURALISTIC SOCIETY THAT DEFENDS HUMAN DIGNITY FROM CONCEPTION TO NATURAL DEATH.- A DEMOCRATIC, CONSTITUTIONALLY ORDERED FORM OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED BY A RELIGIOUSLY AND MORALLY SERIOUS CULTURE.- A VISION OF FREEDOM THAT ENCOURAGES A CULTURE OF PERSONAL AND COMMUNAL RESPONSIBILITY.-LOYALTY TO THE WESTERN TRADITION THAT PROVIDES A BASIS FOR RESPONSIBLE GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP.THE INSTITUTE'S FLAGSHIP PROGRAM, FIRST THINGS MAGAZINE, IS THE LEADING INTELLECTUAL JOURNAL OF ITS KIND IN THE UNITED STATES. IN ADDITION TO PUBLISHING TEN ISSUES OF FIRST THINGS EACH YEAR, THE INSTITUTE HOSTS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE RELIGIOUSLY INFORMED ANALYSIS OF CULTURE, SOCIETY, THEOLOGY, AND POLITICS.

Income
$4.4 million
Spending
$4.4 million
Spent on programs
78%
Reserves
-0.6 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 77%
Employees
18
Volunteers
8
Highest pay
$277,367, executive dir

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

Weak: 44 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    0 of 35

    Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.

  • Debt

    2 of 20

    It owes 87% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    12 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 1% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 11% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    78% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 21 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.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    11 of 11 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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 (2)
  1. $3.1 million spent. FIRST THINGS MAGAZINE, THE INSTITUTE'S FLAGSHIP PROGRAM, SEEKS TO REACH A BROAD PUBLIC AUDIENCE OF RELIGIOUS BELIEVERS AND OTHERS CONCERNED WITH THE INTERSECTION OF RELIGION, CULTURE, POLITICS, AND SOCIETY IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE. THE MAGAZINE HAS A DIVERSE AND INFLUENTIAL READERSHIP; FROM POLITICAL LEADERS IN WASHINGTON DC AND INDUSTRY EXECUTIVES IN NEW YORK, TO OFFICIALS AT THE VATICAN, PROTESTANT CLERGY, COLLEGE STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND FAMILIES AROUND THE COUNTRY.WHILE OUR PRIMARY AUDIENCE IS IN THE UNITED STATES, THE MAGAZINE HAS A INTERNATIONAL FOLLOWING THROUGH FIRSTHINGS.COM. IN THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS, OVER 859,000 WEB SESSIONS ORIGINATED FROM OUTSIDE THE US, REPRESENTING 26% OF TOTAL WEB TRAFFIC FOR THE YEAR. FIRST THINGS ALSO HELD SEVERAL INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC SYMPOSIA IN EUROPE AND ASIA.FIRST THINGS MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED TEN TIMES A YEAR, WITH AN AVERAGE CIRCULATION OF OVER 26,000. FIRSTTHINGS.COM COMPLEMENTS AND EXTENDS THE REACH OF THE PRINT MAGAZINE. IN THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS, FIRSTTHINGS.COM RECEIVED OVER 8.7 MILLION PAGE VIEWS FROM 3.1 MILLION UNIQUE VISITORS AND SERVED OVER 1.8 MILLION PODCAST LISTENS. FIRST THINGS ALSO MAINTAINS AN ACTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE, WITH NEW CONTENT POSTED MULTIPLE TIMES EACH DAY. THE MAGAZINE CURRENTLY HAS OVER 150,000 FACEBOOK AND TWITTER FOLLOWERS.WHILE OUR PRIMARY AUDIENCE IS IN THE UNITED STATES, THE MAGAZINE HAS AN INTERNATIONAL FOLLOWING THROUGH FIRSTTHINGS.COM. IN THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS, OVER 750,000 WEB SESSIONS ORGINATED FROM OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES, REPRESENTING 25.7% OF TOTAL WEB TRAFFIC FOR THE YEAR.
  2. $301,755 spent. EDUCATION PROGRAMS:BEYOND PRINT AND ONLINE PUBLICATIONS, FIRST THINGS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ARE A LONG STANDING, AND EVER GROWING, COMMITMENT. THE INSTITUTE BELIEVES STRONGLY THAT CREATING A VISIBLE COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF ACCOMPLISHING THE MISSION. EACH YEAR THE INSTITUTE SPONSORS AND HOSTS A VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL EVENTS AND ACADEMIC COLLOQUIA IN ORDER TO ENGAGE OUR FRIENDS, SUBSCRIBERS, NATIONAL INFLUENCERS, AS WELL AS NOTED SCHOLARS AND PROMISING STUDENTS.SOME EXAMPLES OF FIRST THINGS' EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS ARE:1. THE FIRST THINGS SEMINAR PROGRAM IN NEW YORK.THE INAUGURAL FIRST THINGS INTELLECTUAL RETREAT WAS HELD IN NEW YORK CITY IN 2015, TITLED "THE PARADOX OF FREEDOM." INTEREST IN THE SEMINAR WAS REMARKABLY STRONG AND ENROLLMENT WAS AT CAPACITY. GIVEN THE SUCCESS OF THE FIRST RETREAT THE PROGRAM EXPANDED EVERY YEAR SINCE TO OTHER CITIES IN THE US. IN ADDITION TO THE NEW ANNUAL RETREAT IN NEW YORK CITY, FIRST THINGS HAS RETREATS IN LOS ANGELES, WACO, PHILADELPHIA, AND WASHINGTON DC TO MEET THE DEMAND AMONG READERS IN THOSE REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY. THE THEMES AND ASSIGNED READINGS FOR THE RETREATS VARY AND HAVE COVERED TOPICS SUCH AS ECONOMICS AND THE HUMAN PERSON, THE LIFE OF THE MIND, THE POLITICAL LIFE, THE GOOD OF MARRIAGE, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP, THE COMMON GOOD AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS. THE RETREATS COMMONLY GATHER TOGETHER 60 TO 100 IN-PERSON PARTICIPANTS.2. THE ANNUAL ERASMUS LECTURE IN NEW YORK CITY, NOW IN ITS 37TH YEAR. THE 2024 ERASMUS LECTURE WAS DELIVERED BY PAUL KINGSNORTH, AN ENGLISH WRITER AND THINKER AND THE AUTHOR OF NINE BOOKS OF FICTION, NON-FICTION AND POETRY, INCLUDING THE NOVEL THE WAKE, LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE. HIS TALK WAS ENTITLED "AGAINST CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION". THE LECTURE WAS THE LATEST IN THE PRESTIGIOUS SERIES HELD IN NEW YORK, EACH YEAR PRESENTING AN EXCEPTIONAL THOUGHT LEADER. PREVIOUS ERASMUS LECTURERS HAVE INCLUDED POPE BENEDICT XVI (THEN CARDINAL JOSEF RATZINGER), ARCHBISHOP TIMOTHY DOLAN, RABBI JONATHAN SACKS, DANA GIOIA, ROSS DOUTHAT, RUSSELL MOORE, BISHOP ROBERT BARRON, REMI BRAGUE, AND N. T. WRIGHT, AMONG MANY OTHER NOTEWORTHY SPEAKERS. 3. ADDITIONALLY, THE INSTITUTE HOSTS A NUMBER OF ACADEMIC COLLOQUIA THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AIMED AT BROADENING UNDERSTANDING AND PROMOTING HIGH LEVEL DISCUSSIONS AMONG SCHOLARS OF THE IDEAS TREATED IN THE PAGES OF FIRST THINGS.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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 November 6, 2026.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since June 1994.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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 November 4, 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.