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Common Power Future

EIN 86-2168401 · Seattle, WA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair60 out of 100GovernanceWeak45 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • Only 32% of its spending went to programs.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION IS TO EDUCATE, AMPLIFY, AND MOBILIZE A NEXT GENERATION OF CIVIC LEADERS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES, INCLUDING TRAVEL FOR LEARNING TOURS, EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS, AND CIVIC LEADERSHIP TRAINING. OUR FOCUS ON LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT EQUIPS PARTICIPANTS WITH THE SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND VALUES NECESSARY TO ADVOCATE FOR A JUST AND INCLUSIVE DEMOCRACY. BY IMMERSING INDIVIDUALS IN DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS AND ENGAGING WITH COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE AIM TO FOSTER A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND INCLUSIVITY. THROUGH THESE EXPERIENCES, WE EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE LEADERS AND AGENTS OF POSITIVE CHANGE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND BEYOND.

Income
$4.9 million
Spending
$4.5 million
Spent on programs
32%
Reserves
2 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 96%
Employees
0
Volunteers
0
Highest pay
$168,415, executive director

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

Fair: 60 out of 100. Higher than 21% of charities in its peer group (civil rights, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 2.0 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 3% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 8% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 106% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    0 of 15

    32% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 2 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

Weak: 45 out of 100. Higher than 4% of charities in its peer group (civil rights, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    5 of 25

    0 of 3 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    0 of 7

    Reports no 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

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • Independent check of accounts

    0 of 15

    Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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 (1)
  1. $1.5 million spent. IN 2024, OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ACHIEVED RECORD GROWTH, EXPANDED IMPACT, AND STRENGTHENED LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ACROSS MULTIPLE INITIATIVES. OUR LECTURE SERIES, WORKSHOPS, AND COURSES GREW TO 24 OFFERINGS, ENGAGING OVER 4,000 REGISTRANTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS.OUR LEARNING TOURS EXPANDED TO 7 TOTAL TOURS, INCLUDING 2 EDUCATOR-FOCUSED TOURS AND AN EDUCATOR SYMPOSIUM, BRINGING TOGETHER 200+ PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING 62 NEW EDUCATORS. BY THE END OF THE YEAR, OUR EDUCATOR AMBASSADOR NETWORK REACHED 132, REFLECTING SUSTAINED GROWTH AND INFLUENCE FROM 2022 THROUGH 2024.THROUGH OUR EDUCATION TO ACTION GRANTS, WE DISTRIBUTED 13 GRANTS TO EMPOWER INNOVATIVE PROJECTS TRANSLATING LEARNING INTO REAL-WORLD IMPACT. THE SCHOLARS IN MOTION PROGRAM SERVED 32 STUDENTS CUMULATIVELY, LAUNCHING A SECOND CHAPTER IN SELMA, AL WITH 7 NEW STUDENTS, EXPANDING HANDS-ON LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN NEW COMMUNITIES.MEANWHILE, ACTION ACADEMY REACHED UNPRECEDENTED PARTICIPATION, RECEIVING 200+ APPLICATIONS, THE LARGEST IN PROGRAM HISTORY. 24 ALUMNI RETURNED AS LEADERS, GUIDING AND MANAGING DAY-TO-DAY PROGRAM OPERATIONS. STUDENTS APPLIED THEIR LEARNING IN THE FIELD, WITH 37 TRAVELING TO PARTICIPATE IN ELECTORAL WORK, WHILE ENGAGING PEERS FROM OVER 7 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE. INTEREST IN DOOR-TO-DOOR ENGAGEMENT DURING THE FALL ELECTION CYCLE AND BROADER INTERNATIONAL CIVIC PARTICIPATION CONTINUED TO GROW.THIS YEAR ALSO SAW THE LAUNCH OF DEMOCRACY LAB, A PEER-TO-PEER EDUCATION SPACE FOSTERING COLLABORATION, LEADERSHIP, AND SHARED CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY. ADDITIONALLY, WE LAUNCHED A NEW SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM, ACHIEVING STRONG ENGAGEMENT AND EXPANDING OUR DIGITAL REACH.ACROSS ALL INITIATIVES, 2024 WAS A YEAR OF GROWTH, CONNECTION, AND IMPACTPREPARING STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS TO BE INFORMED, EMPOWERED, AND ACTIVE LEADERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND AROUND THE WORLD.

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 October 13, 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 August 2021.

    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 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.