BBB Wise Giving Report for
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

BBB Wise Giving Report issued September 2011
BBB Wise Giving Report expires September 2013


Does not meet one or more standards
This charity does not meet one or more of the 20 standards for Charity Accountability. Find out more...


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Charity Contact Information

Name: Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
Address: 601 Walnut Street, Suite 510
  Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone: 215-717-3473
Web Address: www.thefire.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1999, Massachusetts
Affiliates: None
Stated Purpose: "to defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities."

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Evaluation Conclusions

              

Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) does not meet the following Standard for Charity Accountability.

Standard 3: Frequency and Attendance of Board Meetings - An organization shall have a minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body with a majority in attendance, with face-to-face participation. A conference call of the full board can substitute for one of the three meetings of the governing body. For all meetings, alternative modes of participation are acceptable for those with physical disabilities.

FIRE does not meet this Standard because:

  • Although the organization's board held three meetings in 2010, only one of these meetings was held in person.
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) meets the remaining 19 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

              

FIRE works to protect individual rights through the Individual Rights Defense Program (IRDP) and the Individual Rights Education Program (IREP). The IRDP encompasses FIRE's work to defend liberty on behalf of wronged students and faculty at colleges and universities across America. The program provides assistance to both individuals and groups and promotes accountability through public exposure of abuses. While many of the cases FIRE accepts can be resolved quickly and amicably by FIRE's office staff, FIRE sometimes refers individual cases to its Legal Network, a group of pro bono attorneys who share its principles, values, and goals. The IRDP includes the following projects: Free Speech on Campus Project, Speech Code Litigation Project, Religious Liberty on Campus Project, Freedom of Conscience on Campus Project, Due Process and Legal Equality on Campus Project, and Freedom of Association on Campus Project. FIRE's IREP works nationally to inform the public about the state of liberty on our campuses and equips students and faculty with resources they can use to defend their rights on campus. Through this program, FIRE provides information about individuals' fundamental rights and the betrayal of those rights on campus so that students and faculty can determine if their rights are being violated and what steps to take to correct such abuses. FIRE's IREP includes the following projects: FIRE's Guides to Student Rights on Campus, Spotlight: The Campus Freedom Resource, the Campus Freedom Network, the Public Awareness Project, the Justice Robert H. Jackson Legal Fellowship, FIRE internships, and the Policy Reform Project.

For the year ended December 31, 2010, FIRE's program expenses were:

  
Policy reform project 695,970
Individual rights defense program 491,427
Individual rights in education program 424,047
Campus freedom network 265,583
Total Program Expenses: $1,877,027
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Governance

              

Chief Executive : Greg Lukianoff, President
Compensation*:
$225,917

Chair of the Board: Harvey Silverglate
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Attorney

Board Size: 10

Paid Staff Size: 20

*2010 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
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Fund Raising

              

Method(s) Used:

Direct mail, special events, grant proposals, Internet appeals, and planned giving.
Fund raising costs were 7% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $1,885,549, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
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Tax Status

              

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
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Financial

              

The following information is based on FIRE's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Source of Funds  
Contributions 1,885,510
Interest income 17,550
Other income 43
Event income 39
Total Income $1,903,142


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Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 86%  Fund Raising: 6%  Administrative: 8% 

Total income   $1,903,142
  Program expenses $1,877,027
  Fund raising expenses 137,524
  Administrative expenses 182,155
 
Total expenses   $2,196,706
Expenses in Excess of Income   (293,564)
Beginning net assets   2,585,619
Ending net assets   2,292,055
Total liabilities   44,528
Total assets   $2,336,583


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An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.

This report is not to be used for fund raising or promotional purposes.

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