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Washington · Nonprofit

American Civil Liberties Union of Washington

American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (Washington) receives grants from 8 organizations whose IRS filings report $293,821 to it, the largest being DAVID AND PATRICIA GIULIANI FAMILY FOUNDATION ($180,000). 5 of them have funded it in more than one year.

Revenue FY2025
$4.7M
Funders on record
8
Grants received
$294k
Net assets
$20M
5/8 repeat funderspeak grant-dependency 2%
01What it does

What American Civil Liberties Union of Washington does

Mission

To protect and extend civil liberties and civil rights, and to take action to further those liberties and rights within the state of washington.

As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.

Programs

  1. The departments in our Integrated Advocacy program defend and expand civil rights and civil liberties through public policy engagement. The Political Strategies Department (PSD) develops and implements non-partisan political advocacy strategies to move decision makers on ACLU of Washingtons policy priorities. The department comprises ACLU-WAs legislative and field programs, including lobbying, coalition building, and activist engagement. PSD identifies individuals in positions to impact ACLU policy goals and works closely with the Communications Department, Policy Advocacy Group, and aligned community partners to plan and execute campaigns for the advancement of civil liberties and civil rights.

    $1,146,836 spent
    42% of program spending
  2. The ACLU engages in public policy work at the local and state levels to promote freedom, equity and justice for all. ACLU experts provide legal and policy expertise to agencies and legislative bodies that are grappling with plans, policies, state rules, or legislation that impact civil rights and liberties. Our policy specialists focus on civil liberties in the areas of technology and privacy rights, youth, drug policy, health care, immigration, policing, and criminal justice. The ACLU is frequently invited by public officials to join as a stakeholder in policy development. Our legislative work is enhanced by advocacy strategies that engage and mobilize our supporters. We accomplish our work in coalition with community organizations and community members, especially those most directly impacted.

    $598,674 spent
    22% of program spending
  3. Using traditional and new media, the ACLU-WA Communications Department provides information and ongoing education to our members and the public with respect to a wide scope of civil liberties issues and concerns. The ACLU-WA is in daily contact with media outlets to develop articles, frame issues and influence opinions. The Communications Department coordinates events, a speakers bureau, and student outreach. We publish a newsletter, maintain a web site, www.ACLU-WA.org, and engage supporters via a variety of social media channels.

    $483,779 spent
    18% of program spending
  4. Annual fund revenue sharing with national american civil liberties union.

    $513,465 spent
    19% of program spending

The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $2,742,754.

02The organization over time

The organization over time

Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended.

100 = 20172017 Revenue 100 ($3.1M) Expenses 100 ($1.4M) Net assets 100 ($6.0M)2018 Revenue 129 ($3.9M) Expenses 122 ($1.7M) Net assets 146 ($8.8M)2019 Revenue 157 ($4.8M) Expenses 171 ($2.3M) Net assets 199 ($12M)2020 Revenue 150 ($4.6M) Expenses 243 ($3.3M) Net assets 223 ($13M)2021 Revenue 144 ($4.4M) Expenses 277 ($3.8M) Net assets 282 ($17M)2022 Revenue 144 ($4.4M) Expenses 324 ($4.4M) Net assets 317 ($19M)2023 Revenue 133 ($4.1M) Expenses 422 ($5.7M) Net assets 270 ($16M)2024 Revenue 211 ($6.4M) Expenses 292 ($4.0M) Net assets 311 ($19M)2025 Revenue 154 ($4.7M) Expenses 250 ($3.4M) Net assets 329 ($20M)
'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
Revenue (154)Expenses (250)Net assets (329)

Balance sheet

Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2020 to 2021, from $14M to $18M (+26%).

$6.4M
$9.1M
$12M
$14M
$18M
$21M
$22M
$25M
$25M
'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
Total assetsTotal liabilities

How it's funded, over time

Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.

2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
ContributionsProgram revenueInvestmentOther

Surplus & reserves

Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 1 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.

$1.7M
’17
$2.3M
’18
$2.5M
’19
$1.3M
’20
$651k
’21
$10k
’22
−$1.7M
’23
$2.5M
’24
$1.3M
’25
5.5
months of
reserve

Leadership and staff

The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.

Chief executive

Michele Storms

Executive Director

As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.

'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
Listed232729302734313429
Joined·+7+5+5+3+7+5+8+3
No longer listed·33460858
03Who funds it

Who funds it, year by year

2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 2 funders to 3 funders, grant income fell $65k → $11k.

Left out of every figure on this page: $449k from one payer (the payer shares this organization's board, largest American Civil Liberties Union Inc). These are real filings, and they are not money American Civil Liberties Union of Washington raised.

From the IRS filings of American Civil Liberties Union of Washington’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.

How concentrated its funding is

American Civil Liberties Union of Washington leans on a few funders — its largest provides 61% of grant income and the top three 87%; half comes from just 1 funder.

the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left

61%
largest funder
87%
top three
~2
effective funders

Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 92% · 2018 100% · 2019 57% · 2020 77% · 2021 63% · 2022 68% · 2023 92% — broadly stable.

“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.

How long its funders stay

17% of American Civil Liberties Union of Washington's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 63% give in more than one year at all.

first grant+1y+2y+3y+4y

Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.

Where its funders are

99% of American Civil Liberties Union of Washington's grant income comes from Washington funders.

WA
NC

In-state vs out-of-state, by year

’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
Washington out of state home

Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.

04Its place in the field

Organizations like American Civil Liberties Union of Washington

Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.

In Washington

Nationally

05Profile & governance

Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.

Where the money goes

81% of spending goes to programs.

Program 81%Management 19%Fundraising 0%

Governance

15
board members
100%
independent
✓Conflict-of-interest policy✓Whistleblower policy✓Document retention✓Board reviewed the 990✓Audited financials

Footprint & structure

Part of a family of 1 related entity

  • ACLU of Washington Foundation · exempt

Screen this organization

A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for American Civil Liberties Union of Washington: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.

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Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf

Questions and answers

Who funds American Civil Liberties Union of Washington?
American Civil Liberties Union of Washington (Washington) receives grants from 8 organizations whose IRS filings report $293,821 to it, the largest being DAVID AND PATRICIA GIULIANI FAMILY FOUNDATION ($180,000). 5 of them have funded it in more than one year.
How many funders does American Civil Liberties Union of Washington have?
IRS filings report 8 organizations giving $293,821 in grants to American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, 5 of which have funded it in more than one year.
Who is the largest funder of American Civil Liberties Union of Washington?
DAVID AND PATRICIA GIULIANI FAMILY FOUNDATION is the largest funder on record, with $180,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
How can an organization like American Civil Liberties Union of Washington find more funders?
Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Washington. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.

These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 8 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing