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Commission On Presidential Debates

Organization summary

Type of Nonprofit

Designated as a Organizations for any of the following purposes: religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition (as long as it doesn’t provide athletic facilities or equipment), or the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.

Category: Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy / Voter Education, Registration (NTEE)

Donations to this organization are tax deductible.

Summary charts: organization finances over time

Revenue
$109k (2022)

Expenses
$1.3M (2022)

Total Assets
$7.64M (2022)

Total Liabilities
$814k (2022)

Source: Form 990 tax filings from 2010 to 2022

Tax Filings by Year

Form 990 is an information return that most organizations claiming federal tax-exempt status must file yearly with the IRS. Nonprofit Explorer has IRS digitized Form 990 data for filings processed in 2012 and later. If this organization filed an amended return, it may not be reflected below. Duplicate download links may indicate a resubmission or amendment to this organization's original return. Form 990 data is from the IRS.

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2022

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$109,218
Expenses
$1,299,895
Net Income
-$1,190,677
Net Assets
$6,825,151
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $0
Program Services $5,000
4.6%
Investment Income $104,218
95.4%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $446,616
34.4%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $195,001
15.0%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $7,639,338
Total Liabilities $814,187
Net Assets $6,825,151
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Janet H Brown (Exec. Director) $462,321 $0 $106,654
Frank J Fahrenkopf Jr (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Antonia Hernandez (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
John Danforth (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
John Griffen (Secretary/Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Charles Gibson (Director) $0 $0 $0
Yvonne Hao (Director) $0 $0 $0
Monica C Lozano (Director) $0 $0 $0
Reverend John I Jenkins (Director) $0 $0 $0
Rajiv J Shah (Director) $0 $0 $0
Richard D Parsons (Director) $0 $0 $0
Olympia Snowe (Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2021

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$11,069
Expenses
$1,306,832
Net Income
-$1,295,763
Net Assets
$8,087,961
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $0
Program Services $0
Investment Income $11,069
100%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $430,840
33.0%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $324,333
24.8%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $8,973,226
Total Liabilities $885,265
Net Assets $8,087,961
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Janet H Brown (Exec. Director) $428,682 $0 $101,575
Frank J Fahrenkopf Jr (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Kenneth Wollack (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Antonia Hernandez (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
John Danforth (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
John Griffen (Secretary/Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Charles Gibson (Director) $0 $0 $0
Yvonne Hao (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jane Harman (Director) $0 $0 $0
Reverend John I Jenkins (Director) $0 $0 $0
Newton N Minow (Director) $0 $0 $0
Richard D Parsons (Director) $0 $0 $0
Olympia Snowe (Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2020

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$3,241,738
Expenses
$7,448,288
Net Income
-$4,206,550
Net Assets
$9,352,202
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $711,041
21.9%
Program Services $2,478,992
76.5%
Investment Income $51,705
1.6%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $418,860
5.6%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $462,313
6.2%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $10,323,857
Total Liabilities $971,655
Net Assets $9,352,202
Other
Provided first-class or charter travel
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Janet H Brown (Exec. Director) $406,953 $0 $96,738
Frank J Fahrenkopf Jr (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Dorothy S Ridings (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Kenneth Wollack (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Antonia Hernandez (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
John Danforth (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
John Griffen (Secretary/Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Charles Gibson (Director) $0 $0 $0
Yvonne Hao (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jane Harman (Director) $0 $0 $0
Reverend John I Jenkins (Director) $0 $0 $0
Newton N Minow (Director) $0 $0 $0
Richard D Parsons (Director) $0 $0 $0
Olympia Snowe (Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2019

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$8,737,901
Expenses
$1,516,250
Net Income
$7,221,651
Net Assets
$13,529,356
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,050,000
12.0%
Program Services $7,557,000
86.5%
Investment Income $130,901
1.5%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $388,526
25.6%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $65,712
4.3%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $14,498,916
Total Liabilities $969,560
Net Assets $13,529,356
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Janet H Brown (Exec. Director) $469,189 $0 $92,132
Frank J Fahrenkopf Jr (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Dorothy S Ridings (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Kenneth Wollack (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Antonia Hernandez (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
John Danforth (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
John Griffen (Secretary/Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Charles Gibson (Director) $0 $0 $0
Yvonne Hao (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jane Harman (Director) $0 $0 $0
Reverend John I Jenkins (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jim Lehrer (Director) $0 $0 $0
Newton N Minow (Director) $0 $0 $0
Richard D Parsons (Director) $0 $0 $0
Olympia Snowe (Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2018

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$166,133
Expenses
$973,375
Net Income
-$807,242
Net Assets
$6,257,707
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $50,076
30.1%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $116,057
69.9%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $370,977
38.1%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $62,200
6.4%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $7,364,536
Total Liabilities $1,106,829
Net Assets $6,257,707
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Janet H Brown (Exec. Director) $451,977 $0 $87,744
Frank J Fahrenkopf Jr (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Dorothy S Ridings (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Newton N Minow (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
John C Danforth (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
Antonia Hernandez (Director) $0 $0 $0
John Griffen (Director) $0 $0 $0
Michael D Mccurry (Director) $0 $0 $0
Rev John I Jenkins (Director) $0 $0 $0
Charles Gibson (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jane Harman (Director) $0 $0 $0
Richard D Parsons (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jim Lehrer (Director) $0 $0 $0
Olympia J Snowe (Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2017

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$99,586
Expenses
$1,155,794
Net Income
-$1,056,208
Net Assets
$7,093,836
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $50,000
50.2%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $49,586
49.8%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $354,263
30.7%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $50,000
4.3%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $7,415,084
Total Liabilities $321,248
Net Assets $7,093,836
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Janet H Brown (Exec. Director) $435,264 $0 $83,566
Frank J Fahrenkopf Jr (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Dorothy Ridings (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Newton N Minow (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
John C Danforth (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
Antonia Hernandez (Director) $0 $0 $0
John Griffen (Director) $0 $0 $0
Michael D Mccurry (Director) $0 $0 $0
Rev John I Jenkins (Director) $0 $0 $0
Charles Gibson (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jane Harman (Director) $0 $0 $0
Richard D Parsons (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jim Lehrer (Director) $0 $0 $0
Olympia Snowe (Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2016

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$3,609,510
Expenses
$5,224,960
Net Income
-$1,615,450
Net Assets
$8,062,647
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $3,590,500
99.5%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $14,860
0.4%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets -$2,511
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $6,661
0.2%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $571,346
10.9%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $126,712
2.4%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $8,544,462
Total Liabilities $481,815
Net Assets $8,062,647
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Janet H Brown (Exec. Director) $358,347 $0 $79,587
Frank J Fahrenkopf Jr (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Dorothy Ridings (Co Chair) $0 $0 $0
Newton N Minow (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
John C Danforth (Vice Chair) $0 $0 $0
Antonia Hernandez (Secty/Treas.) $0 $0 $0
John Griffen (Director) $0 $0 $0
Michael D Mccurry (Director) $0 $0 $0
Rev John I Jenkins (Director) $0 $0 $0
Howard Buffett (Director) $0 $0 $0
Charles Gibson (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jane Harman (Director) $0 $0 $0
Richard D Parsons (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jim Lehrer (Director) $0 $0 $0
Olympia Snowe (Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2015

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$8,186,049
Expenses
$2,378,448
Net Income
$5,807,601
Net Assets
$8,914,187
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $8,131,640
99.3%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $11,814
0.1%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $42,595
0.5%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $343,188
14.4%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $198,747
8.4%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $9,896,579
Total Liabilities $982,392
Net Assets $8,914,187
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Janet H Brown (Exec. Director) $343,187 $0 $75,797
Frank J Fahrenkopf Jr (Co Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Richard D Parsons (Director) $0 $0 $0
Newton N Minow (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
John C Danforth (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Antonia Hernandez (Secty/Treas.) $0 $0 $0
John Griffen (Director) $0 $0 $0
Michael D Mccurry (Co Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Rev John I Jenkins (Director) $0 $0 $0
Mitchell E Daniels Jr (Director) $0 $0 $0
Charles Gibson (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jane Harman (Director) $0 $0 $0
Howard G Buffett (Director) $0 $0 $0
Dorothy Ridings (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jim Lehrer (Director) $0 $0 $0
Olympia Snowe (Director) $0 $0 $0
Shirley M Tilghman (Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2014

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$117,467
Expenses
$941,714
Net Income
-$824,247
Net Assets
$3,113,943
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $100,000
85.1%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $17,467
14.9%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $298,750
31.7%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $173,700
18.4%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $3,258,815
Total Liabilities $144,872
Net Assets $3,113,943
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Janet H Brown (Exec. Director) $298,750 $0 $72,188
Frank J Fahrenkopf Jr (Co Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Richard D Parsons (Director) $0 $0 $0
Newton N Minow (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
John C Danforth (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Antonia Hernandez (Secty/Treas.) $0 $0 $0
John Griffen (Director) $0 $0 $0
Michael D Mccurry (Co Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Rev John I Jenkins (Director) $0 $0 $0
Mitchell E Daniels Jr (Director) $0 $0 $0
Charles Gibson (Director) $0 $0 $0
Jane Harman (Director) $0 $0 $0
Howard G Buffet (Director) $0 $0 $0
Dorothy Ridings (Director) $0 $0 $0
Leon E Panetta (Director) $0 $0 $0
Alan K Simpson (Director) $0 $0 $0
Olympia Snowe (Director) $0 $0 $0
Shirley M Tilghman (Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2013

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$9,345
Expenses
$986,071
Net Income
-$976,726
Net Assets
$3,934,353
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,750
18.7%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $18,476
> 100%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets -$15,281
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $4,400
47.1%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $275,000
27.9%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $165,000
16.7%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $3,972,257
Total Liabilities $37,904
Net Assets $3,934,353
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Janet H Brown (Exec. Director) $275,000 $0 $68,750
Frank J Fahrenkopf Jr (Co Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Richard D Parsons (Director) $0 $0 $0
Newton N Minow (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
John C Danforth (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Antonia Hernandez (Secty/Treas.) $0 $0 $0
John Griffen (Director) $0 $0 $0
Michael D Mccurry (Co Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Rev John I Jenkins (Director) $0 $0 $0
Howard G Buffet (Director) $0 $0 $0
Dorothy Ridings (Director) $0 $0 $0
Sen Alan K Simpson (Director) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2012

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,704,861
Expenses
$4,156,447
Net Income
-$1,451,586
Net Assets
$4,905,695
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $2,706,000
> 100%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $5,803
0.2%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets -$6,942
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $240,000
5.8%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $274,947
6.6%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $5,277,704
Total Liabilities $372,009
Net Assets $4,905,695

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2011

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$5,051,369
Expenses
$794,668
Net Income
$4,256,701
Net Assets
$6,352,876
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $5,041,750
99.8%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $7,822
0.2%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $1,797
0.0%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $200,000
25.2%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $96,244
12.1%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $6,628,996
Total Liabilities $276,120
Net Assets $6,352,876

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2010

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$68,297
Expenses
$655,812
Net Income
-$587,515
Net Assets
$2,105,606
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $50,000
73.2%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $16,070
23.5%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $1,800
2.6%
Net Fundraising $0
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $427
0.6%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $200,000
30.5%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $75,000
11.4%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $2,143,931
Total Liabilities $38,325
Net Assets $2,105,606

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2009

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2008

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2007

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2006

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2005

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2004

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2003

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2002

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2001

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

About This Data

Nonprofit Explorer includes summary data for nonprofit tax returns and full Form 990 documents, in both PDF and digital formats.

The summary data contains information processed by the IRS during the 2012-2019 calendar years; this generally consists of filings for the 2011-2018 fiscal years, but may include older records. This data release includes only a subset of what can be found in the full Form 990s.

In addition to the raw summary data, we link to PDFs and digital copies of full Form 990 documents wherever possible. This consists of separate releases by the IRS of Form 990 documents processed by the agency, which we update regularly.

We also link to copies of audits nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year since 2016. These audits are copied from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

Which Organizations Are Here?

Every organization that has been recognized as tax exempt by the IRS has to file Form 990 every year, unless they make less than $200,000 in revenue and have less than $500,000 in assets, in which case they have to file form 990-EZ. Organizations making less than $50,000 don’t have to file either form but do have to let the IRS they’re still in business via a Form 990N "e-Postcard."

Nonprofit Explorer has organizations claiming tax exemption in each of the 27 subsections of the 501(c) section of the tax code, and which have filed a Form 990, Form 990EZ or Form 990PF. Taxable trusts and private foundations that are required to file a form 990PF are also included. Small organizations filing a Form 990N "e-Postcard" are not included in this data.

Types of Nonprofits

There are 27 nonprofit designations based on the numbered subsections of section 501(c) of the tax code. See the list »

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  • Raw filing data. Includes EINs and summary financials as structured data.
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  • Form 990 documents. Prior to 2017, these documents were obtained and processed by Public.Resource.org and ProPublica. Bulk PDF downloads since 2017 are available from the IRS.
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  • Audits. PDFs of single or program-specific audits for nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year. Available for fiscal year 2015 and later.

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