PROPUBLICA Expose Corruption. Defend Truth. Support Investigative Journalism.
DONATE
Skip to content
ProPublica Donate
ProPublica Donate

Independence Institute

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: Public, Society Benefit — Multipurpose and Other / Unknown (W00F) (NTEE)

Donations to this organization are tax deductible.

Summary charts: organization finances over time

Revenue
$3.64M (2023)

Expenses
$2.75M (2023)

Total Assets
$6.31M (2023)

Total Liabilities
$128k (2023)

Years with multiple filings
Source: Form 990 tax filings from 2011 to 2023

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.
2023

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$3,644,899
Expenses
$2,746,053
Net Income
$898,846
Net Assets
$6,180,394
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $3,476,487
95.4%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $157,360
4.3%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $11,052
0.3%
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $157,790
5.7%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $1,039,841
37.9%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $6,308,175
Total Liabilities $127,781
Net Assets $6,180,394
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Jon C Caldara (President Of Ii) $157,790 $0 $0
Katherine Whitcomb (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Dick Wadhams (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Catherine Shopneck (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Joseph Smith (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Mark Hillman (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Mike Mccarty (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2022

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$3,977,476
Expenses
$2,713,541
Net Income
$1,263,935
Net Assets
$5,281,548
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $3,882,611
97.6%
Program Services $0
Investment Income -$101,402
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $46,109
1.2%
Sales of Assets -$178
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $137,145
3.4%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $144,034
5.3%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $1,090,767
40.2%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $5,396,578
Total Liabilities $115,030
Net Assets $5,281,548
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Jon C Caldara (President Of Ii) $144,034 $0 $0
Katherine Whitcomb (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Dick Wadhams (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Catherine Shopneck (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Joseph Smith (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Mark Hillman (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Mike Mccarty (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2021

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$3,066,130
Expenses
$2,744,939
Net Income
$321,191
Net Assets
$4,017,613
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $2,988,012
97.5%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $48,553
1.6%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $9,200
0.3%
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $142,800
5.2%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $829,649
30.2%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $4,125,460
Total Liabilities $107,847
Net Assets $4,017,613
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Jon C Caldara (President Of Ii) $142,800 $0 $0
Katherine Whitcomb (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Dick Wadhams (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Catherine Shopneck (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Joseph Smith (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Debbie Donner (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Mike Mccarty (Sec'y/Treas) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2020

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,662,306
Expenses
$2,967,428
Net Income
-$305,122
Net Assets
$3,696,422
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $2,535,340
95.2%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $59,792
2.2%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $33,130
1.2%
Sales of Assets -$115
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $11,367
0.4%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $170,000
5.7%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $1,047,990
35.3%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $3,786,992
Total Liabilities $90,570
Net Assets $3,696,422
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Jon C Caldara (President Of Ii) $170,000 $0 $0
Katherine Whitcomb (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Dick Wadhams (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Catherine Shopneck (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Joseph Smith (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Debbie Donner (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Mike Mccarty (Sec'y/Treas) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2019

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$3,782,950
Expenses
$3,524,664
Net Income
$258,286
Net Assets
$4,001,544
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $3,690,304
97.6%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $59,662
1.6%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $32,984
0.9%
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $130,262
3.7%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $1,079,657
30.6%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $4,126,625
Total Liabilities $125,081
Net Assets $4,001,544
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
Jon C Caldara (President Of Ii) $130,262 $0 $0
Katherine Whitcomb (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Jeff Coors (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Catherine Shopneck (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Joseph Smith (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Debbie Donner (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Mike Mccarty (Sec'y/Treas) $0 $0 $0
Damon Sasso (Chief Acctg Off) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2018

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$3,196,031
Expenses
$3,518,479
Net Income
-$322,448
Net Assets
$3,743,258
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $3,117,709
97.5%
Program Services $0
Investment Income -$19,573
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $97,895
3.1%
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $180,000
5.1%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $922,258
26.2%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $3,819,480
Total Liabilities $76,222
Net Assets $3,743,258
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
David Kopel (Research Dir.) $195,510 $0 $0
Jon C Caldara (President Of Ii) $131,857 $0 $0
Katherine Whitcomb (Vice Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Jeff Coors (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Catherine Shopneck (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Joseph Smith (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Debbie Donner (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Mike Mccarty (Sec'y/Treas) $0 $0 $0
Damon Sasso (Chief Acctg Off) $0 $0 $0
Amy Oliver Cooke (Vice President) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2017

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,230,351
Expenses
$2,782,204
Net Income
-$551,853
Net Assets
$4,060,566
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $2,027,243
90.9%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $120,781
5.4%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $82,327
3.7%
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $160,000
5.8%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $917,414
33.0%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $4,151,381
Total Liabilities $90,815
Net Assets $4,060,566

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2016

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$1,660,315
Expenses
$1,293,943
Net Income
$366,372
Net Assets
$4,614,191
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,603,464
96.6%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $34,798
2.1%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $22,053
1.3%
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $138,954
10.7%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $399,842
30.9%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $4,700,785
Total Liabilities $86,594
Net Assets $4,614,191

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending June
2016

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,128,106
Expenses
$2,907,995
Net Income
-$779,889
Net Assets
$4,243,416
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $2,075,297
97.5%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $17,890
0.8%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $34,919
1.6%
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $160,000
5.5%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $860,554
29.6%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $4,352,148
Total Liabilities $108,732
Net Assets $4,243,416

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending June
2015

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,716,740
Expenses
$2,621,981
Net Income
$94,759
Net Assets
$5,024,988
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $2,678,433
98.6%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $48,253
1.8%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising -$9,946
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $132,742
5.1%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $915,018
34.9%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $5,147,253
Total Liabilities $122,265
Net Assets $5,024,988
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
David Kopel (Research Dir.) $181,250 $0 $0
Jon C Caldara (President Of Ii) $132,742 $0 $0
Katherine Whitcomb (Secretary) $0 $0 $0
Jeff Coors (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Catherine Shopneck (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Joseph Smith (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Joseph Ignat (Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Mike Mccarty (Trustee) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending June
2014

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,906,044
Expenses
$2,995,352
Net Income
-$89,308
Net Assets
$4,927,653
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $2,759,507
95.0%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $143,639
4.9%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $2,898
0.1%
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $137,000
4.6%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $783,946
26.2%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $5,009,299
Total Liabilities $81,646
Net Assets $4,927,653
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Related Other
David Kopel (Research Dir.) $169,250 $0 $0
Jon C Caldara (President) $137,000 $0 $0
Katherine Whitcomb (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Jeff Coors (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Catherine Shopneck (Chairman) $0 $0 $0
Joseph Smith (Trustee) $0 $0 $0
Joseph Ignat (Sec'y/Treasurer) $0 $0 $0
Mike Mccarty (Trustee) $0 $0 $0

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending June
2013

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$2,570,000
Expenses
$2,255,566
Net Income
$314,434
Net Assets
$5,016,961
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $2,568,833
100.0%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $15,922
0.6%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising -$14,755
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $108,710
4.8%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $803,800
35.6%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $5,091,330
Total Liabilities $74,369
Net Assets $5,016,961

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending June
2012

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$1,718,687
Expenses
$1,845,951
Net Income
-$127,264
Net Assets
$4,702,527
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,698,235
98.8%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $16,632
1.0%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $4,025
0.2%
Sales of Assets -$205
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $124,417
6.7%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $701,836
38.0%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $4,790,818
Total Liabilities $88,291
Net Assets $4,702,527

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending June
2011

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990
Revenue
$1,965,509
Expenses
$1,963,635
Net Income
$1,874
Net Assets
$2,417,013
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions $1,932,938
98.3%
Program Services $0
Investment Income $17,274
0.9%
Bond Proceeds $0
Royalties $0
Rental Property Income $0
Net Fundraising $15,297
0.8%
Sales of Assets $0
Net Inventory Sales $0
Other Revenue $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Executive Compensation $101,375
5.2%
Professional Fundraising Fees $0
Other Salaries and Wages $676,988
34.5%
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $2,489,384
Total Liabilities $72,371
Net Assets $2,417,013

Document Links

Fiscal Year Ending June
2010

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 June
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 June
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 June
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 June
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 June
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 June
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 June
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

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 »

Get the Data

For those interested in acquiring the original data from the source, here’s where our data comes from:

  • Raw filing data. Includes EINs and summary financials as structured data.
  • Exempt Organization profiles. Includes organization names, addresses, etc. You can merge this with the raw filing data using EIN numbers.
  • 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.
  • Form 990 documents as XML files. Includes complete filing data (financial details, names of officers, tax schedules, etc.) in machine-readable format. Only available for electronically filed documents. Electronic data released prior to October 2021 is also available through Amazon Web Services.
  • 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.

API

The data powering this website is available programmatically, via an API. Read the API documentation »