The william j. Brennan, jr. Center for justice is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that seeks to improve the American systems of democracy and justice.
Key facts about William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc
In short: William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc gave $121K across 2 grants in 2025 (avg $60K), mostly in District of Columbia. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 13-3839293
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $120,500
- Grants made (2025)
- 2
- Average grant
- $60,250
- Median grant
- $60,250
- Total assets
- $348,767,929
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (93% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$348.8M
+11.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$121K
-57.9% YoY
Grant Count
2
-50.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$60K
-15.7% YoY
How William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc gives
- Giving fell 40% from 2022 to 2025. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990 filings. Methodology.
About William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc
Based on IRS filings
William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc is a public charity focused on Education, based in New York, NY. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $348.8M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 2 grants totaling $121K. Net investment income was $14.2M.
Focus Areas
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 2 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $121K (2025) to $317K (2021). In 2025 it made 2 grants totaling $121K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was R Street Institute ($113K). Together the top 2 received $121K.
Grant Size Distribution
18 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 7 grants of 18 (39%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| R Street Institute Washington, DC | Building website and expenses associated with collaboration on committee for safe and secure elections. | $112,500 |
| Public Policy and Education Fund Albany, NY | Organizing New York-based groups to promote and preserve public financing of elections and campaign finance reform | $8,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $348,767,929 | $313,321,773 | $288,717,846 |
| Revenue | $73,820,955 | $57,935,075 | $110,506,866 |
| Expenses | $58,143,269 | $50,635,203 | $41,731,749 |
| Net Investment Income | $14,243,069 | $5,883,105 | $1,568,828 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 25, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS January 11, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 28, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 27, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 5, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc is led by Michael Waldman, President on every filing since 2020; 13 of 42 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michael Waldman
President
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$525K (2020) → $650K (2025)
Melissa Estok
Executive Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$118K (2024) → $444K (2025)
Lauren-Brooke Eisen
Senior Director & Justice Program
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$233K (2023) → $260K (2025)
Elisa Miller
Secretary & General Counsel
On filings since 2020
32 hrs/week
$126K (2020) → $308K (2025)
John Anthony Butler
Vice President & COO
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$255K (2020) → $388K (2025)
John Kowal
Vice President & Programs
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$263K (2020) → $387K (2025)
Larry Norden
Vice President, Elections & Communications
Senior Director, Elections & Government → Senior Director, Elections & Govt, 2024
Senior Director, Elections & Govt → Vice President, Elections & Communications, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$210K (2020) → $320K (2025)
Wendy Weiser
Vice President & Democracy Program
Director Democracy Program → Vice President & Democracy Program, 2025
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$243K (2020) → $374K (2025)
Jaemin Kim
Vice President & Development
Vice President Development → Vice President & Development, 2025
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$224K (2022) → $356K (2025)
Rebecca Weitzman
Vice President, Communications & Strat
Vice President, Communications & Strategy → Vice President, Communications & Strat, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$248K (2024) → $332K (2025)
Christine Mellampe
Chief Human Resources Officer
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$185K (2025)
Jeanine Chirlin
Chief of Staff
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$364K (2025)
Kareem Crayton
Vice President & Washinton D.c.
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$286K (2025)
Adam B. Cox
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Adam Winkler
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christine Varney
Board Co-Chair
Board Member → Board Co-Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Daniel F. Kolb
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Danielle Gray
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emily Spitzer
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Franz Paasche
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gerad Torres
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Helen Hershkoff
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kenji Yoshino
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kimberley Harris
Board Co-Chair
Board Member → Board Co-Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leslie Bhutani
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Melissa Murray
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Lightfoot
Board Member
Treasurer → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robert Atkins
Board Member
Board Co-Chair → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ruth Lazarus
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stephen Schulhofer
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steven Alan Reiss
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Thomas Jorde
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Trevor Morrison
Board Member
Ex-Officio → Board Member, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Wendy Neu
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kimberly Davis
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leslie Fagen
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maggie Blackhawk
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Troy McKenzie
Board Member
Ex-Officio → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sibyl Frankenburg
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David Sussman
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steven Kersten
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vanita Gupta
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (16)
- Former: Patricia Bauman (2020–2024) — Board Co-Chair
- Former: Jeanine Plant-Chirlin (2021–2024) — Chief of Staff
- Former: Manuel Monge (2023–2024) — Chief Human Resources Officer
- Former: Gerald Rosenfeld (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Lisa Benenson (2020–2023) — Vice President, Communications & Strategy
- Former: Nancy Brennan (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Richard L. Revesz (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Erin Murphy (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Jennifer Weiss-Wolf (2020–2022) — Special Projects Fellow
- Former: Lawrence Pedowitz (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Myrna Perez (2020–2022) — Director of Voting Rights
- Former: Scott Wallace (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Kimberly Thomas (2020–2021) — Vice President & Administraton
- Former: Lauren Brooke Eisen (2020–2021) — Director Justice Program
- Former: Spencer Boyer (2020–2021) — Director & Washington Dc Officer
- Former: Faiza Patel (2020) — Director & Lns Program
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $650K, to Michael Waldman (President). 13 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc
How much does William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc give each year?
William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc gave $121K across 2 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $286K across 4 grants.
How large is William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc?
William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc reported $348.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $73.8M.
What is William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc?
William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc is a public charity focused on Education, based in New York, NY. It holds $348.8M in total assets as of 2025.
Where does William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc operate?
William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc has awarded grants in Arkansas, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Texas.
What is William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc's EIN?
William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 13-3839293. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Here's the math on researching William J Brennan Center for Justice Inc by hand.
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