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Top Rated

Population Council

CharityWatch rating issued
March 2026

Top-Rated Charity
A
CharityWatch Rating
Our independent rating based
on a number of factors.
 
80%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$0
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

Population Council
One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10017

Other Names

None

Tax Status

501(c)3

Stated Mission

Generates ideas, produces evidence, and designs solutions to improve the lives of underserved populations around the world.

View similar charities
Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 12/31/2024

Program Percentage: 80%

The percentage of Population Council's cash budget it spends on programs relative to overhead (fundraising, management, and general expenses).

$62,000,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $0

How many dollars Population Council spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$31,000,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
Population Council Audited Financial Statements 13-1687001
Population Council IRS Form 990 13-1687001
Entity: Population Council
Document Type: Audited Financial Statements
Tax ID: 13-1687001
Entity: Population Council
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 13-1687001

Governance & Transparency

CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
This charity is Top-Rated
What does it mean to be Top-Rated?
 
Population Council
meets governance benchmarks.
 
Population Council
meets transparency benchmarks.
Transparency
Provides Financial Information
Audit Accessibility
Governance: Policies
Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy
Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts
Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy
Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy
Governance: Financials
Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS
Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant
Governance: Board of Directors
Reports at least 5 voting board members
51% or more of voting board members reported as independent
Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy No Sharing  

  Name Title Compensation
1 Brid T. Devlin Chief Scientific Officer, CBR $486,986
2 James E. Sailer Vice President / Executive Director, CBR $444,294
3 Antony Dutson Vice President, CF&A / CFO $437,734
1
Name: Brid T. Devlin
Title: Chief Scientific Officer, CBR
Compensation: $486,986
2
Name: James E. Sailer
Title: Vice President / Executive Director, CBR
Compensation: $444,294
3
Name: Antony Dutson
Title: Vice President, CF&A / CFO
Compensation: $437,734

CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.

CharityWatch's rating of The Population Council (the Council) also includes the financial activities of the "locally registered affiliates" included in the Council's audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024. All intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

Per Audit Note 1 of the Council's audited consolidated financial statements: "Included in these offices are three locally registered organizations in India, Kenya, and Pakistan which do not have income tax filing obligations and a for-profit affiliate in India that is subject to Indian taxation...All four affiliates have elected to be disregarded for U.S. income tax purposes..."

According to The Population Council (the Council) consolidated audit of December 31, 2024 (Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, Concentration of Support):

"During 2024, approximately $4.2 million of the Council’s grants were funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)...

...The three largest funding sources, one U.S. government agency, one foreign government agency, and one private foundation, constitute 22% of the revenue in 2024..." 

According to The Population Council (the Council) consolidated audit of December 31, 2024 (Note 17, Subsequent Events):

"...Based on the agreement between the Council and Mayne Pharma LLC, royalty revenue amounting to $13 million related to the transfer of functional intellectual property was recognized in the financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2023. The corresponding cash receipt for this revenue was received in March 2025.

In January 2025, the U.S. government paused almost all foreign aid programs and initiated a 90-day review period to assess alignment of programs with current administration policy. Following this review, seven USAID grant agreements were terminated that will reduce revenues by approximately $2.8M in 2025. NIH and Department of State grants have not been impacted so far. Given the loss in revenues, management has implemented cost reduction measures along with programmatic shifts to mitigate this exposure. Given these measures and the Council’s available cash and investments...management believes that the Council has sufficient liquidity to meet its liabilities for at least one year from the date of the issuance of these financial statements."

According to The Population Council's (the Council) tax filing for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, the Organization reports re: Compensation, Supplemental Information (IRS Form 990, Schedule J, Part III):

Regarding severance payments to officers, directors, trustees, key employees and highest compensated employees (Schedule J, Part I, Line 4a):

"During the year Julia Bunting Thring and Harriet Birungi received severance payments of $318,047 and $224,658[,] respectively..."

[The above individuals' total reported compensation during 2024 was $318,047 and $348,544, respectively (IRS Form 990, Schedule J, Part II)].

Additionally, Antony Dutson, Vice President, CF&A/CFO, received $25,000 of "bonus & incentive compensation" along with total reported compensation of $437,734 during 2024 (IRS Form 990, Schedule J, Part II)]. 



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