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Top Rated

Comic Relief

CharityWatch report issued
May 2022

Top-Rated Charity
A
CharityWatch Grade
Our independent grade based
on a number of factors.
 
80%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$14
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

Comic Relief
28 Liberty Street
35th Floor
New York, NY 10005

Other Names

America Gives Back--(formerly known as)
Charity Projects Entertainment Fund--(formerly known as)
Comic Relief US
Flying Start Fund
Hand in Hand Hurricane Relief Fund
Red Nose Day

Tax Status

501(c)3

Stated Mission

To drive positive change through the power of entertainment. Undertakes charitable & educational activities with the aim of eliminating poverty & improving conditions for children & disadvantaged persons in the U.S. & throughout the world.

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Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 12/31/2020

Program Percentage: 80%

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

$39,000,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $14

How many dollars Comic Relief spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$42,000,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
Comic Relief IRS Form 990 01-0885377
Comic Relief Audited Financial Statements 01-0885377
Entity: Comic Relief
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 01-0885377
Entity: Comic Relief
Document Type: Audited Financial Statements
Tax ID: 01-0885377

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?
 
Comic Relief
meets governance benchmarks.
 
Comic Relief
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

  Name Title Compensation
1 Alison Moore CEO $384,985
2 Mary Corigliano Senior VP, Brand & Marketing $252,464
3 Lauren Spitzer Senior VP, Fundraising & Development $236,337
1
Name: Alison Moore
Title: CEO
Compensation: $384,985
2
Name: Mary Corigliano
Title: Senior VP, Brand & Marketing
Compensation: $252,464
3
Name: Lauren Spitzer
Title: Senior VP, Fundraising & Development
Compensation: $236,337

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.

According to the Comic Relief (CR US) audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 5, Concentration of Credit Risk):

"CR US's contribution revenue is primarily generated from donors. For the year ended December 31, 2020, approximately 45% of contribution revenue was received from two donors. For the year ended December 31, 2019, approximately 68% of contribution revenue was received from two donors."

According to the Comic Relief (CR US) audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 6, Related Party Transactions):

"CR US incurred legal expenses with a firm, wherein a Board member is a partner. During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the total expenses incurred were $83,916 and $209,411, respectively."

According to the Comic Relief (CR US) audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 7, Contributed Services), CR US received in-kind contributed services in 2020 on which it placed a total value of $156,240. Of this amount, $128,275 consisted of donated office space.

In addition, per audit Note 7: "CR US received contributed services from NBC Universal to carry out a national fundraising and awareness raising campaign including a television special to be broadcast related to Red Nose Day 2020... The amount contributed could not be readily determined and valued."

[Note: CharityWatch generally excludes the value of in-kind (non-cash) donations of goods and services from its calculations of Program % and Cost to Raise $100. More information on how grades are calculated and the treatment of in-kind donations can be found on the Our Process page.]

According to the Comic Relief (CR US) audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 9, Loans Payable):

"On May 8, 2020, CR US received loan proceeds in the amount of $554,612 under the Paycheck Protection Program ('PPP Loan'). The PPP Loan, established as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act ('CARES Act'), provides for loans to qualifying businesses for amounts up to 2.5 times of the average monthly payroll expenses of the qualifying business. The loan and accrued interest are forgivable after eight or twenty-four weeks as long as the borrower uses the loan proceeds for eligible purposes... The amount of loan forgiveness will be reduced if the borrower terminates employees or reduces salaries during the covered period. CR US believes this loan will be fully forgiven during the year ending December 31, 2021. The unforgiven portion of the PPP Loan, if any, is payable over five years at an interest rate of 1% with payments not required while forgiveness is pending."

According to the Comic Relief (CR US) audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 11, Liquidity and Availability of Financial Assets):

"For the year ended December 31, 2020, CR US reduced its grant expense in response to the uncertainties relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the generosity of its donor base, CR US experienced a surplus for the year ended December 31, 2020 and, accordingly, management intends to utilize these funds to identify and disburse grant awards to qualifying grantees in fiscal 2021."

According to the Comic Relief (CR US) audit of December 31, 2020 (Note 12, Subsequent Events):

"CR US in conjunction with its partners will carry out a national fundraising and awareness-raising campaign in 2021.

"Management has considered the consequences of COVID-19 and other events and conditions, and it has determined that they do not create a material uncertainty that casts significant doubt upon CR US's ability to continue as a going concern. The impact of COVID-19 on future performance and therefore on the measurement of net assets might be significant and might therefore require disclosure in the [audited] financial statements, but management has determined that they do not create a material uncertainty that casts significant doubt upon CR US's ability to continue as a going concern."

According to the Comic Relief 2020 tax filing, Comic Relief 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):

"SVP of Operations and Finance, Kristin Ellington, received a severance payment of $21,462 in calendar year 2020." 

[Kristin Ellington is reported as "SVP Operations & Fin. (thru 03/20)," with total compensation of $77,247 in 2020 (IRS Form 990, Part VII, Section A).]


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