Foundation for the Defense of Democracies Inc
Donations deductibleFoundation for the Defense of Democracies Inc's network
25 people12 organisationsi25 people and 12 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (25). Violet dotted lines (12) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
25 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Tenure and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed tenure is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 25 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timothy Gordon Chair | Chairman | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Alan Meltzer | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Brian Bilzin | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Bernard Marcus Deceased 1124 | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Clifford May (also filed as Clifford May) | President | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| David Arditi | Director | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| David Naftaly | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| David Barish | Director | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| David Horowitz | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| David Sterling | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Eric Dezenhall | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Gil Tenzer | Director | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Isaac Applbaum | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| James Litinsky | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Kenneth Schwartz | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Larry Hochberg | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Lennert Leader | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Leonard Abramson | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Mark Dubowitz | CEO | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Mark Pelson | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Michael Cohen | Director | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Mark Pruzanksi | Director | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Natty Nashman | Director | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Robert Kargman | Director | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Tina Snider | Director | 2019 | 7 yrs |
Officers and senior leadership
19 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| Ariel D Adesnik | Director of Research | 2018 |
| Bradley L Bowman | Senior Director | since 2019 |
| Elaine K Dezenski | Senior Director | since 2023 |
| Elizabeth L Robbins | Vice President | since 2023 |
| Eyal Hulata | Senior International Fellow | 2024 |
| Georgianna Shea | Chief Technologist | since 2022 |
| John Hannah | Senior Counselor | since 2018 |
| John Leavey | Vice President | since 2020 |
| Jonathan J Schanzer | Senior Vice President | since 2018 |
| Kathryn E Helman | Vice President | since 2018 |
| Lawrence Muscant | VP of Development | since 2018 |
| Lesli Gillette | VP, Development | 2024 |
| Mark Montgomery | Senior Director / Senior Fellow | since 2023 |
| Mart Montgomery | Senior Director / Senior Fellow | 2022 |
| Reuel Marc Gerecht | Senior Fellow | since 2018 |
| Richard Goldberg | Senior Advisor | 2019 |
| Thomas Joscelyn | Senior Fellow | 2018 |
| Toby R Dershowitz | Senior Vice President | since 2019 |
| William McCarthy | COO | since 2018 |
Pay and hours
year to 31 December 2024iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Dubowitz | CEO | 60 | $849k | $56k | |
| Clifford May | President | 60 | $794k | $704 | $50k |
| Jonathan J Schanzer | SVP | 60 | $578k | $697 | $60k |
| William McCarthy | COO | 48 | $549k | $5k | $14k |
| Lawrence Muscant | SVP (Sr. Advisor Mid Year) | 50 | $512k | $40k | |
| Eyal Hulata | Senior International Fellow | 50 | $402k | $46k | |
| Lesli Gillette | VP, Development | 60 | $338k | $59k | |
| Elizabeth L Robbins | VP | 50 | $316k | $16k | |
| Mark Montgomery | Senior Director / Senior Fellow | 50 | $309k | $28k | |
| Bradley L Bowman | Senior Director | 50 | $302k | $47k | |
| Elaine K Dezenski | Senior Director | 50 | $294k | $47k | |
| Timothy Gordon | Chairman | 2 | $0 | ||
| Leonard Abramson | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Isaac Applbaum | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| David Arditi | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| David Barish | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Brian Bilzin | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Michael Cohen | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Eric Dezenhall | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Larry Hochberg | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| David Horowitz | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Robert Kargman | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Lennert Leader | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| James Litinsky | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Bernard Marcus deceased 1124 | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Alan Meltzer | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| David Naftaly | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Natty Nashman | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Mark Pelson | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Mark Pruzanksi | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Kenneth Schwartz | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Tina Snider | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| David Sterling | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Gil Tenzer | Director | 1 | $0 |
Colorado roster
35 listediOfficers, directors and trustees from the latest filing with the Colorado Secretary of State (document 20253000942). Titles are as filed; some entries are registered agents or custodians of records rather than board members. Source: data.colorado.gov, public domain.| Name | Title as filed |
|---|---|
| Georgianna Shea | Chief Technologist |
| Clifford D. May | President |
| Mark Pelson | Director |
| Gil Tenzer | Director |
| David Horowitz | Director |
| Timothy Gordon | Chair |
| Elaine Dezenski | Senior Director |
| William McCarthy | COO |
| Kenneth Schwartz | Director |
| Toby Dershowitz | Senior Vice President |
| Robert Kargman | Director |
| Tina Snider | Director |
| Mark Montgomery | Senior Director/ Senior Fellow |
| David Sterling | Director |
| Mark Pruzanski | Chair |
| Leonard Abramson | Director |
| Brian Bilzin | Director |
| Michael Cohen | Director |
| Isaac Applbaum | Director |
| Bradley L Bowman | Senior Director |
| Bill McCarthy | |
| David Arditi | Director |
| Bernard Marcus | Director |
| David Barish | Director |
| James Litinsky | Director |
| David Naftaly | Director |
| Lennert Leader | Director |
| Elizabeth Robbins | Vice President |
| Jonathan J Schanzer | Senior Vice President |
| Larry Hochberg | Director |
| Eric Dezenhall | Director |
| Jonathan Schanzer | Senior Vice President |
| Lawrence Muscant | Senior Vice President |
| Natty Nashman | Director |
| Mark Dubowitz | CEO |
About
- Legal name
- Foundation for the Defense of Democracies Inc
- EIN
- 134174402
- Address
- 1800 M St Nw Ste 800s, Washington, DC, 20036-5876
- State
- District of Columbia
- Mission
- To conduct research and provide education on national security and on international terrorism. See Schedule O for full mission (as filed on the Form 990)
- Activity (NTEE)
- Q01 International, foreign affairs and national security
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Classified purpose
- International, Foreign Affairs & National Security
- Size band
- 8 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 2001
- Principal officer
- Clifford D May (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 July 2002
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 6, latest 2024
- IRS Publication 78
- PC (contributions deductible)
Most connected
Related organisations (Schedule R)
Longest observed on the filings
≥8years on the filingsTimothy Gordon
≥8years on the filingsBrian Bilzin
≥8years on the filingsClifford May
≥8years on the filingsDavid Naftaly
Latest return
year to 31 December 2024iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 31 December 2024. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $41.3m
- Total liabilities
- $13.6m
- Net assets or fund balances
- $27.7m
- Contributions and grants received
- $32m
- Program service revenue
- $129k
- Grants and similar paid out
- $900k
- Employees
- 102
- Volunteers
- 110
Filed finances
1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $32.5m | $30.9m | $1.6m |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.
Grants paid
1 listediFrom Schedule I of the Form 990: grants and assistance to organisations in the United States, largest first (up to 25). Schedule I is filed only by organisations that gave more than $5,000 to any one recipient.| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| FDD Action | General Operations | $900k |
State registration
1 entityiBusiness-entity registers published by US states. These records are matched to this organisation by name and state, not by EIN, and are labelled as likely matches. Street addresses are not shown.Foundation For The Defense Of Democracies likely matchiMatched by exact name and state (and ZIP where shown). State registers do not publish EINs, so this is not a confirmed match. Source: DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), corporate registrations (opendata.dc.gov). Licence: CC BY 4.0. Attribution: DC DLCP. Data last fetched 18 October 2026.
- State
- District of Columbia
- Entity type
- Foreign Nonprofit Corporation
- Status
- Active - In Good Standing
- Formed
- 18 March 2002
- Registered agent
- Clifford D. May (city and state not held)