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US nonprofit · EIN 462967640 · Washington, DCiSource and licenceOrganisation record IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File (EIN 462967640) - NTEE activity code, address.Board and officers IRS Form 990 annual filings, Part VII (directors, trustees, officers, key employees), read year by year to observe time served.Latest return IRS Form 990 series e-file data - 990 for the year to 31 December 2024: assets, liabilities, staff, website, telephone, pay.Finances by year IRS Form 990 e-file data - total revenue and total expenses by tax year.Renewal outlook Computed by Governance Register from the observed filing history and filed revenue. Not a statement that the organisation is recruiting.Principal officer IRS Form 990-N (e-Postcard) - principal officer named for tax year 2013.Deductibility IRS Publication 78 data (code PC), downloaded 18 October 2026.Licence US Federal Government public domain.How we handle data

Lawfare Institute

Donations deductible
Revenue
$1.9m
year to 31 December 2024
Expenses
$2.1m
year to 31 December 2024
Total assets
$833k
$0 liabilities
Net assets
$833k
assets less liabilities
Directors and trustees
4
8.4 years on average
Staff
17
4 volunteers
Left since last filing
0
no seats appear to have opened
Officers and senior staff
6
named in Part VII
How am I connected?

Lawfare Institute's network

4 peoplei4 people on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (4). Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK.

The board

4 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.Time served and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed time served is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 4 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.
NameRole as filedSinceOn the board
Benjamin WittesPresident2018
8 yrs
David KrisBoard Member2018
8 yrs
Jack GoldsmithCompany secretary2018
8 yrs
Robert ChesneyTreasurer2018
8 yrs
Under 5 years5 to 6 years6 years or more

Officers and senior leadership

6 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.
NameTitle as filedOn the filings
Alexander VindmanPritzker Military Fellow2022
David M PriessCOOsince 2020
David PriessCOOsince 2018
Natalie OrpettEXECUTIVE Editor and DGCsince 2022
Patrick ColeManaging Director2024
Tyler McBrienManaging Editor2024

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.
NameTitle as filedHours a weekPay from the organisationRelated organisationsOther
Natalie OrpettEXECUTIVE Editor AND DGC40$175k$29k
Patrick ColeManaging Director40$129k$14k
Tyler McBrienManaging Editor40$113k$11k
Robert ChesneyTreasurer10$0
Jack GoldsmithSecretary10$0
David KrisBoard Member5$0
Benjamin WittesPresident30$0

About

Legal name
Lawfare Institute
EIN
462967640
Address
4401 Brandywine St Nw, Washington, DC, 20016-4419
State
District of Columbia
Mission
The lawfare institute is an independent and nonpartisan organization dedicated to the hard choices in national security, law, and policy. We produce academic-quality analysis with magazine-level readability at the pace of news to enable informed government policy, fact-based decision-making, and an engaged citizenry. (as filed on the Form 990)
Activity (NTEE)
W20 Public and societal benefit
IRS classification
501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
Classified purpose
Public & Societal Benefit
Size band
5 (IRS master file code)
Formed
2014
Principal officer
Patrick Cole (as named on the Form 990)
IRS ruling date
1 June 2014
Status
Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
Form 990 filings on record
6, latest 2024
IRS Publication 78
PC (contributions deductible)

Most connected

Longest observed on the filings

≥8years on the filingsBenjamin Wittes
≥8years on the filingsDavid Kris
≥8years on the filingsJack Goldsmith
≥8years on the filingsRobert Chesney

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
$833k
Total liabilities
$0
Net assets or fund balances
$833k
Contributions and grants received
$1.3m
Program service revenue
$558k
Employees
17
Volunteers
4

Filed finances

1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.
Tax yearTotal revenueTotal expensesSurplus or deficit
2024$1.9m$2.1mDeficit $223k

As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.