First Liberty Institute
About
First Liberty Institute is the largest non-profit legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans.
First liberty institute provides pro bono legal services to advance and defend religious liberty for individuals, churches, and other ministries and organizations.
Focus & reach
Verification & registration
Every mark links to the official registry entry and opens in a new tab.
Integrity assessment
A score from 0 to 100 for how openly a charity shares public information across five areas: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and data recency. It does not measure programme impact. See exactly what we do and do not have →
Financials
IRS Form 990Leadership at a glance
Official filingsSimilar charities
GiveRadar Intelligence
GiveRadar Analysis
GiveRadar's verified records show First Liberty Institute with a complete profile, cross-referenced across 4 independent sources including the IRS.
- Established in 1972, it predates 93% of the social services charities in the United States GiveRadar has a founding year for. View this cohort
- By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 96% of the 8,121 social services charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
- Its integrity score of 90 places it in the top 1% of the 15,199 social services charities in the United States GiveRadar tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. View this cohort
- government registration
- financial records (6 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
- a donation page
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Filing history
6 years on file from IRS Form 990: revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
Sign up to viewTax deductibility
Whether a gift to First Liberty Institute lowers your own taxes depends on where you pay them. Choose your country to see the rule that applies.
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.
FIRST LIBERTY INSTITUTE is registered in United States. Donations from the Netherlands to charities outside the EU/EEA are generally not tax-deductible for Dutch donors unless the charity is listed on the Dutch ANBI register with foreign-recognized status.
This is general guidance, not tax advice. Confirm treatment with the charity or your tax advisor before donating.
Staff & volunteers
Leadership & board
Official filingsBoard members and senior officers on record, with disclosed pay where available.
24 officers and trustees on file, free with a GiveRadar account.
No red flags detected
Timeline
From official filingsKey dates from this charity's official filings, newest first.
In the news
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
How it stacks up against peers
Compared with 5 similar social services charities in United States.
Cause areas in United States
Charities working in each area, this charity's highlighted.
Sources and verification
- Officers and trustees
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search · 81 disclosed in the public registry.
What we know and don't know
Every data point we track for this charity, and whether we have found it. Disclosure only, never a judgment of the charity's work.
Data freshness
How current this profile is, and when we last checked it against the official source.
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
Read full methodologyIf you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email info@giveradar.com with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.
Frequently asked questions about First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a registered social services nonprofit based in Plano, TX, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1972 and has been operating for 54 years. Its EIN is 751403169. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 90/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $29M in annual revenue. 81 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.
First Liberty Institute's highest-paid executive, Austin Waugh, received $504,624 in reported compensation in its most recent filing (2025). This figure comes straight from the organization's official filing and covers salary plus other reportable pay. Executive pay generally scales with the size and complexity of a nonprofit, so it is best read alongside the organization's revenue and what it does.
Based on official filings, First Liberty Institute has $29M in annual revenue. It allocates 79% of expenses to programs and services. This is in line with the average of 74% for social services charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $2M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
First Liberty Institute is the largest non-profit legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans. First Liberty Institute is classified as a social services organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1972.
First Liberty Institute is classified as a Social Services organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Supporting organization (509(a)(3)). By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has $29M in annual revenue. The organization has 81 disclosed officers and directors.
First Liberty Institute's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 751403169. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.
First Liberty Institute is located in Plano, TX, United States. The organization was established in 1972 and has been active for 54 years.
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Quick facts about First Liberty Institute
- What is First Liberty Institute?
- First Liberty Institute is a social services supporting organization (509(a)(3)) based in Plano, United States. First Liberty Institute is the largest non-profit legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans.
- When was First Liberty Institute founded?
- First Liberty Institute was founded in 1972.
- Who leads First Liberty Institute?
- Austin Waugh serves as CFO.
- Where is First Liberty Institute located?
- Headquartered in Plano, TX, United States.
- What is First Liberty Institute's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is $29.3 million. 79% of expenses go to program services.
- Is First Liberty Institute trustworthy?
- First Liberty Institute has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 90 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is First Liberty Institute's registration number?
- IRS EIN: 751403169.
- What is First Liberty Institute's website?
- http://www.firstliberty.org