2024-08-28T11:36:46-04:00 2023-12-31 474306215 Mullins PC 7625 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda MD 20814 990 2023-01-01 043289466 Nonhuman Rights Project Inc NONH 611 Pennsylvania Avenue SE STE 345 Washington DC 20003 Gail Price-Wise President & Tre 8882552612 2024-08-28 true true John Mullins P01429307 2027706371 2024-08-28 2023 2024-08-08 14:25:15Z Gail Price-Wise 1646865 false X www.nonhumanrights.org X 1995 MA The Nonhuman Rights Project (NHRP) is the only civil rights organization in The United States dedicated solely to securing fundamental rights for nonhuman animals and the leading force in building a national and global nonhuman rights movement. 5 3 11 10 0 0 1567772 1567765 0 -32735 75907 3193 1535037 1646865 0 0 1022940 909560 0 123259 403753 460626 1426693 1370186 108344 276679 3203915 3548760 19604 49691 3184311 3499069 The Nonhuman Rights Project (NHRP) is the only civil rights organization in The United States dedicated solely to securing fundamental rights for nonhuman animals and the leading force in building a national and global nonhuman rights movement. false false 516845 Litigation: See Schedule O. 497255 Education & Public Relations: See Schedule O. 64978 Advocacy: See Schedule O. 1079078 true true false true false false false false false false true false false false false true true false false false false false false false false false false false false true false false false false false false false false false false false false false true true false false false true 7 0 true 11 true false false false false false true true false false false false false false X 5 3 true false true false false false false true false false false true true true true true true true true true true AK AL AR CA CO CT DC FL GA HI IL KS KY MA MD ME MI MN MS NC ND NH NJ NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC TN UT VA WA WI WV X X The Organization 8882552612 611 Pennsylvania Avenue SE 345 Washington DC 20003 Margaret Cusack Secretary 40.00 0.00 X 144200 0 5850 Steven M Wise Former President 60.00 5.00 X X 102443 0 3900 Spencer Lo Senior Staff Attorney 40.00 0.00 X 100157 0 0 Gail Price-Wise President & Treasurer 10.00 15.00 X X 32900 0 5850 Jane Goodall Director 0.10 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jeff Fraser Director 0.10 0.00 X 0 0 0 Jane Berkey Director 0.10 0.00 X 0 0 0 379700 0 15600 3 false true false 1567765 1567765 75907 75907 Clothing 900099 2703 2703 Other Income 900099 490 490 3193 1646865 3193 0 75907 279543 223124 34307 22112 524486 473708 3138 47640 38859 31478 4337 3044 66672 57066 3761 5845 3713 3713 47706 47706 18449 9999 8450 29416 12188 16812 416 707 707 12346 12346 9839 32 9807 Litigation Program Expenses 55709 55709 Education & Public Relations 235867 191649 16 44202 Grassroots Advocacy 23418 23418 Bank & Merchant Fees 23456 23456 1370186 1079078 167849 123259 345371 344105 1259703 907601 149953 6 19926 12560 65147 18320 3331 46827 1389287 2237661 36344 3203915 3548760 19604 49691 19604 49691 X 3184311 3499069 3184311 3499069 3203915 3548760 276679 38079 0 X false true X true false X 1500044 1620227 1637371 1567772 1273291 7598705 1500044 1620227 1637371 1567772 1273291 7598705 2686922 4911783 51101 36259 45441 37461 75907 246169 2703 2703 11227 490 11717 7859294 0.62500 0.57150 X Unusual grants Part II or Part III line 1 Unusual Grant: $294,474 RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 180 2654 2834 1076244 1079078 182908 45727 158130 182908 341038 511557 11955 2834 14789 39533 45727 85260 127890 3369 180 3549 65147 18320 46827 46827 X 2299574 38079 614630 652709 1646865 1646865 1984816 614630 614630 1370186 1370186 Footnote for uncertain tax position under FIN 48 (Part X) The Organization follows the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification, which provides guidance on accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in The Organizations financial statements, if any. At year end, The Organization had no unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions in its information return that would qualify for either recognition or disclosure in its financial statements. The Organizations policy would be to recognize interest and penalties on tax positions related to its unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense in the financial statements. Through year end, there have been no matters that would have resulted in an accrual for interest and/or penalties. Generally, the tax years before 2019 are no longer subject to examination by federal, state, or local taxing authorities. X false false false false false false false false false Margaret Cusack Secretary 144200 5850 150050 Officer directors etc family relationship Part VI line 2 Steven Wise, former President, and Gail Price-Wise, President, have a family relationship. Organizational document changes Part VI line 4 The NhRP bylaws were revised in 2023 wtih regard to the schedule of Board meetings, to allow for the creation of an emeritus board, with respect to provisions related to the election of officers and board compensation, and the addition of language regarding an executive director. Committee meeting documentation Part VI line 8b There are no committees with authority to act on behalf of The Board. Form 990 governing body review Part VI line 11 Nonhuman Rights Project Inc, has its form 990 prepared by an outside accounting firm and has established the following review process to ensure that the information reported is complete and accurate. When the form 990 has been prepared, it is electronically sent to the in-house bookkeeper and two members of The Board for review. Any comments are then grouped, summarized and provided to the outside accountants. Each issue is documented and addressed until the return is finalized and approved for filing. Conflict of interest policy compliance Part VI line 12c Annually all Board members and officers of The Organization must fill out a conflict of interest disclosure. In connection with any actual or possible conflict of interest, an interested person must disclose the existence of the financial interest and be given the opportunity to disclose all material facts to the directors and members of committees with governing Board delegated powers considering the proposed transaction or arrangement.After disclosure of the financial interest and all material facts, and after any discussion with the interested person, he/she shall leave the governing Board or committee meeting while the determination of a conflict of interest is discussed and voted upon. The remaining Board or committee members shall decide if a conflict of interest exists. CEO executive director top management comp Part VI line 15a The Board determines compensation for The Organizations Board President and Executive Director. Compensation comparability data for similiarly situated organizations is presented to all Board members. Independent Board members vote on compensation decisions according to the process outlined in our bylaws. Decisions are recorded in board minutes and resolutions. Other officer or key employee compensation Part VI line 15b The Board determines compensation for The Organizations CEO and Vice President. Compensation comparability data for similiarly situated organizations is presented to all Board members. Independent Board members vote on compensation decisions according to the process outlined in our bylaws. Decisions are recorded in board minutes and resolutions. Governing documents etc available to public Part VI line 19 The Organizations governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are available upon request. General explanation attachment Program Service Accomplishments:The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) is the only civil rights organization in the United States dedicated solely to securing fundamental rights for nonhuman animals and the leading force in building a national and global nonhuman rights movement. Based on years of rigorous research and driven by the same values and principles of justice that underlie human civil rights, our unique litigation challenges an archaic, unjust, millennia-old legal status quo that sees all nonhuman animals as legal things with no rights. In the ten years since the NhRP filed our first lawsuits seeking captive chimpanzees and elephants right to liberty through writs of habeas corpus, we have achieved important legal firsts, catalyzed a global conversation about the urgency and importance of nonhuman rights, and inspired and empowered people around the world to join the fight. Increasingly, and as a direct result of the NhRPs unique work, courts and legislatures are beginning to recognize the systemic problem of nonhuman animals rightlessness, the suffering it has caused them, and the ways it undermines the values and principles of justice on which our own human rights depend. At the same time, our grassroots advocacy campaigns invite members of the public to join us in calling for recognition of nonhuman rights and demanding the release of our clients to sanctuaries where their right to bodily liberty will be respected.Indicators of success and populations served:Litigation: In 2023, we expanded our litigation into three new states on behalf of fourteen new clients, incorporating the historic dissenting opinions issued in Happy the elephants case in 2022 as well as new expert affidavits. In June 2023, we filed our first habeas corpus lawsuit in Colorado, demanding the right to liberty and release to sanctuary of five elephants held in captivity in the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Jambo, Kimba, LouLou, Lucky, and Missy were born in the wild in Africa, taken from their herds when they were babies, and imported to the US in the 1970s and 1980s. An indicator of progress in this case can be found in a December 2023 decision by a lower court judge, who found that as a matter of pure justice, the NhRP has made a persuasive case that elephants are entitled to be treated with the dignity befitting their species; and that that cannot be done, no matter how conscientious those who care for them may be, if they are confined in zoos that lack the substantial acreage needed to allow them to flourish. However, despite recognizing the injustice inflicted upon these elephants, the judge concluded that habeas corpus is unavailable to remedy the legal wrong of their imprisonment. The NhRP is appealing this decision to Colorados highest court.In November 2022, we filed our first habeas corpus lawsuit in Hawaii, demanding the right to liberty and release to sanctuary of two elephants held in captivity in the Honolulu Zoo. Mari and Vaigai were born in the wild in India, taken from their herds when they were young, and imported to the US in 1982 and 1992 respectively. Both were given to the municipally-owned Honolulu Zoo as a gift from the Indian government and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The City and County of Honolulu, Department of Enterprise Services, its Director Dita Holifield, and Honolulu Zoo Director Linda Santos are named as respondents in the lawsuit. An indicator of progress in this case can be found in the fact that the lower court judge ordered oral argument soon after we filed, giving us close to an hour to make our case, which is atypical at such an early stage of litigation. While the judge asked probing questions and took a philosophical approach to the argumentsan indication of how seriously courts are now taking the issue of nonhuman rightshe ultimately denied the petition. The NhRP is appealing this decision to a Hawaii intermediate appellate court. In December 2023, we filed our first habeas corpus lawsuit in Michigan, demanding the right to liberty of seven chimpanzees held captive in the DeYoung Family Zoo and their release to a chimpanzee sanctuary.The chimpanzees at this roadside zoo previously included Tommy, the NhRPs client in the first habeas corpus lawsuit brought on behalf of a nonhuman animal in the US and the subject of the 2016 documentary Unlocking the Cage. According to public records, Tommy was moved in 2015 from a cage on a used trailer lot in New York to the DeYoung Family Zoo. The NhRP announced on December 5th that records wed just received indicated that Tommy died in 2022, curled up in his sleeping spot inside a building at the DeYoung Family Zoo. Filed in honor of Tommy, the case is supported by affidavits submitted by experts in chimpanzee behavior and cognition, including Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. Tetsuro Matsuzawa, Dr. Christophe Boesch, Dr. Jennifer Fugate, Dr. William McGrew, and Dr. Mary Lee Jensvold. Five days after we filed suit, a lower court judge denied the NhRPs habeas corpus complaint because she believes chimpanzees are not legal persons under Michigans common law of habeas corpus. The NhRP is appealing this decision to a Michigan intermediate appellate court. NhRP supporters continue to show a deep investment in Tommys story and our chimpanzee rights litigation.Also in 2023, we took on a new client, Mabu, in our first California elephant rights case. Mabu is a male African elephant who was born in 1990 in Kruger National Park in South Africa. At some point between his birth and 2003, he was transported to the Mkhaya Game Reserve in Eswatini. In 2003, he and ten other elephants were imported to the US despite public outcry and legal opposition. Mabu was sent to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park where, between 2006 and 2011, he fathered ten offspring with the female elephants held in captivity with him. He was moved two additional times to be used in captive breeding before he was moved to Fresno Chaffee Zoo in late 2022 to be used for captive breeding with our clients Nolwazi and Amahle. In February 2023, the NhRP filed a new habeas corpus petition in Californias Fifth District Court of Appeal, demanding Amahle, Nolwazi, and Mabus right to liberty. The petition detailed how the Fresno Superior Court was wrong to deny the NhRPs first petition on the grounds that the petition didnt allege that the elephants are held in state custody: under longstanding California law, you dont have to be in state custody in order to challenge your imprisonment. This petition was denied without explanation. We then filed a petition in Californias highest court. In December 2023, the Court denied this petition, also without explanation. An indicator of progress in this case can be found in the fact that the petition gained the support of over 90 experts in animal law, civil rights, philosophy, and religion in the form of amicus briefs filed with the Court. This denial cant be appealed. However, were persisting with our fight for elephants right to liberty in California, and our efforts to free all four elephants to sanctuaries and raise awareness of the injustices of captive breeding and elephant importation continue outside the courtroom through earned media, social media, and grassroots advocacy. All of the above cases build on the tremendous legal progress we achieved in New York in the first decade of our chimpanzee and elephant rights litigation. Specifically, they cite to the historic, lengthy dissents issued in June of 2022 by two judges on New Yorks highest court in Happy the elephants case after that court became the highest in the US to hear arguments in support of a legal right for a nonhuman animal in May of 2022. One of these dissenting judges include the now Chief Judge, Rowan Wilson. Both Judge Wilson and Judge Jenny Rivera harshly criticized the majority decision, which denied Happys right to liberty, and embraced the concept of legal rights for nonhuman animal as continuous with most cherished values and principles of justice. In so doing, Judge Wilson and Judge Riveras dissents not only challenged an unjust legal status quo that has existed for centuries; they also have the potential to one day become the majority opinion, just as courageous dissents by judges have done for humans throughout US legal history. These dissents follow similarly supportive and historic arguments made by Judge Eugene M. Fahey in our chimpanzee rights cases before he retired from the Court of Appeals in January of 2022. In a 2018 opinion issued in response to our chimpanzee rights cases, he wrote that the question of nonhuman animals legal personhood and rights constitutes a deep dilemma of ethics and policy that demands our attention. To treat a chimpanzee as if he or she had no right to liberty protected by habeas corpus is to regard the chimpanzee as entirely lacking independent worth, as a mere resource for human use, a thing the value o Florida Center for Culural Conferen 5195 NW 112th Terrace Pompano Beach FL 33076 743252238 Develop Deliver & Evaluate Educational Programs & Materials FL 501c3 10 Nonhuman Rights Project Inc true false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false false General Explanation Attachment With the departure of Steven Wise from the Nonhuman Rights Project board in October of 2023, the Nonhuman Rights Project is no longer in a position where it holds a majority of the board at the Florida Center for Cultural Competence.