2025-08-05T11:08:11-04:00 2024-12-31 474306215 Mullins PC 7625 Wisconsin Avenue Bethesda MD 20814 990 2024-01-01 043289466 Nonhuman Rights Project Inc % Gail Price-Wise NONH 8882552612 611 Pennsylvania Avenue SE STE 345 Washington DC 20003 GAIL PRICE-WISE Board President & Treasurer 8882552612 2025-08-05 true true JOHN MULLINS P01429307 2027706371 2025-08-05 2024 2025-03-06 01:10:19Z Gail Price-Wise 611 Pennsylvania Avenue SE STE 345 Washington DC 20003 2156429 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. 6 5 11 15 0 0 1567765 2015918 0 75907 137171 3193 3340 1646865 2156429 0 0 909560 1125837 0 207729 460626 457640 1370186 1583477 276679 572952 3548760 4134562 49691 72584 3499069 4061978 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 579741 Education & Public Relations: See Schedule O. 556758 Litigation: See Schedule O. 22004 Advocacy: See Schedule O. 1158503 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 false false false false false true 10 0 true 11 true false false false false false true true false false false false false false X 6 5 false false false false false false false true false false false true true true true true true true true false 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 Managing Director & Board Secretary 40.00 0.00 X 157000 0 6150 Christopher Berry Executive Director 40.00 0.00 X 156635 0 6150 Monica Miller Senior Staff Attorney 40.00 0.00 X 110000 0 6150 Spencer Lo Senior Staff Attorney 40.00 0.00 X 110000 0 6150 Jacob Davis Senior Staff Attorney 40.00 0.00 X 108000 0 6150 Gail Price-Wise Board President & Treasurer 10.00 15.00 X X 58984 0 6150 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 Justin Marceau Director 0.10 0.00 X 0 0 0 Raffael Fasel Director 0.10 0.00 X 0 0 0 700619 0 36900 5 false true false LPS Campaigns PMB 1094 4301 50th St NW Washington DC 20035 Strategy 132757 1 2015918 2015918 137171 137171 0 Clothing 900099 1550 1550 Other Income 900099 1790 1790 3340 2156429 3340 0 137171 215984 171479 14199 30306 781769 620678 51396 109695 46553 36960 3060 6533 81531 64731 5360 11440 1005 1005 47810 47810 8521 855 7666 43172 9935 32575 662 7288 6387 562 339 12173 12173 10763 32 10731 Litigation Program Expenses 48498 39878 8620 Education & Public Relations 249192 199391 1047 48754 Grassroots Advocacy 11402 8177 3225 Bank & Merchant Fees 17816 17816 1583477 1158503 217245 207729 344105 335640 907601 269582 6 536 12560 20086 65147 30493 46827 34654 2237661 3474064 3548760 4134562 49691 72584 49691 72584 X 3499069 4061978 3499069 4061978 3548760 4134562 572952 -10043 0 X false true X true false X 1620227 1637371 1567772 1273291 2015918 8114579 1620227 1637371 1567772 1273291 2015918 8114579 2847361 5267218 36259 45441 37461 75907 137171 332239 2703 1550 4253 11227 490 1790 13507 8464578 0.62230 0.62500 X Other income Part II line 10 or Part III line 12 Other Income RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 3848 1148 4996 1578481 1583477 229174 57294 158130 182908 229174 570212 855318 11955 2834 4996 19785 39533 45727 57294 142554 213831 3369 180 3848 7397 65147 30493 34654 34654 X 2701416 -10043 555030 544987 2156429 2156429 2138507 555030 555030 1583477 1583477 Part X, Line 2-Text in footnote regarding FIN 48 (ASC 740) 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 2020 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 Managing Director & Board Secretary 157000 6150 163150 Christopher Berry Executive Director 156635 6150 162785 Organizational document changes Part VI line 4 We amended our bylaws in June of 2024 to increase the limit on total number of board members from 5 to 7. 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 Chair 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 Executive Director determines compensation for key employees using comparability data from other organizations 990s and other available sources to establish compensation for key employees. 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 is the only civil rights organization in the United States dedicated solely to securing legal rights for nonhuman animals. NhRP work is informed in part by the playbooks of other civil rights movements that transformed the legal system through high profile litigation, a parallel legislative strategy, and data-driven public engagement.. Litigation Program:The NhRPs litigation is the first of its kind in the world. The NhRPs groundbreaking work to date has focused on bringing habeas corpus petitions to challenge the wrongful confinement of nonhuman animals in places like laboratories and zoos. Science tells us that the biological and social needs of many species simply cannot be met in captivity: their instincts and natural behaviors are inseparably tied to an appropriate habitat and the freedom to make their own decisions. Science also tells us that many species have some comprehension of the past and the future, and that, like humans, members of these species suffer immensely in captivity because they can anticipate that their confinement may be never-ending.. The writ of habeas corpus has existed for centuries and is meant to protect anyone who is unjustly imprisoned. NhRP petitionswhich have resulted in the worlds first ever habeas corpus hearings on behalf of nonhuman animalsargue that common law courts must recognize our nonhuman animal clients as legal persons with the fundamental right to liberty protected by the writ of habeas corpus, and then order their release to sanctuary, where this right will be respected. NhRP cases have provided nonhuman animals with access to our justice system that they wouldnt otherwise have had. The NhRP made history and headlines in 2022 when the New York Court of Appealsone of the most influential state courts in the USagreed to hear the NhRPs case on behalf of Happy, an elephant living in solitary confinement at the Bronx Zoo. This marked the first time the highest court of any English-speaking jurisdiction heard a habeas corpus case brought on behalf of a nonhuman being. NhRP legal actions in 2024 afforded similarly historic opportunities for public oral argument on behalf of elephants in Hawaii and in Colorado, with a hearing expected in 2025 in our chimpanzee case in Michigan. NhRPs persistence and bold approach are changing the legal status quo and have catalyzed a global conversation about how our legal systems view and treat nonhuman animals. As a result of the NhRPs unique mission and work, courts and legislatures around the world are beginning to recognize the systemic problem of animals rightlessness, the suffering it has caused, and the ways it undermines the values and principles of justice on which our own human rights depend.. Legislative Program: The NhRPs legislative aff airs program works at the city and state levels to proactively introduce and pass rights-based legislation, closely monitor anti-rights developments, and plan and defend against future legislative backlash related to our litigation. In 2024, the NhRP worked with the New York City Council and the Los Angeles City Council to develop and introduce rights-based bills relevant to the captivity status of NhRP clients in these locations. The NhRP legal team also drafted a constitutional challenge to an anti-rights statute passed in Utah in 2024, which was filed in early 2025.. Public Engagement/ Polling and Message Testing. In 2024, the NhRP launched a new project intended to bolster and strengthen NhRP work inside the courtroom by influencing public discourse outside the courtroom in a way that transforms the concept of legal rights for nonhuman animals from something unimaginable to something worthy of consideration and debate. The project uses public opinion research tools to gain insight into the underlying knowledge and beliefs that shape current positions on legal rights for nonhuman animals and identify the content best deployed to positively shift these beliefs in our favor. Project objectives include: (1) Quantifying public opinion on the concept of nonhuman animal rights using language-neutral, scientifically grounded framing; identifying which narratives, frames, and comparisons gain traction across political, demographic and value-based segments; (3) gathering qualitative insights from legal professionals about the arguments that are most persuasive and legally viable; (4) pinpointing harmful language and terminology that could alienate or confuse potential supporters or legal audiences; and (5) building a set of benchmark metrics which will enable the NhRP to explore any shifts and changes in attitudes and beliefs among the legal community, over time and as a result of NhRP efforts.. Legal Community Education and Public Engagement: To create greater opportunities for success with NhRP rights litigation, the NhRP is working to normalize the concept of legal rights for nonhuman animals specifi cally within the legal community. NhRP efforts involve saturating the legal community with information about the legal, social, historical, scientific, and political justice of our arguments in states where the NhRP has active litigation or legislative underway - work that will be boosted in 2025 through analysis of data gathered during the polling project. NhRP legal community engagement also incorporates work directly within the judicial system, with the NhRP proactively seeking out opportunities to file amicus briefs in cases where there may not be a direct question of a nonhuman legal right but some aspect of the legal status of nonhuman animals is under review. For example, in 2024 the NhRP filed an amicus brief in a New York case that concerns a claim of emotional distress by a woman who witnessed her family dog struck by a car and killed. At issue, whether the claim could be permitted because dogs were not considered immediate family members under state law. The NhRP brief supported her claim, addressing the legal status of nonhuman animals, the role and duty of common law courts, and the fundamental demands of justice driven by evolving societal norms. Stepping up in a case like this one helps to create openings for the NhRP to find common ground with judges, lawyers, and others, who are starting to recognize that our legal system is falling short when it comes to nonhuman animals even if they dont yet understand the need for animal rights..Broader Community Education and Public Engagement: Engaging with the broader public around legal rights for nonhuman animals is also a key part of NhRP strategy since judges and other decision makers refl ect the societal beliefs and the values of the communities they live in. The NhRP focuses this engagement in communities where there is active NhRP litigation or legislative efforts, utilizing earned and paid media, online organizing, and events to educate more people about the importance of and basis for nonhuman rights. These efforts will also be boosted in 2025 through analysis of data collected during the ongoing polling project. Public response to NhRP efforts has been vibrant and visible in part because of the novelty of NhRPs work. As an example, when supporters in NY noticed in 2024 that NhRP client Happy the elephant was no longer visible, the NhRP publicly called on the Bronx Zoo to explain why Happy was being denied access outdoors. Over a multi-week campaign, the NhRP sponsored a series of actions that generated global media coverage about Happys situation, providing a platform for the NhRP to talk very loudly about nonhuman animal cognition, the mental and physical suffering autonomous nonhuman animals endure through exploitation, and the importance of rights.