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NAACP
| NAACP | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) |
| Top official: | Claudia Withers, Chief Operating Officer |
| Year founded: | 1909 |
| Website: | Official website |
The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization founded in 1909 by W.E.B. Du Bois, Mary White Ovington, Ida B. Wells, Henry Moskowitz and William English Walling.[1] The organization advocates for the equality and rights of African Americans, providing educational and legal aid programs.
Background
The NAACP was founded by a group of white liberals, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villard, William English Walling, and Dr. Henry Moscowitz, and politically active African Americans, including W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Mary Church Terrell. On February 12, 1909, a meeting was convened in New York by the group and they formally formed the NAACP.[2] The group's aim was "to secure for all people the rights guaranteed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution, which promised an end to slavery, the equal protection of the law, and universal adult male suffrage, respectively."[2]
By 1913, the NAACP had expanded to Boston, Baltimore, Kansas City, Washington, D.C., Detroit and St. Louis. Membership grow from 9,000 in 1917 to 90,000 in 1919 and the organization took on legal cases throughout the country over the next century, including Guinn v. United States (1910), Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which was led by Thurgood Marshall, and the reversal of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).[3][4][5] Other advocacy included supporting the federal Dyer Bill, which made it illegal not to prosecute lynch mobs, advocating for equality in the armed forces, the establishment of the Fair Employment Practices Committee, and the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1964, and 1968, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[2]
As of 2025, the group's website says their mission is "to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and accelerate the well-being, education, and economic security of Black people and all persons of color."[6]
Leadership
As of July 2025, the website for the NAACP listed the following individuals as part of the group's leadership and board of directors:[7][8]
Leadership:
- Derrick Johnson, President and CEO
- Aba G. Blankson, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
- Kyle Bowser, Senior Vice President, Hollywood Bureau
- Dense Carroll, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer
- Bianca Domally, Chief Financial Officer
- Janette McCarthy Wallace, General Counsel
Board of Directors:
- Leon W. Russell
- Karen Boykin-Towns
- Jesse Turner, Jr.
- Yvonne White
- Alphonso Braggs
Work and activities
Legal advocacy
The NAACP has engaged in legal advocacy to further its mission. According to their website, they use lawsuits to "further our mission to ensure equitable treatment and opportunities when it comes to voting rights, education, economic empowerment, criminal justice, and health, including environmental justice. We initiate lawsuits and join as plaintiffs in state and federal cases."[9]
Business advocacy
According to the NAACP's website, the organization works to "expand access and participation in markets for Black workers, consumers, and business owners, and create more paths of entrepreneurship through building infrastructure for cooperative development, inclusive procurement, incubators, and accelerators."[10]
Environmental advocacy
According to the NAACP's website, the organization works "at the state level on campaigns to pass renewable energy and energy efficiency standards while simultaneously working to provide safer, more sustainable mechanisms for managing energy needs for our communities and beyond."[11]
Affiliations
NAACP Empowerment Programs
The NAACP has a 501(c)(3) called NAACP Empowerment Programs. The organization says that through the Empowerment Programs, they intend to "build inclusive criminal justice policies, healthcare systems, economies, and classrooms in 2022."[12] The organization was founded in March 2019 after the NAACP changed its designation from a 501(c)(3) to a 501(c)(4).[13]
Legal Defense Fund
The Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1941 as part of the NAACP, but became a separate, standalone organization in 1957.[14]
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Finances
The following is a breakdown of the NAACP's revenue from contributions and grants received, total revenue, and expenses for the 2011-2023 period. The information comes from the Internal Revenue Service and ProPublica
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $31,746,942 | $31,284,175 |
| 2012 | $43,204,225 | $42,597,074 |
| 2013 | $31,006,870 | $36,771,261 |
| 2014 | $21,869,655 | $22,949,793. |
| 2015 | $22,847,049 | $22,668,557 |
| 2016 | $24,334,691 | $24,426,613 |
| 2017 | $25,732,462 | $24,511,522 |
| 2018 | $27,524,430 | $26,680,816 |
| 2019 | N/A | N/A |
| 2020 | $22,676,250 | $16,021,785 |
| 2021 | $33,545,881 | $25,815,573 |
| 2022 | $23,248,834 | $20,424,456 |
| 2023 | $44,076,083 | $35,628,843 |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Social media:
- Endorsements and ratings:
- Fact-checking:
- Financial:
- Works by or about:
- Media appearances:
- Media coverage:
Footnotes
- ↑ NAACP, "Timeline of Events," accessed January 21, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 NAACP, "NAACP: 100 YEARS OF HISTORY," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ Cornell, "Guinn v. United States," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ NOLO, "Brown v. Board of Education," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ Cornell, "Plessy v. Ferguson," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ NAACP, "We're on a mission," accessed July 22, 2025
- ↑ NAACP, "NAACP Leadership," accessed July 22, 2025
- ↑ NAACP, "NAACP Senior Staff," accessed July 22, 2025
- ↑ NAACP, "Advocacy & Litigation," accessed July 22, 2025
- ↑ NAACP, "Inclusive Economy," accessed July 22, 2025
- ↑ NAACP, "Environmental & Climate Justice," accessed July 22, 2025
- ↑ NAACP, "Empowerment Programs," accessed July 22, 2025
- ↑ Charity Watch, "Know Your NAACPs and Their Ratings," March 14, 2023
- ↑ NAACP, "About NAACP," accessed July 22, 2025
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