Accountability Counsel

“The tax return is prepared by an outside accounting firm. After completion of said returns, the organization is sent a draft of the tax returns to be reviewed and examined. The organization makes copies of the returns and distributes to those individuals charged with governance. Those individuals at that time can review and if applicable discuss any line items in the return with the accountant who has prepared the return. If all items are found to be acceptable, an authorization is signed and provided to authorize the outside accounting firm to process, sign and provide copies of the returns to be filed (paper or electronically) with the designated governmental agencies. The tax returns are then signed by the organization, stamped and mailed with certified return receipt or the signed form 8879 is provided to the outside accounting firm allowing electronic filing.”

“The Directors, Officers, and Key Employees of Accountability Counsel must complete a Compliance Form on an annual basis, which includes an affirmation that they have received a copy of the Conflict of Interest Policy, have read and understand the Policy, agree to comply with the Policy, and information on all actual or potential Conflicts of Interest involving them or their family members. The Compliance Form also contains an affirmation that they understand that Accountability Counsel is charitable in nature and in order to maintain its federal tax exemption, it must engage primarily in activities that accomplish one or more of its tax-exempt charitable purposes.”

“The Executive Directors compensation is set by the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors (Board members excluding the Board President, who is the Executive Director). The Board sets compensation based on the Executive Directors performance and benchmarking to other leaders of social enterprises making similar levels of impact. The compensation of other key employees is set according to Accountability Counsels Compensation Equity and Transparency Framework, listed on our website, which details our approach to team compensation. The Executive Director works with supervisors to apply the framework on an annual basis, reviewing performance and ensuring that the framework is benchmarking to similar key roles, with a goal of being a competitive leader to attract and retain key talent.”

“Federal Tax Returns are available at guidestar.org & charitynavigator.org.”

“Governing documents are available for public inspection at the principal place of business. They can also be found online at https://accountabilitycounsel.org/about-us/governance-and-financials/.The conflict of interest policy and the organization's financial statements are available upon request.”

“OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: Communities Achievements: Continuation from page 2, Form 990In Haiti, against a backdrop of civil unrest and widespread violence, we supported 50 families to secure new land to replace the farms they lost to an earthquake recovery project gone wrong more than ten years ago. In Uganda, we advised communities as they negotiated increased compensation for the homes they stood to lose to a World Bank-funded infrastructure project. In Mongolia, we amplified the voices of herders as they spoke out about renewed environmental concerns as the worlds largest open-pit gold and copper mine amps up production. In Ukraine, we supported communities as their complaints regarding pollution from Europes largest poultry farm advanced at two institutions amid ongoing war. We currently support nine in-depth cases like these, and receive many more requests from communities facing similar internationally-financed harm.In addition to our in-depth cases, our team continues to respond to dozens of unique requests for knowledge sharing with bespoke information on the international financial flows affecting communities and how they can use accountability offices to demand justice. In the past year, we have provided advice to communities negatively impacted by critical mineral mining in Zimbabwe, Indonesia, and Peru; agriculture projects in Uzbekistan; dam projects in Lesotho and Armenia; infrastructure projects in Thailand and Georgia; education projects in Kenya and Tanzania; and more.Policy Advocacy: Continuation from page 2, Form 990This year, our advocacy drove significant strides toward new accountability channels for several critical financial flows, including US bilateral development finance, Chinese overseas finance, ESG and impact investing, and critical mineral mining. In addition to this work to create new accountability mechanisms, we also urged institutions to strengthen existing accountability systems and make them more responsive to community voices. Alongside key coalitions of partners, we pushed for stronger accountability policy at development banks in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and globally.Our advocacy seeks more than just an acknowledgement when finance goes wrong; this year, we contributed to a campaign calling on banks and institutions to commit to financing remedy to repair harm when their investments go wrong. In particular, our advocates demanded that the World Bank incorporate accountability and remedy in its new roadmap for climate-conscious development; that the International Finance Corporation implement a strong remedy framework as recommended in its own independent expert review; and that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development lead the field and follow through on its stated intentions to implement a strong commitment to remedy. This work is driven by both our casework and our research; in Kenya, we are supporting students to demand compensation (an uncommon, but often relevant, form of remediation) as part of a suite of reforms in response to years of sexual abuse they survived in World Bank-funded schools. Our ongoing outcomes research will further inform this work.Research Achievements: Continuation from page 2, Form 990This year, our team investigated the actual outcomes communities see as a result of accountability processes, combining decades of complaint data with in-depth interviews with communities who have secured commitments or agreements through complaint processes. This research is critical to determine whether the accountability system is providing meaningful remedy, and if not, what needs to change. A report detailing our findings, their implications, and our recommendations to strengthen accountability will be published in the coming months. We are also in the final stages of digitizing our Accountability Resource Guide, a powerful tool to guide communities through the complaint process, step by step. The tool is set to launch in the next few months, and will combin”