GOLD2022

Marijuana Policy Project Foundation

We Change Laws, We Change Lives

aka MPP Foundation   |   Washington, DC   |  www.mpp.org

Mission

MPP, which was founded in January 1995, is the largest organization in the U.S. that’s focused solely on enacting humane marijuana laws. MPP’s mission is to change federal law to allow states to determine their own marijuana policies without federal interference, to allow the medical use of cannabis in all 50 states and U.S. territories, and to regulate marijuana like alcohol. MPP has been responsible for changing most of the state marijuana laws that have been reformed since 2000, including more than a dozen medical cannabis laws and the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Michigan, Vermont, and Illinois.

Ruling year info

1997

Principal Officer

Mrs. Toi Hutchinson W.

Main address

P.O. Box 21824

Washington, DC 20009 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

52-1975211

NTEE code info

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (R01)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Grants Program

Grants are awarded to organizations and projects that articulate effective tactics and
strategies to regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol and to make
marijuana available for medical use. Grants are not awarded to
hemp-related projects, state ballot initiatives, or political campaigns.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Helping patients and activists advocate for marijuana policies in their states.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Donate money to ballot initiatives and promote initiatives to the news media.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

MPP Foundation envisions a nation where marijuana is legally regulated similarly to alcohol, marijuana education is honest and realistic, and treatment for problem marijuana users is non-coercive and geared toward reducing harm. MPP Foundation's mission is to change federal law to allow states to determine their own marijuana policies without federal interference, as well as to regulate marijuana like alcohol in all 50 states, D.C., and the five territories.

1. Increase public support for non-punitive, non-coercive marijuana policies.

2. Identify and activate supporters of non-punitive, non-coercive marijuana policies.

3. Change state laws to reduce or eliminate penalties for the medical and non-medical use of marijuana.

4. Gain influence in Congress.

MPP is leading the effort in Washington, D.C. to pass federal medical marijuana legislation, as well as to replace marijuana prohibition with a system of sensible regulation and control. MPP also works for sensible marijuana policies at the state level, and our grassroots and lobbying campaigns have changed several laws. MPP changes state laws through legislatures as well as through ballot initiatives. MPP provided the bulk of the funding, staff, and expertise to the 2012 Colorado initiative to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults 21 and older and the 2014 legalization and regulation campaign in Alaska. In addition, MPP monitors and analyzes all marijuana-related bills in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

MPP has approximately 30 employees, two-thirds of whom are based in MPP's headquarters in Washington, D.C.; this includes two full-time lobbyists on Capitol Hill. In addition, MPP usually has lobbyists on retainer in six or seven state capitals.

Most importantly, MPP legalized marijuana in Colorado in 2012, and then followed up by legalizing marijuana in Alaska in 2014. MPP also decriminalized marijuana possession via a ballot initiative in Massachusetts in 2008. Since then, MPP passed similar laws through the Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Vermont legislatures. Lastly, MPP was instrumental or entirely responsible for legalizing medical marijuana in Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the District of Columbia between 2000 and 2014. Along with our allies, we aim to pass at least 12 more laws to regulate marijuana like alcohol by 2019.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    The American public, medical cannabis patients, and those most impacted by cannabis prohibition.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    Initiated an RFP process for a database/CRM that would allow us to better meet the needs of our supporters. We also adjusted messaging to appeal to our supporters.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

Marijuana Policy Project Foundation
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Marijuana Policy Project Foundation

Board of directors
as of 06/24/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Sal Pace

Joseph Pritzker

John Gilmore

Jeff Moe

Sheri Orlowitz

Sal Pace

Les Szabo

Jeff Zucker

AC Bushnell

Jeff Brown

Jon Blair

Jotaka Eaddy

Briget Hennessey

David Abernathy

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/8/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Decline to state
Disability status
Decline to state

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 02/08/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.