Nami National: CEO salary, finances and where donations go
“Dedicated to improving the lives of persons and their families living with serious mental illness.”
Data only Figures straight from the filing, screened by our rules. Not yet reviewed in depth by a CPA.
Methodology by Amir Arani, CPA, CA · Updated
We screen every filing against twelve rules. A flag is a prompt for a closer look, not a finding of wrongdoing.
No reported asset diversions, no insider transactions, no fundraisers keeping most of the money, and the governance policies we check for are in place.
For each dollar donated, NAMI spent 7¢ on fundraising.
Fundraising ÷ $96.0M contributions · Form 990 Parts VIII, IXThe charity's own description of its largest programs, with what each cost.
Education Services- Information, Support and Education: NAMI provides education programs, presentations, and peer-led support groups nationwide. These programs are led by trained volunteers and individuals with lived experience.
Advocacy - Public Policy and Advocacy: NAMI advocates for policies that improve the lives of people affected by mental illness. Advocacy priorities include access to health care coverage, crisis response services, early intervention and diversion from the justice system. In 2025, NAMI advocates took more than 247,000 advocacy actions. Advocacy efforts focused in part on protecting access to Medicaid, the largest payer of mental health services in the United States. NAMI also continued efforts to expand awareness and implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In 2025, the Federal…
NAMI supports research and evaluation to improve mental health programs and inform policy. In 2025, NAMI launched a Scientific Advisory Council composed of clinical and research experts who provide guidance to ensure NAMI's work reflects current scientific evidence and best practices. NAMI also develops and shares policy analyses, research resources and educational materials that support evidence-based mental health care.
Net assets at each fiscal year end, 2013 to 2025.
Reportable pay in 2025, from the charity and related organizations.
| Contractor | Service | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Allegiance Fundraising | Direct mail marketing | $2,636,714 |
| Daniel J Edelman | Consulting | $495,975 |
| Salesforce | Consulting | $369,699 |
| Fueled | Marketing | $361,425 |
| Venable | Consulting | $325,494 |
Short, sourced answers. Each one stands on its own.
Daniel Gillison Jr, Chief Executive Officer, received $596,705 in reportable compensation in 2025, 1.5% of NAMI's $39.2M in spending.
Form 990 (2025), Part VIINAMI reported 80% of 2025 spending as programs, 16.8% as fundraising and 3.2% as management.
Form 990 (2025), Part IXNet assets were $126.8M at the end of 2025, about 38.8 months of spending.
Form 990 (2025), Part XIts latest Form 990 triggered none of our twelve screening rules, which cover reported asset diversions, insider transactions, fundraiser costs, governance policies and spending patterns.
Form 990 (2025)Amir Arani, “NAMI: CEO salary, finances and where your dollar goes,” Charity Math, updated 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/charities/nami/