Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Legal Aid Society of Cleveland reported $18.7 million in revenue and $21.5 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $81.34 went to program services, $13.54 to management and general costs and $5.12 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 93.8% of the total. Government grants made up 50.9%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $282,452 (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). 11 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 37% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $22MFor context, the median across 2,433 covered unclassified charities: $88.27 programs, $11.68 management, $0.05 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $19MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 81.3% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 13.5% | 11.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 5.1% | 0.0% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.06 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 93.8% | 29.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 50.9% | 3.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.1% | 58.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $282,452 | $301,601 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.31% | 1.38% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 11 | 6 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 8.1 | 6.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 20 of 20 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseLegal Aid promotes economic security and education: increase access to quality education, increase income and assets, reduce debt, and reduce disparities in income and wealth. Legal Aid's strategies in achieving this goal include: removing employment barriers, providing consumer protection, increasing access to public benefits, and improving clients' access to quality education. In 2025, Legal Aid removed education barriers for clients in 96% of relevant cases. We also reduced debt, increased income, and increased assets for our clients by $12.2 million
Legal Aid improves safety and health: secures safety for survivors of domestic violence and other crimes, increase access to health care, improve health and safety of homes, and mitigate the social determinants of health. Legal Aid's strategies in achieving this goal include: securing safety for domestic violence survivors and other victims of crime; increasing access to health care; and improving health and safety of homes and neighborhoods. In 2025, Legal Aid increased safety for 96% of clients for whom safety was an issue and expanded our medical legal partnerships with local health…
Legal Aid secures stable and decent housing: increase availability and accessibility of affordable housing, improve housing stability, and improve housing conditions. Legal Aid's strategies in achieving this goal include increasing access to rent assistance, improving housing stability, and improving housing conditions. In 2025, Legal Aid prevented evictions/involuntary moves for 79% of clients for whom this was an issue
Highest reported compensation
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $231,094 | $0 | $51,358 | $282,452 |
| DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $189,083 | $0 | $56,198 | $245,281 |
| DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $182,955 | $0 | $54,998 | $237,953 |
| DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR ADVOCA Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $205,828 | $0 | $26,922 | $232,750 |
| DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC INIT Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $179,485 | $0 | $44,449 | $223,934 |
| MANAGING ATTORNEY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $135,647 | $0 | $49,093 | $184,740 |
| MANAGING ATTORNEY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $152,041 | $0 | $30,500 | $182,541 |
| MANAGING ATTORNEY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $138,089 | $0 | $39,116 | $177,205 |
11 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Legal Aid Society of Cleveland (Part VII, line 2).
7 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b20 · 20 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5159
- Volunteers Part I, line 6788
Largest outside contractors
2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| CHN HOUSING PARTNERS Professional services | $168,955 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 1 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
34 private foundations reported grants to Legal Aid Society of Cleveland totaling $938K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Legal Aid Society of Cleveland's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Legal Aid Society of Cleveland spent in 2025, $81.34 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Legal Aid Society of Cleveland's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Legal Aid Society of Cleveland reported that 81.3% of its $21.5 million in expenses went to program services, 13.5% to management and general and 5.1% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Legal Aid Society of Cleveland pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Legal Aid Society of Cleveland reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $282,452, for the role of EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Legal Aid Society of Cleveland get its money?
Of $18.7 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 93.8% came from contributions and grants (including 50.9% from government grants) and 0.1% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Legal Aid Society of Cleveland a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 34-0866026 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2025: Form 990 for calendar year 2025, object 202622609349301107 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202512939349300421 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202413169349301651 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202301999349300520 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202212779349300106 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202133059349300868 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202023029349301762 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 34-0866026: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.