Prairie State Legal Services
Prairie State Legal Services reported $23.8 million in revenue and $22.9 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $80.76 went to program services, $15.12 to management and general costs and $4.12 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 98.1% of the total. Government grants made up 63.9%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $194,852 (Executive Director). 22 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 83% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $23MFor context, the median across 274 covered crime & legal-related charities: $87.85 programs, $11.30 management, $0.85 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 $24MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 80.8% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 15.1% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 4.1% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.04 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 98.1% | 94.8% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 63.9% | 50.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $194,852 | $245,814 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.85% | 1.41% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 22 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 9.6 | 6.4 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 21 of 21 | 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 expenseHighest 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, 37.5 hrs/week | $180,528 | $0 | $14,324 | $194,852 |
| Managing Attorney Highest compensated employee, 37.5 hrs/week | $112,903 | $0 | $49,379 | $162,282 |
| Managing Attorney Highest compensated employee, 37.5 hrs/week | $112,603 | $0 | $48,761 | $161,364 |
| Finance Director Officer, 37.5 hrs/week | $146,350 | $0 | $10,910 | $157,260 |
| Director of Human Resources Highest compensated employee, 37.5 hrs/week | $118,479 | $0 | $37,162 | $155,641 |
| Director of Information Technology Highest compensated employee, 37.5 hrs/week | $107,589 | $0 | $47,503 | $155,092 |
| Managing Attorney Highest compensated employee, 37.5 hrs/week | $116,411 | $0 | $35,993 | $152,404 |
22 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Prairie State Legal Services (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $425K (Part IX, line 5).
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–1b21 · 21 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 5249
- Volunteers Part I, line 6395
Private foundation grants it received
12 private foundations reported grants to Prairie State Legal Services totaling $90,431 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 Prairie State Legal Services's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Prairie State Legal Services, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Prairie State Legal Services spent in 2025, $80.76 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Legal Aid of Southeast and Central OhioColumbus, OH · revenue $24M · programs 89.0% · 2024
- Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & EducationPhoenix, AZ · revenue $24M · programs 93.2% · 2024
- Center for Family RepresentationNew York, NY · revenue $24M · programs 85.7% · 2024
- Public CounselLos Angeles, CA · revenue $24M · programs 79.1% · FY2025
- Equal Justice WorksWashington, DC · revenue $23M · programs 72.1% · FY2025
All crime & legal-related charities · Largest charities in Illinois
Questions people ask
How much of Prairie State Legal Services's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Prairie State Legal Services reported that 80.8% of its $22.9 million in expenses went to program services, 15.1% to management and general and 4.1% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Prairie State Legal Services pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Prairie State Legal Services reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $194,852, for the role of Executive Director (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Prairie State Legal Services get its money?
Of $23.8 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 98.1% came from contributions and grants (including 63.9% from government grants) and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Prairie State Legal Services a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 37-1030764 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 202641759349300019 · read the filing · XML
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202521769349301137 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202421639349300702 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202331789349301438 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202231799349300823 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202111629349300946 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202041639349301724 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 37-1030764: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.