Thomas M Cooley Law School
Also known as Cooley Law School
Thomas M Cooley Law School reported $24.1 million in revenue and $29.2 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $82.49 went to program services, $17.18 to management and general costs and $0.33 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 81.0% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $433,942 (PRESIDENT & DEAN). 41 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue fell 57% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending August 31, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $29MFor context, the median across 5,499 covered education charities: $85.56 programs, $13.59 management, $0.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending August 31, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $24MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 82.5% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 17.2% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.29 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 1.4% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.9% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 81.0% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $433,942 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.49% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 41 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 13.9 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 11 of 12 | 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
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseHighest reported compensation
FY2025 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT & DEAN Officer, 60.0 hrs/week | $375,550 | $0 | $58,392 | $433,942 |
| ASSOCIATE DEAN & TENURED PROFESSOR Key employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $188,756 | $0 | $48,792 | $237,548 |
| TENURED PROF., ACTING LEGAL COUNSEL Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $179,487 | $0 | $49,500 | $228,987 |
| ASSOCIATE DEAN & TENURED PROFESSOR Key employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $179,730 | $0 | $49,245 | $228,975 |
| TENURED PROFESSOR Highest compensated employee, 55.0 hrs/week | $180,905 | $0 | $46,902 | $227,807 |
| TREASURER/SR VP OF OPS & FINANCE Officer, 50.0 hrs/week | $186,079 | $0 | $41,625 | $227,704 |
| SR VP & ASSOC DEAN OF ENROLLMENT Key employee, 50.0 hrs/week | $179,392 | $0 | $41,235 | $220,627 |
| TENURED PROFESSOR Highest compensated employee, 45.0 hrs/week | $163,317 | $0 | $48,666 | $211,983 |
41 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Thomas M Cooley Law School (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.3M (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · 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–1b12 · 11 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 11aNo
- 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 5286
- Volunteers Part I, line 630
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| INVERVE MARKETING Marketing services | $342,052 |
| JENZABAR Software consulting | $256,184 |
| DK SECURITY Access control | $155,724 |
| PLANTE & MORAN PLLC Auditing & consulting services | $134,675 |
| ALLIED UNIVERSAL SECURITY SERVICES Access control | $133,272 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 8 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
1 private foundation reported grants to Thomas M Cooley Law School totaling $32 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 Thomas M Cooley Law School's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Thomas M Cooley Law School, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 Thomas M Cooley Law School spent in FY2025, $82.49 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Thomas M Cooley Law School's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025, Thomas M Cooley Law School reported that 82.5% of its $29.2 million in expenses went to program services, 17.2% to management and general and 0.3% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Thomas M Cooley Law School pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Thomas M Cooley Law School reported for one person in the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025 was $433,942, for the role of PRESIDENT & DEAN (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Thomas M Cooley Law School get its money?
Of $24.1 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025, 1.4% came from contributions and grants (including 0.9% from government grants) and 81.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Thomas M Cooley Law School a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 38-1988915 as a 501(c)(3) organization (school), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025, object 202601899349301815 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2024, object 202501959349301025 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2023, object 202411939349301716 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2022, object 202301809349301210 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2021, object 202231689349300818 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2020, object 202131889349300833 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 38-1988915: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.