The District of Columbia Bar Foundation
Also known as Dcbf
The District of Columbia Bar Foundation reported $44.5 million in revenue and $37.1 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $97.12 went to program services, $1.87 to management and general costs and $1.01 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 74.7% of the total. Government grants made up 72.7%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $453,436 (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER). 6 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 249% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $37MFor 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
The fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $44MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 97.1% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 1.9% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 1.0% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.01 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 74.7% | 94.8% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 72.7% | 50.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 23.2% | 0.7% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $453,436 | $245,814 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.22% | 1.41% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 9.0 | 6.4 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 14 of 14 | 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 expenseAccess to justice grants:in 2007, the dc Bar Foundation (dcbf) began awarding access to justice grants when the council of the District of Columbia designated dcbf as the organization responsible for providing oversight of the access to justice initiative. Atj supports legal assistance in three areas: (a) underserved areas, (b) housing-related matters, and (c) a shared legal services interpreter bank. Since 2007, the foundation has administered $137.6 million in atj funding to provide critical legal assistance to underserved dc residents with low income
Civil legal counsel projects program grants:the council of the District of Columbia established the civil legal counsel projects program (clcpp) grants through the expanding access to justice amendment act of 2017, which designates the dc Bar Foundation as the entity responsible for its implementation. Clcpp provides legal services to individual tenants or groups of tenants with low income to address eviction, rent increases, housing code violations, termination of an individual's participation in a housing subsidy program, and human rights violations. Since 2018, the foundation has…
Dc resource bridge:working in collaboration with the legal aid community, dc residents, and other stakeholders, the dc Bar Foundation (dcbf) created the dc resource bridge (dcrb) to coordinate trauma-informed intake and efficient referrals across the city's 50-plus free and low-cost legal service providers. Dcrb launched its phone hotline on september 22, 2025, following a five-year collaborative planning process involving legal services providers, funders, and system partners. In early 2026, it launched its online intake form, giving vulnerable dc residents a single point of entry to access…
Highest 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $428,662 | $0 | $24,774 | $453,436 |
| CHIEF OF STAFF Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $241,877 | $0 | $38,770 | $280,647 |
| DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $212,307 | $0 | $53,460 | $265,767 |
| DIRECTOR OF EVALUATION AND INNOVATION Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $175,111 | $0 | $38,426 | $213,537 |
| DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $185,553 | $0 | $26,128 | $211,681 |
6 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The District of Columbia Bar Foundation (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–1b14 · 14 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 529
- Volunteers Part I, line 695
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| BDO Hr, accounting, and subgrantee monitorin | $301,046 |
| NPC RESEARCH Program evaluation | $286,642 |
| INTERACTION INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE Network consulting | $193,678 |
| CENTER FOR NONPROFIT ADAVANCEMENT'S BENE Employee benefit | $148,427 |
| FLEX PROFESSIONALS LLC Temp staffing and placement service | $121,155 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 5 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
1 private foundation reported grants to The District of Columbia Bar Foundation totaling $60,000 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 The District of Columbia Bar Foundation's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for The District of Columbia Bar Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 The District of Columbia Bar Foundation spent in FY2025, $97.12 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Criminal Justice Reform FoundationNew York, NY · revenue $44M · programs 71.8% · 2024
- Legal Aid BureauBaltimore, MD · revenue $46M · programs 85.4% · 2024
- Lone Star Legal AidHouston, TX · revenue $44M · programs 88.5% · 2024
- Legal Aid of North CarolinaRaleigh, NC · revenue $48M · programs 86.4% · 2025
- Nra FoundationFairfax, VA · revenue $43M · programs 63.0% · 2024
All crime & legal-related charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of The District of Columbia Bar Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, The District of Columbia Bar Foundation reported that 97.1% of its $37.1 million in expenses went to program services, 1.9% to management and general and 1.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The District of Columbia Bar Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The District of Columbia Bar Foundation reported for one person in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 was $453,436, for the role of CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The District of Columbia Bar Foundation get its money?
Of $44.5 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, 74.7% came from contributions and grants (including 72.7% from government grants) and 23.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The District of Columbia Bar Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 52-1109547 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. 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 September 30, 2025, object 202611829349300721 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, object 202512269349303121 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, object 202440869349300124 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, object 202301799349301025 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, object 202212279349301501 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, object 202122169349300827 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 52-1109547: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.