Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia reported $15.8 million in revenue and $16.6 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $79.39 went to program services, $14.74 to management and general costs and $5.87 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 96.6% of the total. Government grants made up 7.9%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $268,299 (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). 36 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 93% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $17MFor 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 $16M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$88.10 $14M
- Government grants$7.87 $1.3M
- Program service revenue$0.29 $46,659
- Investment income$3.74 $594K
Other revenue was negative: −$101K. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 79.4% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 14.7% | 11.5% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 5.9% | 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 | 96.6% | 29.9% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 7.9% | 3.8% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.3% | 58.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $268,299 | $301,601 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.61% | 1.38% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 36 | 6 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 10.5 | 6.8 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 48 of 48 | 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 expenseTHE LEGAL AID SOCIETY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA works to ensure that families, individuals and communities living in poverty have equal and meaningful access to justice by providing advice, brief assistance, representation and referrals. In addition to direct client services, and Organization advocates for systemic change on matters that grow directly from individual cases. The core priorities of the Organization include keeping people housed, securing access to health care and public benefits, protecting limited assets and income, protecting immigrants' rights, securing safety from…
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, 40.0 hrs/week | $250,954 | $0 | $17,345 | $268,299 |
| DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $204,368 | $0 | $24,045 | $228,413 |
| LEGAL DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $194,749 | $0 | $24,333 | $219,082 |
| LEGAL DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $189,589 | $0 | $13,314 | $202,903 |
| DIRECTOR Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $153,872 | $0 | $24,911 | $178,783 |
| DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Officer, 40.0 hrs/week | $158,430 | $0 | $15,089 | $173,519 |
| DIR. OF PEOPLE & CULTURE Highest compensated employee, 40.0 hrs/week | $164,501 | $0 | $7,182 | $171,683 |
36 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $442K (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–1b48 · 48 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 4Yes
- 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 5144
- Volunteers Part I, line 6350
Private foundation grants it received
12 private foundations reported grants to Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia totaling $371K 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 the District of Columbia'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 the District of Columbia, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia spent in 2025, $79.39 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Washington City Orphan AsylumWashington, DC · revenue $16M · programs 89.0% · FY2025
- Ecker Center for Behavioral HealthElgin, IL · revenue $16M · programs 81.2% · FY2025
- Community Action Development CorporationFrederick, OK · revenue $16M · programs 93.7% · FY2025
- Legal Aid Service of Broward CountyPlantation, FL · revenue $16M · programs 85.3% · 2025
- ShareVancouver, WA · revenue $16M · programs 83.4% · 2024
All unclassified charities · Largest charities in District of Columbia
Questions people ask
How much of Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia reported that 79.4% of its $16.6 million in expenses went to program services, 14.7% to management and general and 5.9% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $268,299, for the role of EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia get its money?
Of $15.8 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 96.6% came from contributions and grants (including 7.9% from government grants) and 0.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 53-0196600 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 202622649349301782 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202512729349301146 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202422199349300147 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202342629349300744 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202222869349301742 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202122219349300027 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202012309349301971 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 53-0196600: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.