Colorado Legal Services
Colorado Legal Services reported $25.3 million in revenue and $27.7 million in expenses for calendar year 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $90.60 went to program services, $8.04 to management and general costs and $1.36 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 97.2% of the total. Government grants made up 38.7%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $187,642 (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). 52 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 80% between 2019 and 2025. Source: Form 990, 2025.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $28MFor 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 $25MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 90.6% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 8.0% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 1.4% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.02 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 97.2% | 94.8% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 38.7% | 50.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $187,642 | $245,814 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.68% | 1.41% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 52 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 5.2 | 6.4 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 24 of 24 | 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 expenseColorado Legal Services (cls) is colorado's statewide legal aid nonprofit that has served coloradans in poverty for 100 years, guiding through difficult civil legal matters. We represent coloradans who meet income and other requirements for free. Our 12 offices help people facing a variety of legal problems in eight primary areas of work, which include these four core practice areas, as well as four statewide specialty areas. These areas are economic justice ( debt collection, bankruptcy, garnishment, repossession), family law ( divorce, custody and protection orders), housing ( evictions…
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 | $173,997 | $0 | $13,645 | $187,642 |
| DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY NORTH Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $148,551 | $0 | $30,183 | $178,734 |
| DIRECTOR OF PRO BONO SERVICES Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $125,448 | $0 | $34,748 | $160,196 |
| DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $140,286 | $0 | $14,259 | $154,545 |
| DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND CONTROLLER Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $139,673 | $0 | $10,810 | $150,483 |
| DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $135,226 | $0 | $14,027 | $149,253 |
| DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY DENVER Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $131,445 | $0 | $14,068 | $145,513 |
| ASSISTANT SUPERVISING ATTORNEY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $125,083 | $0 | $13,047 | $138,130 |
52 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Colorado Legal Services (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $694K (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–1b24 · 24 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 5198
- Volunteers Part I, line 6270
Private foundation grants it received
5 private foundations reported grants to Colorado Legal Services totaling $120K 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 Colorado 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 Colorado Legal Services, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Colorado Legal Services spent in 2025, $90.60 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Orangewood FoundationSanta Ana, CA · revenue $25M · programs 73.8% · FY2025
- Transparency International EVGermany, · revenue $26M · programs 86.8% · 2024
- Indiana Legal ServicesIndianapolis, IN · revenue $25M · programs 90.2% · 2024
- Michigan State Bar FoundationLansing, MI · revenue $26M · programs 98.2% · FY2025
- Georgia Legal Services ProgramAtlanta, GA · revenue $24M · programs 91.4% · 2024
All crime & legal-related charities · Largest charities in Colorado
Questions people ask
How much of Colorado Legal Services's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2025, Colorado Legal Services reported that 90.6% of its $27.7 million in expenses went to program services, 8.0% to management and general and 1.4% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Colorado Legal Services pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Colorado Legal Services reported for one person in calendar year 2025 was $187,642, for the role of EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Colorado Legal Services get its money?
Of $25.3 million in revenue in calendar year 2025, 97.2% came from contributions and grants (including 38.7% from government grants) and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Colorado Legal Services a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 84-0402702 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 202632089349301618 · read the filing
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202502319349300220 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202422929349301392 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202311329349307946 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202221339349305097 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202131329349302888 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202021699349301007 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 84-0402702: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.