Legal Services of Northern California
Legal Services of Northern California reported $19.3 million in revenue and $17.3 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $80.88 went to program services, $17.90 to management and general costs and $1.22 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 95.0% of the total. Government grants made up 75.7%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $231,525 (DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY). 31 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 73% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $17MFor 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 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $19M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$19.30 $3.7M
- Government grants$75.55 $15M
- Program service revenue$3.22 $622K
- Investment income$1.93 $373K
Other revenue was negative: −$29,557. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 80.9% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 17.9% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 1.2% | 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 | 95.0% | 94.8% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 75.7% | 50.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 3.2% | 0.7% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $231,525 | $245,814 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.33% | 1.41% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 31 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 3.4 | 6.4 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 9 of 9 | 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
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseThe Legal Services corporation provides 41.7% of lsnc's total funding. This funding is used to provide quality Legal Services to eligible low income people in 23 Northern California counties. California state bar funds and equal access funds are used to supplement funds required to provide services to eligible clients in the 23 Northern California counties served by lsnc. Senior services funding provided by area agencies on aging and the administration on aging to provide hicap, elder abuse, Legal Services, and a telephone hotline to address issues facing the elderly
Highest reported compensation
2024 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY Key employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $197,959 | $0 | $33,566 | $231,525 |
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Officer, 37.50 hrs/week | $184,183 | $0 | $40,216 | $224,399 |
| DEPUTY DIRECTOR Key employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $189,216 | $0 | $28,678 | $217,894 |
| DEPUTY DIRECTOR Key employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $178,500 | $0 | $27,972 | $206,472 |
| REGIONAL COUNSEL Highest compensated employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $169,500 | $0 | $27,778 | $197,278 |
| REGIONAL COUNSEL Highest compensated employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $163,256 | $0 | $23,060 | $186,316 |
| REGIONAL COUNSEL Highest compensated employee, 37.50 hrs/week | $151,440 | $0 | $22,937 | $174,377 |
| DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Officer, 19.00 hrs/week | $114,107 | $0 | $32,682 | $146,789 |
31 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Legal Services of Northern California (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.2M (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
2024 · 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–1b9 · 9 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 5147
- Volunteers Part I, line 6207
Private foundation grants it received
3 private foundations reported grants to Legal Services of Northern California totaling $181K 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 Services of Northern California'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 Services of Northern California, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Legal Services of Northern California spent in 2024, $80.88 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Ohio Access to Justice FoundationColumbus, OH · revenue $19M · programs 94.6% · FY2025
- Bridges to ChangePortland, OR · revenue $20M · programs 85.4% · FY2025
- Onondaga County Bar AssociationSyracuse, NY · revenue $19M · programs 83.9% · 2024
- National Law Enforcement Telecommunication SystemPhoenix, AZ · revenue $20M · programs 79.6% · 2025
- The Shalem FoundationNew York, NY · revenue $18M · programs 96.6% · 2024
All crime & legal-related charities · Largest charities in California
Questions people ask
How much of Legal Services of Northern California's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Legal Services of Northern California reported that 80.9% of its $17.3 million in expenses went to program services, 17.9% to management and general and 1.2% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Legal Services of Northern California pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Legal Services of Northern California reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $231,525, for the role of DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Legal Services of Northern California get its money?
Of $19.3 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 95.0% came from contributions and grants (including 75.7% from government grants) and 3.2% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Legal Services of Northern California a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 94-1384659 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
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202513109349302006 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202433209349316693 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202333189349317903 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202243189349319054 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202113009349301341 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202003179349307685 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 94-1384659: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.