California Appellate Project
California Appellate Project reported $12.9 million in revenue and $12.4 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $88.85 went to program services, $11.15 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.8% of the total. Government grants made up 99.8%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $174,308 (SUPERVISING ATTORNEY). 9 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 16% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $12MFor 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 June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $13MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 88.8% | 86.7% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 11.2% | 11.1% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.00 | $0.01 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 99.8% | 94.8% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 99.8% | 50.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $174,308 | $245,814 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.40% | 1.41% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 9 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 3.9 | 6.4 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 6 of 6 | 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 expenseCap-sf: in 2024, the san francisco office of cap assisted approximately 81 private attorneys who were appointed to represent clients in about 235 cases stemming from 220 judgments including approximately 70 habeas corpus proceedings. Additionally, cap provided training programs, consultations and research materials for appointed counsel, including practice guides and orientations on california's recent sentencing reform laws. The office also offered record gathering, general resources and consultation services to around 329 condemned defendants who were either partially or completely…
Cap-la: assisted court-appointed counsel in representing indigent clients in over 4,000 cases, including criminal, juvenile justice (delinquency), child welfare (juvenile dependency), and conservatorship matters. Directly represented clients in over 300 cases, focusing on criminal and child welfare (juvenile dependency).provided training and education for a panel of attorneys qualified to represent indigent clients, offering seminars and resource materials. Conducted special training programs for law student interns, new admittees, and less experienced attorneys, as well as over a dozen mcle…
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUPERVISING ATTORNEY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $174,308 | $0 | $0 | $174,308 |
| SUPERVISING ATTORNEY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $172,582 | $0 | $0 | $172,582 |
| EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $172,499 | $0 | $0 | $172,499 |
| ASST EXEC DIRECTOR Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $170,180 | $0 | $0 | $170,180 |
| EXEC DIR & SENIOR ATTORNEY Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $164,763 | $0 | $0 | $164,763 |
| SENIOR ATTORNEY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $162,991 | $0 | $0 | $162,991 |
| EXEC DIR & SENIOR ATTORNEY Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $160,597 | $0 | $0 | $160,597 |
| SENIOR ATTORNEY Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $150,300 | $0 | $0 | $150,300 |
9 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from California Appellate Project (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $668K (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–1b6 · 6 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 576
- Volunteers Part I, line 625
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from California Appellate Project's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for California Appellate Project, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 California Appellate Project spent in FY2025, $88.85 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All crime & legal-related charities · Largest charities in California
Questions people ask
How much of California Appellate Project's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, California Appellate Project reported that 88.8% of its $12.4 million in expenses went to program services, 11.2% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does California Appellate Project pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation California Appellate Project reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $174,308, for the role of SUPERVISING ATTORNEY (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does California Appellate Project get its money?
Of $12.9 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 99.8% came from contributions and grants (including 99.8% from government grants) and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is California Appellate Project a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 95-3920973 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 June 30, 2025, object 202611329349300801 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202511339349303341 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202411349349308051 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202341249349302839 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202241369349314574 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202131329349305018 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 95-3920973: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.