Access Justice Brooklyn Inc

Overview

Mission

See schedule o

What it reported doing in 2024

Senior assistance and miscellaneous mattersin the past year access justice brooklyn handled 34 elder law-related matters such as wills and probate assistance as well as other miscellaneous matters, affecting 44 people. Ajb addresses end of life concerns by helping brooklyn residents prepare and execute wills, health care proxies, and other life planning documents, as well as by handling small estate matters for estates of $50,000 or less. The organization also provides accessible community legal education specifically for older brooklyn residents, focusing on legal issues of concern for seniors such as wills, probate matters, and estate planning; consumer debt; government benefits; and threats to homeownership. This prevention-oriented education gives older brooklyn residents the knowledge and resources to help them retain stability and age in place. Community education and outreachaccess justice brooklyn offers individual legal assistance and community legal education in all its areas of practice - addressing current legal concerns while offering prevention-oriented education that helps individuals access legal help before problems can escalate. Over the last year ajb reached over 1,100 individuals through legal education presentations, workshops, resource fairs, and other outreach events, delivering essential "know your rights" information in neighborhoods throughout brooklyn.continuing legal education (cle)central to ajb's mission and model, the organization recruits and trains pro bono volunteers - including private practitioners, in-house counsel, and law firms - to take cases for representation, furthering access to justice for brooklyn residents. Last year, ajb engaged 264 attorneys, law students, and other volunteers who donated 4,223 hours of compassionate, high-quality legal assistance to brooklyn residents through direct assistance, community education, and other services. During the same period, ajb delivered pitches to 13 law firms; and hosted or participated in a total of nine (9) continuing legal education (cle) sessions for 353 attendees, expanding the pool of legal professionals prepared to deliver community legal support.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 61% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
113155182
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Phone
7184739209
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public Interest Law

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 97
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.1%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 66.6%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.52 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -6.1%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.65; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 38%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.1% of revenue deployed · 66.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 19 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $202K · 31 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $115K reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 annual filings from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • HEIDI LEE HENDERSON (PRESIDENT & CEO (TO 12/2024)): $202,495 total reported compensation
  • MELISSA A STARR (INT. PRESIDENT & CEO (AS OF 12/2024)): $185,955 total reported compensation
  • SIDNEY CHERUBIN (DIRECTOR OF LEGAL SERVICES): $155,433 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.