The City University of New York School of Law Foundation Inc

Overview

Mission

The foundation supports the law school in its mission to increase access to legal education to those from groups underrepresented in the profession and to prepare its graduates for public interest and public service practice.

What it reported doing in 2024

The cost of a law school education is a matter of great concern for those attending cuny law. The majority of those admitted are in need of financial support with a student body that is low-income, first-generation, non-traditional, and significant percentage identifying as people of color. While tuition and fees position cuny law as one of the most affordable professional education programs in the nation, it has had limited funds and needs to increase funding available to award scholarships, public interest summer grants, and grants to support students when they are studying for the bar exam.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 79% for direct work, and 21% for grants.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
113235349
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Long Island City, NY, USA
Phone
7183404530
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Student Services, Organizations of Students

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most filed governance safeguards are in place. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 54
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 83
  • Sustainability: 95
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 20.4%; rating input score 20
  • Program expense ratio: 96.7%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: $314.55 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 70.6%; rating input score 71; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 80.8%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.41; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.9% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.6% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 20.4% of revenue deployed · 96.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 17 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 17 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 annual filings from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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

17 people listed

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.