New York Legal Assistance Group

Legal name: New York Legal Assistance Group Inc

Overview

Mission

NYLAG provides free, high-quality civil legal services, financial empowerment, and advocacy to low-income New Yorkers, ensuring equal access to justice regardless of background or circumstance.

What it reported doing in 2024

Legal health unit: legalhealth provides free legal assistance to new yorkers who are experiencing serious or chronic health problems and financial hardship. We bring together legal and medical professionals to improve the lives of clients and their families where and when they need it most in the healthcare setting. Legalhealth also develops policy benefiting those we serve.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 76% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% 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
133505428
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
New York, NY, US
Phone
212-613-5000
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 49
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 83.6%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 88.5%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $41.68 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 5.6%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.63; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.73; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3.9%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 11 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 83.6% of revenue deployed · 88.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 24 of 24 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $50.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $299K · 34 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $1.2M reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 annual filings from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 23 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 13 filed related-organization links
  • 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

34 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • LISA RIVERA (PRESIDENT & CEO): $298,515 total reported compensation
  • ALISON LAVAN (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $257,420 total reported compensation
  • SARA MEYERS (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $256,871 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.