Asian Law Caucus

What it reported doing in 2024

Housing Rights: The Asian Law Caucus's Housing Rights program provides legal services and advocacy on behalf of low-income residents in matters related to housing and community development. The program primarily serves low-income communities of color and immigrant communities, with a particular focus on San Francisco, including Chinatown, where residents face displacement due to rising housing costs and economic pressures.Through direct legal services, the organization assists tenants and community members in maintaining housing stability. This work informs its policy advocacy at the local and state levels, where the program promotes tenant protections, preservation of existing housing, development of affordable housing, and efforts to reduce inequities in housing and land use.Workers Rights: The Asian Law Caucus's Workers' Rights program provides legal counseling, direct representation, policy advocacy, and impact litigation to support low-income immigrant workers. The program addresses a range of workplace issues, including discrimination based on race and national origin, retaliation, wage and hour violations, unemployment insurance appeals, and workplace safety concerns.The organization collaborates with worker centers and community partners to support workplace organizing, worker-led campaigns, and leadership development among immigrant workers. In recent years, the program has achieved favorable outcomes in wage enforcement cases, helping to recover millions of dollars in unpaid wages for low-wage workers in coordination with state and local labor enforcement agencies and community-based organizations.Special Project: State Power Building -Since 2022, the Asian Law Caucus has collaborated with partner organizations, including Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Civic Empowerment Education Fund, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Chinese Progressive Association, to identify priorities for strengthening community infrastructure in California and supporting long-term capacity building among low-income and underserved Asian American communities.In 2023, the organization co-led interviews with community leaders to inform the development of a strategic framework for a statewide network of organizations focused on economic opportunity, immigrant-related issues, and civic participation. In 2024, this framework was refined to address evolving policy conditions and to support increased engagement at the state and local levels.Building on these efforts, the Asian Law Caucus serves as a co-lead of Movement Solidarity Among AAPI Communities (MOSAIC), a coalition launched in 2025 that brings together organizations engaged in direct services, community organizing, policy advocacy, research, and coalition building. The initiative supports coordination across regions and sectors to strengthen collaborative efforts addressing racial and economic disparities in California.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 86.7%; rating input score 87
• Fundraising efficiency: $11.38 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • 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: 99.8%; rating input score 100; 38th 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; 66th 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: -15.9%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.42; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 9.3%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 17% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 14.5% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 20.3% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings