Bay Area Legal Services Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
591171886
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Tampa, FL, USA
Phone
8132321343
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$16,853,078
Expenses
$15,661,397
Assets
$14,306,697
Liabilities
$5,956,931

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

32 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOAN BOLES (PRESIDENT AND CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOAN BOLES (PRESIDENT AND CEO): $210,336 total reported compensation
  • JP LACASSE (COO): $152,379 total reported compensation
  • JENA HUDSON (DEPUTY DIRECTOR): $146,684 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Bay area legal services (bals) is a regional, non-profit public interest law firm providing the highest quality legal counsel by assisting individuals and non-profit groups with limited access to legal services, resolving the legal problems of our clients, and preserving the independence, hope, and dignity of those we serve.

What it reported doing in 2024

Bay area legal services inc. Strives to provide a safe, stable, and secure environment to low-income and vulnerable clients by proactively responding to community needs as they arise including:- survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking seeking independence and safety from their abusers.- people with housing insecurities, preventing unlawful foreclosure and eviction for low-income families.- seniors 60+, preserving their housing, fighting exploitation and abuse, and more.- veterans seeking access to hard-earned health benefits and other promised resources.- disaster victims, assisting with insurance denials, contractor issues, consumer and debt problems, and more.- children and teens in foster care, advocating for their rights and safety.- people with limited means needing assistance to resolve taxpayer disputes and claims.- small businesses and other charities, promoting informed entrepreneurship in low-income communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 68% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 83.3%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 89.5%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $37.25 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 71; 71st 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: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th 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: 7.1%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.91; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.42; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.2%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.5% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 83.3% of revenue deployed · 89.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $14M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $210K · 32 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $762K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 16 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 7 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.