California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

Sustainable Rural Communities (SRCP): CRLAF's Sustainable Rural Communities Project works to ensure equal access to healthcare for California's farmworker and rural indigent population through a three-part strategy of health data development, analysis and dissemination; public policy analysis and discussion; and community outreach, education, capacity building, and advocacy. This project addresses the systemic causes of our communities' poverty, poor health, and degraded environments due to lack of regulatory enforcement and generational disinvestment. We coordinate with other advocates on a local, regional, and statewide strategy to craft large-scale solutions around healthcare for all, environmental justice issues (land use, unmet transit needs, water quality), foster more accountable and inclusive governance, and direct financial resources to rural, farmworker, migrant, immigrant, and disadvantaged communities. Safe Drinking Water: Since 2015, our team has administered an Interim Emergency Bottled Water program to the two unincorporated farmworker communities in western Fresno County with over 700 residents. CRLAF continues to advocate with Cantua Creek and El Porvenir residents for clean, safe drinking water access, while simultaneously working with California's Water Resources Control Board to ensure the communities' uninterrupted bottled water delivery until a permanent solution is reached. Statewide Drought Project: In 2022, CRLAF was selected to lead a statewide three-year drought resilience project to identify and develop an innovative and collaborative policy platform and to conduct efforts centering farmworker communities economic opportunities and access to water and other resources in California's ongoing drought. As a result of this three-year collaborative work, we were able to leverage funding for community education and infrastructure projects for the San Joaquin Valley, Inland Empire, and California's Central Coast. We also provided advocacy for the state's climate bond to benefit these regions.Farmworker Health Study: CRLAF led a budget request to update a 20-year old study of farmworker health data that CRLAF had initiated and advocated for UC Merced Community and Labor Center to undertake. We gained final approval in the state budget for a 3-year study in the amount of $1.5 million. The study was published by UC Merced in 2023. The data has been used to inform policy and demonstrate the severe inequities that rural farmworkers and their families face. This study and our on-the-ground work with affected communities has been instrumental in strengthening our argument for stronger health and safety protections for all rural client communities. We continue to use this report for advocacy and improving access to health care coverage for rural immigrants.Health4All: Over the past couple of years, CRLAF has provided critical support and advocacy alongside various other coalitions and organizations to defend the two recent Medi-Cal expansions, first for undocumented elderly aged 50 and above, then for young adults aged 19-26, as federal cuts and resulting state cuts will further negatively impact farmworkers and reverse progress on eliminating the uninsured and underinsured healthcare access gaps. These actions will exacerbate already disparate health care access for thousands of California residents.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 73.1%; rating input score 73
• Program expense ratio: 83.8%; rating input score 84
• Fundraising efficiency: $26.63 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th 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: 98.4%; rating input score 98; 35th 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; 63rd 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: 14.7%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 15.4%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 19.9% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 18.4% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 17% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings