District of Columbia School of Law Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521863674
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2022747400
Rating
91
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Nonmonetary Support N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,360,347
Expenses
$1,330,939
Assets
$11,246,689
Liabilities
$273,887

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Jon Bouker (Chair)
  • Daniel Solomon (Vice Chair)
  • William Robinson (Secretary)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

The Foundation provides financial support to the students, faculty and programs of the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (Formerly DC School of Law) in order to promote excellence in public legal education in the District of Columbia.

What it reported doing in 2024

SUMMER FELLOWSHIPS: In 2025, the Foundation provided $185,625 to fund fellowships for 26 UDC Law students participating in UDC Laws Summer Public Interest Fellowship Program. Fellows spend the summer semester in a not-for-profit public interest, governmental or judicial office, performing law-related work under the supervision of an attorney. Students reflect on their experiences as a means of fostering their professional development. Through their summer placements, students build substantive expertise and commitment, make valuable professional contacts, and provide legal services to individuals, organizations and communities who otherwise could not afford a lawyer.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 83% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 89% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Revenue has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 95
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 63
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 98.2%; rating input score 98
  • Program expense ratio: 91%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: $181.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 86
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.2%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.45; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -9.7% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -5.5% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 98.2% of revenue deployed · 91% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 12 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 42/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.