Friends of the Legal Resources Centre of South Africa

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521188054
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2025953101
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$329,429
Expenses
$296,397
Assets
$5,535,048
Liabilities
$27,015

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TERESA H CLARKE (CHAIR/PRESIDENT)
  • PAUL ROYE (VICE-PRESIDENT/SECRETARY)

People named in this filing

  • TERESA H CLARKE (CHAIR/PRESIDENT)
  • PAUL ROYE (VICE-PRESIDENT/SECRETARY)
  • JOEL W MOTLEY III (TREASURER)

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

Dedicated to supporting the legal resources centre of south africa (the "lrc"), an independent, public interest law center in south africa, in its mission to advance human rights, equality, and social justice in south africa.

What it reported doing in 2024

Continued support of the legal resources centre (lrc) and its efforts to strengthen the rule of law in south africa is bolstered by facilitating discussions among lawyers from around the world to enhance their understanding and practice across various sectors of law in the country. During fiscal years 2024 and 2025, a law firm provided significant pro bono assistance by researching and advocating on complex human rights issues across multiple jurisdictions. This collaboration has been particularly impactful in addressing the needs of abused women and farm workers in south africa, further advancing the lrc's vital program to promote and protect human rights.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 90% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 80% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 78
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 93.9%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 59.7%; rating input score 60
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Limited
    • Conducts field audits: Limited
    • May suspend future funding: Limited
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Limited
    • Requires grant agreements: Limited
    • May require repayment: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 10%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 18.67; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -12.7% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.9% per year; rating input score 0; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 93.9% of revenue deployed · 59.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $177K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes foreign activity
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 19/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.