Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 521014754
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- San Jose, CA, USA
- Phone
- 4083507264
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Legal Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $13,202,610
- Expenses
- $12,529,811
- Assets
- $18,583,268
- Liabilities
- $6,217,273
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
45 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Melissa Hollatz (President (end 6/25))
- Alison Brunner (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Alison Brunner (CEO): $242,035 total reported compensation
- Amber De Buizer (CDO): $230,880 total reported compensation
- Maria Vazquez Mata (COO): $215,462 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Law Foundation uses the law as a tool for change. The Law Foundation addresses problems linked to social injustices like poverty, discrimination, child abuse, and neglect. Every day, our attorneys, social workers, and advocates craft innovative solutions to the life-changing legal issues facing low-income people and communities of color in Silicon Valley. We focus on three areas: children & youth, housing, and health (including mental health) throughout Silicon Valley, predominantly in Santa Clara County. Most of our clients are low-income and our legal services are free of charge.
What it reported doing in 2024
The Children and Youth Program, Legal Advocates for Children and Youth, empowers clients to lead healthy and productive lives by advancing their legal interests. We listen to, advise, and advocate for children and youth to ensure their voices are heard and their rights are protected. We provide free legal services on a wide range of legal issues impacting children and youth, including juvenile dependency, family law, probate guardianship, education matters, immigration, domestic violence, and numerous other practice areas.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 69% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 73
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 47
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 74.6%; rating input score 75
- Program expense ratio: 77.6%; rating input score 78
- Fundraising efficiency: $14.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- 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: 5.1%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.48; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 11%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 15% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 74.6% of revenue deployed · 77.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 35 of 35 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $9.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $242K · 45 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $857K reported
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 48/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 54/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.