LEGAL ADVOCATES FOR Washington SCHOOL Heart of America NW Research Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
911220712
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2021–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2068199015
Rating
92
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Legal Services

Reported finances

Revenue
$96,514
Expenses
$98,955
Assets
$83,657
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Gerald Pollet (Executive Director, Treasurer)
  • Amber Waldref (President)
  • Sandy Polishuk (Vice President)
  • Helen Wheatley PhD (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • Gerald Pollet (Executive Director, Treasurer)
  • Amber Waldref (President)
  • Sandy Polishuk (Vice President)

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

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Education and research

What it reported doing in 2025

Conducting workshops and public meetings along with educational programming at events to educate and involve the public in Hanford cleanup decisions. Held workshops and developed guides for the public on our research relating to High Level Nuclear Waste tank cleanup program, Hanford Building 324 cleanup plans and risks, exposure risks and Hanford Cleanup Strategic Plan. Prepared guides and workshops to assist the public to comment on High Level Waste cleanup, 324 Building, Hanford Cleanup 5 Year Strategic Plan. Our outreach, with "comment guides" (previously called 'citizens' guides") to commenting (reviewed for accuracy by Washington State and other experts) and workshops were responsible for generating hundreds of comments and emails to officials. Participation in other public forums and assisting Tribes and other high risk populations in educational outreach.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 99
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 45
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 97.5%; rating input score 98

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -2.5%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.85; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.8% per year; rating input score 0; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6.6% per year; rating input score 0; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -9% per year; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 97.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 3 filed program accomplishments · $97K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2021 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.