Maryland Legal Services Corporation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521266744
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Baltimore, MD, United States
Phone
410-576-9494
Rating
87
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$61,977,802
Expenses
$61,874,722
Assets
$54,974,113
Liabilities
$10,637,748

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHELE SIRI ESQ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHELE SIRI ESQ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $191,384 total reported compensation
  • DAVE PANTZER ESQ (DEPUTY DIRECTOR/CHIEF PROG): $171,368 total reported compensation
  • CYNTHIA WALLACE (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $157,535 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 mission of Maryland Legal Services Corporation is to ensure low-income Marylanders have access to stable, efficient and effective civil legal assistance through the distribution of funds to nonprofit legal services organizations. The Maryland General Assembly established MLSC in 1982 as a nonprofit corporation to distribute funds from the Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program and other sources for the provision of civil legal services to low-income Marylanders. In addition to IOLTA, MLSC receives funding from surcharges on certain court filing fees and a distribution from the Abandoned Property Fund. MLSC currently provides funding to 50 nonprofit grantees through.

What it reported doing in 2024

During fy25, the Maryland legal services corporation (mlsc) awarded more than $60.5 million in operating, judicare, and special project grants to 47 nonprofit organizations serving low-income marylanders. These grantees closed over 73,000 cases, benefiting 159,147 individuals, and provided services in all 24 Maryland jurisdictions. More than 2,500 attorneys donated over 66,440 hours of pro bono service in support of this work. Through their advocacy, legal aid providers helped clients secure nearly $25 million in economic awards and avoid or save more than $14 million in costs related to matters such as child support, consumer judgments, and discharged debts.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 97% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 95% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 43
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.1%; rating input score 99
  • Program expense ratio: 99.2%; rating input score 99
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 0.2%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.89; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.8%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16.8% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 99.1% of revenue deployed · 99.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $61.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $191K · 12 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 52 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 49 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 35/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.