Michigan State Bar Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
381459016
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Lansing, MI, USA
Phone
517-346-6400
Rating
91
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and Fund Distribution

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$25,552,675
Expenses
$23,918,318
Assets
$56,892,930
Liabilities
$17,390,879

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JULIE I FERSHTMAN (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • CRAIG H LUBBEN (PRESIDENT)
  • JENNIFER S BENTLEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASST SEC/TREAS)

Highest reported compensation

  • JENNIFER S BENTLEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASST SEC/TREAS): $220,426 total reported compensation
  • TRACI L THRANA-KUIPER (CFO): $177,264 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To provide leadership, education and support to improve the administration of justice and increase access to justice for all, especially for those of limited means.

What it reported doing in 2024

Dhs ssi - contract revenues from the Michigan department of human services are distributed to legal services organizations to provide assistance to individuals in applying for ssi or other federal disability benefits.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 94% 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 liabilities are high compared with assets.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 93
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 62
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 98.2%; rating input score 98
  • Fundraising efficiency: $281.53 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.8%; rating input score 100; 36th 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; 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: 6.4%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.38; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.31; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 16.6% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.8% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.3% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 91% of revenue deployed · 98.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 8 filed program accomplishments · $23.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $220K · 17 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 57 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 55 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 58/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.