Northwest Health Law Advocates

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
911961032
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2063256464
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$625,033
Expenses
$1,085,004
Assets
$2,587,517
Liabilities
$115,799

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Daphne Smith (Co-Executive Director)
  • Emily Brice (Co-Executive Director)
  • Janet Varon (Executive Director)
  • Lori Buchsbaum (President)
  • Omid Bagheri Garakani (Secretary and Vice President, then President)
  • Laura MacPherson (Secretary and Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Daphne Smith (Co-Executive Director): $144,879 total reported compensation
  • Emily Brice (Co-Executive Director): $128,403 total reported compensation
  • Vanessa Saavedra (Senior Attorney): $126,295 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

NoHLA works toward achieving a health care system in which all individuals receive quality, affordable health care, provided on an equitable and timely basis, and are assured of basic rights and protections. NoHLA conducts outreach, education and training, legal and policy analysis to propose policy solutions, and legal representation of low-income individuals on health care access issues of public significance.

What it reported doing in 2025

Provided over 50 trainings & presentations, & numerous publications, electronic newsletters & social media postings providing educational information on health care and coverage rights, health access for immigrants, administrative advocacy, changes to public programs and health care and coverage, reproductive health rights, Medicaid, Washington Health Benefit Exchange, charity care & immigrant health, reaching thousands of advocates, lawyers, health providers, & individuals. Held free community webinars on health care policy changes arising from the Washington legislative session and reproductive health issues arising from litigation. Presented in public meetings of government bodies, such as the Washington Health Benefit Exchange and the Washington Health Care Cost Transparency Board. Revised & drafted educational publications on consumer/patient health rights for Washington LawHelp, NoHLA website, and general distribution. Provided regular legislative updates on Washington health care access legislation & budget to the community. Provided over 130 consultations for legal services & private attorneys, providers, community advocates & law students on health programs & access to care.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 63.7%; rating input score 64
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 92.2%; rating input score 92; 43rd 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -73.6%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.38; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 37.5%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.9% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 24.4% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 63.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $691K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $145K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 44/100.