Oregon Law Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 930817536
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Portland, OR, USA
- Phone
- 5034473353
- Rating
- 68
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Legal Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $10,831,492
- Expenses
- $3,308,336
- Assets
- $16,194,114
- Liabilities
- $57,303
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
14 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- RIMA GHANDOUR (PRESIDENT)
- JUSTIN THORP (PRESIDENT-ELECT)
- WILLIAM PENN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- WILLIAM PENN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $173,385 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 Oregon law foundation builds a fairer legal system and supports justice for all in Oregon by:-ensuring access to civil legal help for people with low incomes, or who experience other systemic barriers;-promoting the accessibility of legal education and legal professions to all; and-educating the public about the law and the legal system.
What it reported doing in 2024
The Oregon law foundation awarded approximately $2.6 million in grants to strengthen Oregon's civil legal system. Funds supported the delivery of civil legal help to oregonians, promoted the accessibility of legal education to all oregonians, and promoted public understanding of the law and the legal system. The foundation collaborated with financial institutions through its leadership banker advisory committee, conducted outreach to lawyers about iolta, and participated in national initiatives through the national association of iolta programs. It also continued research on consumer debt litigation in partnership with the Oregon judicial department. The foundation's goal is a legal system that people can trust - one that is fair, open, and serves all oregonians.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 95% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 87% of its reported program spending out as grants.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 47
- Transparency & Controls: 75
- Accountability: 84
- Sustainability: 88
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 27.6%; rating input score 28
- Program expense ratio: 93.2%; rating input score 93
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Missing
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 69.5%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.89; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 4.7%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 16.6% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 14.4% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 27.6% of revenue deployed · 93.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $173K · 14 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 28 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 27 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 28/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 54/100.