Philadelphia Bar Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
231660797
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Phone
2152386334
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Legal Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$828,848
Expenses
$1,189,283
Assets
$6,731,531
Liabilities
$966,376

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

Leadership & pay

32 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NIKI T INGRAM ESQ (PRESIDENT)
  • JOSHUA D SNYDER ESQ (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JESSICA HILBURN-HOLMES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • JESSICA HILBURN-HOLMES (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $131,926 total reported compensation
  • PAUL KIRK (DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS): $105,464 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Promoting equal access to justice for all members of the community by strengthening the legal services system through unrestricted operating grants and technical assistance to legal aid non profits.

What it reported doing in 2025

Grant programs - support for local charitable organizations that provide legal services to the poor, disabled, elderly and children who, if not for these agencies, would have nowhere else to turn.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 67% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 80% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 62.8%; rating input score 63
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.93 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 90%; rating input score 90; 42nd 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: 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: -43.5%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.66; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.3%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 62.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 30 of 30 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $747K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $132K · 32 people listed
  • Consistency: 34 of 35 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 23 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 22 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 30/100.