Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
460872616
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Nashville, TN, USA
Phone
6155387481
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Ethnic, Immigrant Centers

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,282,300
Expenses
$1,009,054
Assets
$1,575,430
Liabilities
$5,928

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ALVARO MANRIQUE BARRENECHEA (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • TESSA LEMOS DEL PINO (COEXECUTIVE): $142,068 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To provide free and affordable immigration legal services to individuals who fall below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines or face other financial barriers to accessing legal representation, to educate the public about issues related to immigration, and to advocate on behalf of the immigrant community.

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025, tnjfon provided legal representation in 1,500 extended representation cases and opened 612 new cases. This year, tnjfon represented 945 clients: more than 460 positive case dispositions on behalf of clients; 49 were granted lawful permanent status. Legal representation for individuals on a pathway to citizenship often takes years, if not decades. Additionally, in 2025, tnjfon held, or presented at, 152 community engagement events, such as educating (i) law students and lawyers on immigration law, (ii) immigrants on their rights and responsibilities, and (iii)clergy, educators, and other nonprofits who work with the immigrant population on various immigration-related topics.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 63
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.6%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 80.3%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $25.62 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 62; 62nd 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: Limited
  • 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: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 21.3%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.56; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.1%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 18.7% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 19.7% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 27.7% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 64.6% of revenue deployed · 80.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $810K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $142K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 57/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.