Veterans Legal Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
471608069
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2014
Location
Tustin, CA, USA
Phone
7148523492
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Housing, Shelter N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,032,149
Expenses
$1,957,267
Assets
$2,842,122
Liabilities
$182,356

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANTOINETTE NADDOUR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • SHEILA-MARIE FINKELSTEIN (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANTOINETTE NADDOUR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $90,389 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Veterans legal intitute provides pro bono legal assistance to homeless, at risk, disabled and low income current and former service members to eradicate barriers to housing, healthcare, education, and employment and foster self-sufficiency.

What it reported doing in 2024

During 2024 vli delivered strong performance and scaled up results across every practice area.the veterans benefits & discharge upgrade team won 92% of the claims it pursued, unlocking $3.02 million in retroactive and monthly va benefits for veterans through 808 active cases and 45 legal clinics.our housing department kept veterans off the street, preventing eviction for 26 households while steeering 215 landlord-tenant matters toward stability.the family law department guided families through 407 active cases and over 12 legal clinics, keeping parents and children together even amid service-related streesors.(continued-see schedule o) across estate planning, consumer, immigration, expungement, and small-business matters, vli tackled 558 active cases(including 223 estate planning matters, specifically)through 20 legal clinics, safeguarding long-term financial health for veteran household.in all, 1,766 veterans received help on 1,988 legal matters; the team rolled out 166 legal clinics, and logged over 10,000 volunteers hours.direct monetary results included $3,160,345 in compensation awarded, and waived approximately $480,746 in debt, delivering immediate financial relief and stability.these accomplishments underscore vlis role as a lifeline for veterans, transforming legal victories into housing security.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.2%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 91.4%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: 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: 35.4%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.45; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 21.2% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29.1% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.2% of revenue deployed · 91.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $90K · 22 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 23 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 50/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.