N A A C P Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization based in New York, New York, registered in 1940, with $75,675,969 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it B+, and it directs about 69% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2023)
$75.7M
▲ 156.8% vs prior year
Civil Rights median: $332K
Expenses (FY2023)
$58.5M
Net assets
$415.2M
Employees
240
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For N A A C P Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc: 69% to programs · $18 to raise $100 earns a B on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For N A A C P Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc: 85 mo reserves · +23% margin earns a B+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For N A A C P Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For N A A C P Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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The legal defense fund (ldf) is america's premier legal organization fighting for racial justice.
The thurgood marshall institute is a multidisciplinary center within the naacp legal defense and educational fund, inc. the institute complements ldf's traditional litigation strengths and brings critical capabilities to the fight for racial justice, including research and targeted advocacy campaigns.
The herbert lehman program offers grants, generally of $3,000 annually to u.s. citizen undergraduates and $15,000 annually to u.s. citizen law students. preference is given to persons who are entering the first year of full-time study.
Revenue grew from $12.9M (FY2013) to $75.7M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
22.8%
Revenue exceeded expenses in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$426.1M
Total liabilities
$11.0M
Net assets
$415.2M
Salaries & benefits
$32.1M
55% of expenses
Board members
25
24 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $75,675,969▲157% | $58,450,816▲13.0% | $415,177,583▲8.1% | $426,136,160▲8.3% | 990 |
| 2022 | $29,467,489▼64.8% | $51,723,153▲6.2% | $384,227,580▲6.5% | $393,392,319▲5.8% | 990 |
| 2021 | $83,799,759▼51.9% | $48,705,015▲14.7% | $360,619,331▲5.7% | $371,736,467▲7.2% | 990 |
| 2020 | $174,184,879▲16.1% | $42,477,407▲58.3% | $341,090,669▲68.4% | $346,901,089▲65.5% | 990 |
| 2019 | $150,001,178▲302% | $26,839,473▲15.7% | $202,595,769▲152% | $209,550,791▲145% | 990 |
| 2018 | $37,292,472▲66.7% | $23,195,480▲23.5% | $80,465,206▲22.0% | $85,457,508▲20.9% | 990 |
| 2017 | $22,366,879▼34.1% | $18,776,127▲10.4% | $65,978,823▲8.4% | $70,682,817▲1.1% | 990 |
| 2016 | $33,949,413▲180% | $17,005,637▲11.7% | $60,839,899▲42.5% | $69,880,450▲33.7% | 990 |
| 2015 | $12,106,218▼34.5% | $15,225,262▲2.2% | $42,683,046▼9.2% | $52,266,314▼3.8% | 990 |
| 2014 | $18,480,121▲43.1% | $14,892,538▲13.8% | $46,991,346▲4.3% | $54,303,424▲4.5% | 990 |
| 2013 | $12,911,115 | $13,084,487▼15.2% | $45,056,066▲6.2% | $51,965,428▲1.7% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $15,430,352▼0.7% | $42,441,570▲35.7% | $51,082,143▲45.5% | 990 |
| 2011 | — | $15,541,541▲19.5% | $31,264,735▼1.8% | $35,098,865▲2.8% | 990 |
| 2010 | — | $13,000,596▼2.4% | $31,827,376▲5.5% | $34,154,559▲4.4% | 990 |
| 2009 | — | $13,324,400 | $30,156,493 | $32,719,130 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Janai Nelson — $533,669 (0.91% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janai Nelson | President and Director-counsel | 59 | $533,669 |
| Claude Johnson | Chief Development Officer | 40 | $351,743 |
| Tona Boyd | Assoc. Dir. Counsel | 40 | $342,815 |
| Samuel Spital | Director of Litigation | 40 | $281,834 |
| Kevin Thomson | Chief Financial Officer | 39.5 | $270,164 |
| Elisabeth North | Chief Operating Officer | 39.5 | $263,402 |
| Jin Hee Lee | Dir. of Strategic Int. | 40 | $242,636 |
| Rudolph Gary Spencer | Senior Counsel | 40 | $211,619 |
| Victor Genecin | Of Counsel | 40 | $207,834 |
| Stuart Naifeh | Manager, Redistricting Project | 40 | $198,672 |
| Laura Fino | Exe. Dir. Instit Giving | 40 | $197,255 |
| Raymond Audain | Senior Counsel | 40 | $196,862 |
| Angela Vallot | Co-chairman of the Board | 8 | — |
| Ann Claire Williams | Board Member | 2 | — |
| Anne K Small | Board Member | 2 | — |
| Cecilia L Marshall | Board Member | 2 | — |
| Colleen Foster | Board Member | 2 | — |
| Cynthia Patton | Board Member | 2 | — |
| David E Kendall | Board Member | 2 | — |
| Gregory H Evans | Board Member | 2 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Kaleidoscope Group Pbc | Consultant | $3,970,500 |
| Chapman Cubine and Hussey | Professional Fundraiser | $980,684 |
| Durable Digital Inc | Website Consulting | $906,921 |
| Skadden Arps Slate Meagher | Real Estate Management/leasing | $879,694 |
| Empire Entertainment Inc | Video & Productions For Special Event | $846,598 |
424 grants to N A A C P Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc totaling $177.8M, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings — showing the 15 most recent.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Online Giving Foundation Inc | General support | 2024 | $1,140,321 |
| Silicon Valley Community Foundation | Civic participation | 2024 | $535,500 |
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Inc | General operating support and project support | 2024 | $463,000 |
| New Venture Fund | Civil rights, social action, advocacy | 2024 | $400,000 |
| The Us Charitable Gift Trust | For recipient's exempt purpose | 2024 | $154,478 |
| American Endowment Foundation | Civil rights | 2024 | $128,000 |
| Ayco Charitable Foundation | Community & human services | 2024 | $118,050 |
| The New York Community Trust | For program support. | 2024 | $100,000 |
| Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund For Wealth Management Inc | Community & human services | 2024 | $91,750 |
| Paypal Charitable Giving Fund | General support | 2024 | $87,035 |
| Jewish Communal Fund | In furtherance of grantee's tax-exempt purpose | 2024 | $77,620 |
| Impactassets Inc | General support | 2024 | $74,250 |
| Fjc | General operating support | 2024 | $72,300 |
| Tides Foundation | Equity, human rights, and economic empowerment | 2024 | $45,000 |
| Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc | Unrestricted general support | 2024 | $42,000 |
22 grants totaling $708K in FY2023 — showing the 15 largest. All grants made by N A A C P Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc →
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Organizing Black Inc | To further support community organizers in grassroots activism | $65,000 |
| Just - Justice Unity & Social Transformation | To further support community service events | $60,000 |
| Kentucky Civic Engagement Table Inc | To further support community organizing and leadership development in kentucky | $60,000 |
| Common Counsel Foundation | To further support criminal justice reform | $50,000 |
| Georgia Educators For Equity and Justice Incorporated | To provide general support | $40,000 |
| Tulsa Community Foundation | To further support general operations | $40,000 |
| Southern Center For Human Rights | To further support protester defense and general operations | $40,000 |
| Sncc Legacy Project Inc | To further support community engagement conference | $40,000 |
| Charleston Area Justice Ministry | To further support restorative practices in the criminal justice and social justice areas | $40,000 |
| Florida Rising Together Inc | To further support public education and other charitable activities | $40,000 |
| Equity and Transformation | To provide general support | $35,000 |
| Fusion Partnerships Inc | To further support criminal justice reform | $30,000 |
| Kentucky Civic Engagement Table Inc | To further support civic participation program | $25,000 |
| Community Partners | To further support warrant clinic events | $25,000 |
| Housing Justice League Inc | To further support building community power program | $25,000 |
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Data for N A A C P Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc (EIN 13-1655255) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.