Form 990 for tax year 2025
Filed by CALIFORNIA INDIAN LEGAL SERVICES INC.
Totals
- Total revenue
- $4,924,569
- Total expenses
- $4,828,326
- Contributions and grants received
- $3,794,709
- Grants paid
- $0
- Program service revenue
- $972,717
- Investment income
- $153,907
- Other revenue
- $3,236
- Total assets, end of year
- $6,631,272
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $2,223,944
- Net assets or fund balances, end of year
- $4,407,328
- Program services expenses (Part IX)
- $4,484,681
- Management and general expenses
- $343,645
- Fundraising expenses
- $0
- Program service expenses (Part III)
- $4,484,681
Program services were 92.9% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.
Line items
Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.
Revenue
Part VIII, the statement of revenue.
-
1e · Government grants (contributions)
$2,257,859
-
1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants
$1,536,850
-
2a · Program service revenue: Tribal contracts
total $972,717 · related or exempt $972,717
-
3 · Investment income
total $153,907 · excluded $153,907
-
11a · Other revenue: Other income
total $3,236 · excluded $3,236
-
11e · Other revenue, total
$3,236
Functional expenses
Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.
-
5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
total $794,822 · program services $507,969 · management and general $286,853
-
7 · Other salaries and wages
total $2,384,788 · program services $2,384,788
-
8 · Pension plan contributions
total $110,991 · program services $110,991
-
9 · Other employee benefits
total $423,670 · program services $423,670
-
10 · Payroll taxes
total $221,968 · program services $189,410 · management and general $32,558
-
11b · Fees: legal
total $3,279 · program services $1,681 · management and general $1,598
-
11c · Fees: accounting
total $28,500 · program services $27,523 · management and general $977
-
13 · Office expenses
total $55,292 · program services $53,349 · management and general $1,943
-
14 · Information technology
total $38,894 · program services $36,842 · management and general $2,052
-
16 · Occupancy
total $170,087 · program services $167,942 · management and general $2,145
-
17 · Travel
total $41,825 · program services $41,208 · management and general $617
-
19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings
total $35,596 · program services $34,922 · management and general $674
-
22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization
total $30,150 · program services $30,150
-
23 · Insurance
total $33,560 · program services $31,259 · management and general $2,301
-
24a · Other expenses: Contract services
total $167,303 · program services $161,686 · management and general $5,617
-
24b · Other expenses: Miscellaneous
total $86,173 · program services $86,173
-
24c · Other expenses: Training
total $74,591 · program services $70,604 · management and general $3,987
-
24d · Other expenses: Dues and subscriptions
total $71,458 · program services $69,270 · management and general $2,188
-
24e · All other expenses
total $55,379 · program services $55,244 · management and general $135
Balance sheet
Part X, book values.
-
1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing
beginning of year $586,710 · end of year $1,491,402
-
2 · Savings and temporary cash investments
beginning of year $110,869 · end of year $366,063
-
3 · Pledges and grants receivable
beginning of year $190,244 · end of year $454,948
-
4 · Accounts receivable
beginning of year $179,701 · end of year $269,825
-
9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges
beginning of year $65,199 · end of year $73,820
-
10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis
$773,406
-
10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation
$553,371
-
10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net
beginning of year $236,832 · end of year $220,035
-
11 · Investments: publicly traded securities
beginning of year $2,325,632 · end of year $2,578,189
-
12 · Investments: other securities
beginning of year $985,433 · end of year $801,407
-
15 · Other assets
beginning of year $420,081 · end of year $375,583
-
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses
beginning of year $300,344 · end of year $370,019
-
19 · Deferred revenue
beginning of year $252,721 · end of year $1,463,980
-
25 · Other liabilities
beginning of year $424,050 · end of year $389,945
-
27 · Net assets without donor restrictions
beginning of year $4,123,586 · end of year $4,407,328
Mission and programs · 2025
Mission
To provide free and low cost legal services to individuals, tribes, and tribal organizations.
-
Community Education: We provide tailored virtual and in-person training as well as other educational services to communities, tribes, and other organizations in a wide range of topics and specialties.
Expenses $2,244,841
-
California Indian Legal Services, Inc. ("CILS") focuses on the legal needs of the Native American community. We seek to advance Native American rights through highly efficient and effective legal services. Everything we do is informed by our history of working on behalf of Native American communities for over 50 years and our experiences as Indian people. Our team provides individuals and tribes with legal services pertaining to federal Indian law.
Expenses $1,395,932 · Revenue $972,717
-
CILS focuses on the legal needs of the Native American community: providing access to legal services to address federal Indian law, policy and legislation; and to protect the rights of California Tribes, tribal organizations and the tribal community. We handle services on a variety of issues addressing the needs of tribes on everything from human resources to contract negotiation to ICWA legal representation and law enforcement. Our team is dedicated to delivering effective, high-quality services that uniquely respond to the needs of tribes.
Expenses $843,908
As filed on the 2025 return.
Listed in Part VII
-
Mark Romero
Board Chair
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 2
-
Victorio Shaw
Board Vice Chair
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Joe Ayala
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Janet Bill
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Norma Contreras
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Robert Gonzalez
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Nicole Grigg
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
John Hueston
Board Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Ashley Jo Pomona
Board Member (start 4/25)
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
JoAnne Lee
Board Member (end 9/25)
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Judge Christine Williams
Board Member (end 9/25)
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Dorothy Alther
VP/Legal Director
- Total calculated
- $242,056
- From this org
- $198,793
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $43,263
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $187,793
- Bonus
- $11,000
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $0
- Nontaxable benefits
- $43,263
- Filer's total
- $242,056
-
Heather Hostler
President/Executive Director
- Total calculated
- $223,332
- From this org
- $193,809
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $29,523
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $180,809
- Bonus
- $13,000
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $8,719
- Nontaxable benefits
- $20,804
- Filer's total
- $223,332
-
Florberta Ferry
Secretary/Dir. of HR & Admin.
- Total calculated
- $176,806
- From this org
- $113,550
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $63,256
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $113,550
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $16,744
- Nontaxable benefits
- $46,512
- Filer's total
- $176,806
-
Michael Selland
Treasurer/Dir. of Finance & Ops.
- Total calculated
- $152,628
- From this org
- $129,848
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $22,780
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $119,348
- Bonus
- $10,500
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $3,533
- Nontaxable benefits
- $19,247
- Filer's total
- $152,628
-
Sheila Quinlan
Directing Attorney
- Total calculated
- $167,935
- From this org
- $124,266
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $43,669
- Hours/week
- 40
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $124,266
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $15,385
- Nontaxable benefits
- $28,284
- Filer's total
- $167,935
-
Veronika Brown
Dir. of Compliance of Legal Tech
- Total calculated
- $136,166
- From this org
- $112,753
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $23,413
- Hours/week
- 40
-
Michael Godbe
Directing Attorney
- Total calculated
- $142,894
- From this org
- $116,245
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $26,649
- Hours/week
- 40
-
Jay Petersen
Senior Staff Attorney
- Total calculated
- $114,868
- From this org
- $114,868
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Hours/week
- 30
-
Simon Gertler
Directing Attorney
- Total calculated
- $127,999
- From this org
- $106,945
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $21,054
- Hours/week
- 40
Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.
Schedule J
Answered yes
- 3 · Compensation committee
- 3 · Independent compensation consultant
- 3 · Written employment contract
- 3 · Compensation survey or study
- 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee
- 7 · Other non-fixed payments
Answered no
- 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
- 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
- 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
- 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
- 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
- 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
- 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
- 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception
The filer's explanations (Part III)
- Part I, Line 7
- Incentive payments are calculated based on the performance of the individual, their tenure, and the amount of funding available.
Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.
Grants on this return
No itemized grants to organizations on this return.
Provenance
- Return type
- form_990
- Tax year
- 2025
- Filed
- 11 May 2026
- IRS schema version
- 2025v4.1
- Source object
- 202611319349304381
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