Totals
- Total revenue
- $7,252,997
- Total expenses
- $7,125,144
- Contributions and grants received
- $7,053,980
- Grants paid
- $0
- Program service revenue
- $49,428
- Investment income
- $149,589
- Other revenue
- $0
- Total assets, end of year
- $6,108,433
- Total liabilities, end of year
- $2,218,474
- Net assets or fund balances, end of year
- $3,889,959
- Program services expenses (Part IX)
- $6,039,254
- Management and general expenses
- $1,082,409
- Fundraising expenses
- $3,481
- Program service expenses (Part III)
- $6,039,254
Program services were 84.8% 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)
$6,162,055
-
1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants
$891,925
-
1g · Noncash contributions included above
$2,979
-
2a · Program service revenue: Attorney Fees
total $49,428 · related or exempt $49,428
-
3 · Investment income
total $149,589 · excluded $149,589
Functional expenses
Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.
-
5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
total $197,637 · management and general $197,637
-
7 · Other salaries and wages
total $4,438,076 · program services $3,989,745 · management and general $445,334 · fundraising $2,997
-
8 · Pension plan contributions
total $118,517 · program services $107,031 · management and general $11,445 · fundraising $41
-
9 · Other employee benefits
total $688,973 · program services $625,703 · management and general $63,032 · fundraising $238
-
10 · Payroll taxes
total $346,922 · program services $301,805 · management and general $45,002 · fundraising $115
-
11g · Fees: other
total $357,131 · program services $189,224 · management and general $167,907
-
13 · Office expenses
total $73,390 · program services $64,006 · management and general $9,294 · fundraising $90
-
14 · Information technology
total $147,714 · program services $129,327 · management and general $18,387
-
16 · Occupancy
total $313,327 · program services $259,915 · management and general $53,412
-
17 · Travel
total $65,525 · program services $44,290 · management and general $21,235
-
22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization
total $79,850 · program services $71,738 · management and general $8,112
-
23 · Insurance
total $44,875 · program services $32,263 · management and general $12,612
-
24a · Other expenses: Litigation
total $67,101 · program services $67,066 · management and general $35
-
24b · Other expenses: Library subscriptions
total $48,927 · program services $48,927
-
24c · Other expenses: Memberships/Dues
total $40,153 · program services $23,408 · management and general $16,745
-
24d · Other expenses: Building maintenance
total $25,426 · program services $21,569 · management and general $3,857
-
24e · All other expenses
total $71,600 · program services $63,237 · management and general $8,363
Balance sheet
Part X, book values.
-
1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing
beginning of year $147,149 · end of year $50,531
-
2 · Savings and temporary cash investments
beginning of year $3,529,378 · end of year $3,622,778
-
3 · Pledges and grants receivable
beginning of year $655,884 · end of year $942,368
-
4 · Accounts receivable
beginning of year $17,854 · end of year $3,804
-
9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges
beginning of year $75,504 · end of year $96,850
-
10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis
$769,310
-
10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation
$496,475
-
10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net
beginning of year $262,065 · end of year $272,835
-
15 · Other assets
beginning of year $1,248,007 · end of year $1,119,267
-
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses
beginning of year $651,517 · end of year $455,068
-
19 · Deferred revenue
beginning of year $248,131 · end of year $610,778
-
21 · Escrow or custodial account liability
beginning of year $39,913 · end of year $39,670
-
25 · Other liabilities
beginning of year $1,234,174 · end of year $1,112,958
-
27 · Net assets without donor restrictions
beginning of year $3,454,205 · end of year $3,502,472
-
28 · Net assets with donor restrictions
beginning of year $307,901 · end of year $387,487
Mission and programs · 2025
Mission
We protect rights, challenge injustice, and fight poverty through freelegal advocacy for people and families.
Activities or mission (Part I)
To secure justice and protect rights of low-income individuals unable to obtain and pay for legal services in civil matters by the provision of legal representation and counsel.
-
See Schedule OOur legal services' greatest impact is outside the justice system, helping low-income families live and work with stable schedules, ensuring seniors live safely and healthily, and empowering people to access better jobs and life opportunities. We closed 6,016 cases, and our services helped 13,025 clients and their household members. These people include working families threatened with losing their homes, seniors suffering from abuse or preyed upon by scammers, taxpayers with IRS disputes, and survivors of domestic abuse achieving safety for themselves and their children. 466 military veterans and their household members were among those benefiting from our services. We continued our long-time partnership with private-sector attorneys through our Pro Bono Program, referring 165 cases to volunteers. We continued delivering legal information and education to lower-income West Michigan communities through in-person programs and by recording a series of legal explainer videos to answer frequently asked client questions. We produced a professional development program for non-attorney professionals at other nonprofit organizations, offering an overview of landlord/tenant law.
Expenses $6,039,254 · Revenue $49,428
As filed on the 2025 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.
Listed in Part VII
-
Hannah Earl
Board Treasurer
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Jacque Schafer
At Large Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Jim Boerigter
Attorney Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Tracey W Brame
Attorney Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Caressa Bryant
Community Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Mike Callahan
Attorney Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Angelique Camfield
Attorney member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Mike Campbell
Board Vice President
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Chris Meyer
Board President
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Damien Sanchez
Attorney Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Cindy VanderKodde
Board Secretary
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Konjoh Konjoh
Community Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Rich Cherry
Attorney Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Angela Zuniga
Community Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Alvin Bacon Jr
Community Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Mary Alice Adams
Community Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
James Brunner
Attorney Member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Hon Susan Dobrich
Attorney member
- Total calculated
- $0
- Hours/week
- 1
-
Pamela Hoekwater
Executive Director
- Total calculated
- $177,820
- From this org
- $146,687
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $31,133
- Hours/week
- 35
Schedule J breakdown matched by us
- Base
- $146,687
- Bonus
- $0
- Other
- $0
- Deferred
- $4,515
- Nontaxable benefits
- $26,618
- Filer's total
- $177,820
-
Deborah Nichols
Finance Manager
- Total calculated
- $19,817
- From this org
- $16,170
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $3,647
- Hours/week
- 35
-
Jason O'Brien
Director of Operations
- Total calculated
- $126,568
- From this org
- $100,071
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $26,497
- Hours/week
- 35
-
Donald Roberts
Managing Attorney
- Total calculated
- $127,951
- From this org
- $101,512
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $26,439
- Hours/week
- 35
-
John Smith
Managing Attorney
- Total calculated
- $138,639
- From this org
- $112,290
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $26,349
- Hours/week
- 35
-
Karen Diesing
Director of Litigation
- Total calculated
- $140,115
- From this org
- $112,127
- From related orgs
- $0
- Other
- $27,988
- Hours/week
- 35
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 · Approval by the board or compensation committee
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
- 7 · Other non-fixed payments
- 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception
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
- 24 June 2026
- IRS schema version
- 2025v4.2
- Source object
- 202601759349301300
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