The Childrens Law Project of Hawaii
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
We are a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to empowering court-involved children on Hawaii island through youth focused legal advocacy.
- Income
- $344,013
- Spending
- $318,489
- Spent on programs
- 75%
- Reserves
- 7.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 67%
- Employees
- 7
- Volunteers
- 7
- Highest pay
- $41,208, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 79 out of 100. Higher than 55% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 7.5 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 30% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 7% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 12% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1575% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 84 out of 100. Higher than 59% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $95,267 spent. As Guardians ad Litem for children in foster custody and as attorneys for parents whose children have been removed into foster care, we take a broad view of our client's needs. By following best practices, engaging mental health and lived-experience professionals, and advocating for trauma-informed care, we seek to connect our clients with the services they need to heal from their experiences. We strive to give our clients a voice and empower them to participate in child protective services process. As we advocate for our clients, we investigate the circumstances of the case, report to the parties and the court, encourage settlement in children's best interest, and connect the family with community resources. As part of this program, CLPHI also provides comprehensive family-centered advocacy for parents navigating the child welfare system. Served 113 clients
- $7,835 spent. Through Project Permanence, we work to establish adoptions and legal guardianships for children whose parents are not able to safely care for them. First, we seek to prevent child welfare involvement by establishing a legal relationship between children and non-parent caregivers. Second, Project Permanence seeks to get children already involved with Child Welfare Services out of the foster care system by establishing guardianships and adoptions. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to help children live in permanent homes and forge life-long connections to stable families. Our Multidisciplinary Teams focus on providing holistic legal advocacy for our Guardian ad Litem (GAL) clients. In addition to an Attorney, our MDTs are staffed by a Children's Law Project of Hawai'i (CLPHI) Social Worker and/or a Lived-Experience Advocate. All of our GAL clients assigned to an MDT have a comprehensive legal case plan developed and implemented for them that ensures advocacy across multiple domains (i.e. education, physical/mental health, and public benefits.) We engage families, youth, and qualified professionals to develop and implement tailored plans to best serve our clients. The expertise of a multi-faceted team provides the guidance necessary and ensures better outcomes for our young clients. CLPHI recently expanded this program to include parents whose children are in Foster Custody, and young adults who have aged out of the Foster Care system. Serve 6 children.
- $136,557 spent. CLPHIs Multidiciplinary Team (MDT) Program provides holistic advocacy services for children and parents involved with Child Welfare Services. Last year our MDT Program expanded to include youth who aged out of Foster Care. Every child in foster custody is assigned a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) to represent his or her best interests in Family Court and every parent whose child is taken away by the state is appointed an attorney. While these advocates primary focus is to litigate safety concerns in the homes, truly enabling our clients to move past the trauma that resulted in foster custody requires a comprehensive legal approach. In addition to attorneys, our MDT Teams include critical experts such as CLPHI social workers and/or lived experience advocates Our MDT Teams more closely track our clients well-being, better evaluate their needs, refer them to community resoures and servies faster, and guide the in overcoming past traumas so that they cam move forward in their lives. Served 32 clients
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since September 2017.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.