California Center for Movement Legal Services
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The California Center for Movement Legal Services (Movement Legal) provides legal services in the pursuit of improving the lives of California's traditionally underserved residents, carrying out legal work that fosters community led policy creation, implementation and enforcement of policy won through community organizing.
- Income
- $1.7 million
- Spending
- $1.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 78%
- Reserves
- 1.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 48%
- Employees
- 17
- Volunteers
- 7
- Highest pay
- $185,866, executive dir.
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
Fair: 68 out of 100. Higher than 38% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.9 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 29% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 0% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 90% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1578% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 7 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
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 57% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 254 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
7 of 7Has a 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
15 of 15Its accounts were audited 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 (1)
- $1.3 million spent. The California Center for Movement Legal Services (Movement Legal) provides legal services in the pursuit of improving the lives of California's traditionally underserved residents, carrying out legal work that fosters community led policy creation and enforcement of policy won through community organizing. Our lawyers craft legislation at the behest of community organizing, bring impact cases out of grassroots campaigns, and defend the tenant movement and its organizers. Over the last year, our team at California Center for Movement Legal Services wrote stronger tenant protections to be passed at the local level. We fought in the courts to prevent large corporate landlords from circumventing these same protections. Campaigns for stronger protections included: collaborating with tenant organizations and the City of Richmond to implement the city's rental inspection program, fighting an amendment to Oakland's tenant protection ordinance that would have passed wast collection costs onto tenants, writing language to ban ratio utility billing services in local ordinances, writing tenant protection ordinances for ballot measures in San Pablo, Redwood City and Santa Barbara. Impact litigation cases included: fighting landlords leveraging tenants' immigration status to evict them or raise the rent, suing Livable for engaging in illegal ration utility billing, suing landlords for price-gouging rents following the LA 2025 fires, fighting landlords that create hostile living environments as a business practice. Additionally, we expaned our eviction defense services in Los Angeles by doubling our LA team's staff.
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since October 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 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.