Legal Assistance to the Elderly Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
LAE's mission is to protect and advance the right of San Franciscos seniors and adults with disabilities to be housed, healthy, financially stable, and safe. We provide free legal services to San Francisco seniors and adults with disabilities living in San Francisco.
- Income
- $5.4 million
- Spending
- $5.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 81%
- Reserves
- 3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 91%
- Employees
- 45
- Volunteers
- 9
- Highest pay
- $169,982, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 67 out of 100. Higher than 37% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 3.0 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 64% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 1% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 1% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1581% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 2511 of 11 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 June 30, 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)
- $4.4 million spent. LAE's mission is to protect and advance the right of San Franciscos seniors and adults with disabilities to be housed, healthy, financially stable, and safe. We provide free legal services to San Francisco seniors and adults with disabilities living in San Francisco. During the 2024-25 fiscal year Legal Assistance to the Elderly provided legal advice and/or representation to over 1850 clients. Most clients are long-term San Francisco residents, who have given decades of their lives to making the city the vibrant and diverse place that it is today. Our client base in 2024-25 was a majority BIPOC: 21% Asian, 17% African American/Black, 16% Latinx, 1% Native American, 4% Other and 41% White. About 90% of our clients are seniors and 10% are adults with disabilities. A majority of our clients identify as women (54%) and 11% identify as LGBTQ. About 60% of our clients are living with a disability and 13% are homebound or in a medical facility. Twenty percent of clients are non-English speakers: primarily monolingual Chinese speakers and monolingual Spanish speakers. Our clients are also overwhelmingly low income: 55% of our clients have incomes of less than $1,650 per month (or 125% of the Federal Poverty level). Using HUDs income levels for San Francisco, 95% of our clients are considered very low or extremely low-income. This financial vulnerability means that our clients are often separated from homelessness or institutionalization only by the loss of one paycheck or benefit check, or by a worsening health condition. During this fiscal year we have assisted clients in the legal areas including: housing preservation/eviction defense, end of life planning, consumer debt defense, healthcare advocacy, income maintenance/ public benefits (Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, pensions, etc.), physical and financial abuse protection and CARE Court representation. Last year, we were also funded as the lead agency for the Excelsior Legal Collaborative (ELC), which provided legal services to San Francisco's Southwest Neighborhoods and focuses its work on housing preservation/eviction defense, workers' rights, and immigration.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 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 June 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 June 1979.
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.