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Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County

EIN 95-2408642 · Glendale, CA

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair58 out of 100GovernanceStrong90 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

As a public interest law firm, NLSLA changes lives and transforms communities. Through a combination of individual representation, high impact litigation, and public policy advocacy, NLSLA combats the immediate and long-lasting effects of poverty and expands access to health, opportunity, and justice in Los Angeles' diverse neighborhoods.

Income
$31.9 million
Spending
$32.4 million
Spent on programs
88%
Reserves
5.8 months of spending
Largest source of income
government grants, 90%
Employees
251
Volunteers
322
Highest pay
$293,071, president & ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 58 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 5.8 months of spending.

  • Debt

    10 of 20

    It owes 33% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    8 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 1% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 18% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    88% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 90 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    33 of 33 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 (4)
  1. $7.7 million spent. Housing and Eviction Defense:NLSLA believes access to safe and affordable housing is not only essential for individuals, families, and communities but also a fundamental human right. NLSLA housing advocates address systemic and complex housing issues through affirmative litigation, impact litigation, and policy advocacy. NLSLA advocates protect the rights of tenants and homeowners by preventing unlawful evictions and represent tenants living in Section 8 and other government-subsidized housing. NLSLA is the lead organization on the Shriver Housing Project-Los Angeles, which leverages the resources and expertise of four of Los Angeles' most prominent legal services organizations to provide self-help services and eviction defense to tenants. NLSLA is also a partner in Lawyers Preventing and Ending Homelessness (PEHP), a countywide partnership between legal service providers and homeless service providers. The program leverages advocates to preserve housing for individuals at-risk of homelessness and provides comprehensive legal services for individuals experiencing homelessness. NLSLA is a key legal partner in the StayHoused collaborative in Los Angeles County, which provides legal representation, information, and resources to prevent eviction. NLSLA also provides legal assistance to residents of mobile homes - the last form of affordable home ownership in California. In 2024, NLSLA closed 2,483 housing cases.
  2. $4.5 million spent. Health and Medical Legal Community Partnership (MLCP):NLSLA is at the forefront of health advocacy in California. NLSLA advocates utilize direct representation, policy advocacy, and impact litigation to resolve widespread health access and health equity issues and run the nation's largest network of Medical Legal Community Partnerships (MLCP), through which lawyers collaborate with healthcare providers in clinics and hospitals to address the social determinants of health. NLSLA piloted the project for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. It proved so successful that today NLSLA's MLCP model is a permanent feature of the Los Angeles County health delivery system. NLSLA is also the largest member of the Health Consumer Alliance--a network of nine legal assistance programs operated by community-based legal services organizations across the State of California. As part of the alliance, NLSLA runs the Health Consumer Center--the largest project in the Alliance--which provides free legal information and representation to individuals struggling to access health insurance coverage or care and resolve problems with their health plans. Our advocates also work with clients to eliminate medical debt. This work includes challenging improper insurance denials, requesting financial assistance, overturning insurance denials, filing complaints with California's Department of Managed Health Care, working directly with providers and Medi-Cal, and State Fair Hearings. By utilizing these different strategies, in 2024, HCC's advocates successfully relieved more than $1,000,000 of client medical debt and recovered over $80,000 in bad medical debt. In 2024, NLSLA closed 1,893 cases related to health issues.
  3. $3.6 million spent. Self Help Centers:NLSLA believes justice depends on equal access to the courts, especially for self-represented litigants. NLSLA oversees the nation's largest network of Self-Help Legal Access Centers (Centers), located in six courthouses throughout Los Angeles County. In 2024, more than 61,350 people received help at the Centers, with 94.3% of the issues involving family law, domestic violence or housing.This included 25,263 family law matters, 17,481 housing matters, and 15,113 domestic violence matters. In addition to individual assistance, the Centers offer education and workshops on a wide range of issues and provide easy-to-use information and instructions about drafting legal documents and preparing for hearings. This included 483 self-help clinics, educational workshops and trainings and outreach events held.
  4. $12.6 million spent. General Legal Services:Includes public benefits, domestic violence, clean slate initiative, disaster relief and policy advocacy. General legal services funds are used to support NLSLA broadly--fully funding some programs and supplementing others. In 2024, NLSLA assisted on over 150,000 legal matters. This included 8,531 attorney and advocate assisted legal and case management cases; 18,964 hotline calls addressed; as well as 199,484 unique views of NLSLA's online education, outreach material, and other resources on NLSLA's website. In 2024, NLSLA closed 1,162 public benefits cases. NLSLA also assisted tens of thousands of people through impact litigation.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since June 1966.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. 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.