VOLUNTEER LAWYERS FOR THE ARTS INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

VOLUNTEER LAWYERS FOR THE ARTS INC

EIN 13-2936291 · Arts, Culture & Humanities (A900)

What they do

VLAS MISSION is to PROVIDE ACCESS to DEDICATED LEGAL REPRESENTATION and EDUCATION to INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS and ARTS and CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS (ACOS). FOCUSING ON NEW YORK STATE and THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN AREA, VLA STRIVES to PROTECT THE LIVELIHOODS, BUSINESSES, and CREATIVE WORKS of THE ARTISTIC COMMUNITY. to ACHIEVE THESE GOALS, VLA PROVIDES PRO BONO LEGAL REPRESENTATION to LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS and ACOS. VLA ALSO OFFERS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING and A RANGE of OTHER SERVICES SUCH AS LEGAL COUNSELING, ADVOCACY, ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION, and TRAINING of LAWYERS IN ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT LAW.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $82.30 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders37 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

75.97%of revenue went to mission work82.3% of expenses · Program services

9.94%of revenue went to fundraising10.8% of expenses

$92.32spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

6.42%of revenue went to management and office costs7.0% of expenses

$2.10in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

90.4%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $298,933 for KATHRYN E WAGNER ESQ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$1,624,073

Mission workProgram services$1,233,74575.97% of revenue82.3% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$104,2326.42% of revenue7.0% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$161,4369.94% of revenue10.8% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$124,6607.68% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$1,499,41392.32% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 82.3% mission · 7.0% management · 10.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.32% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 83.2% mission · 6.4% management · 10.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.96% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 83.0% mission · 6.7% management · 10.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 75.65% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 82.5% mission · 8.0% management · 9.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.41% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 81.8% mission · 8.5% management · 9.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 77.40% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 83.1% mission · 7.7% management · 9.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 107.16% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 77.9% mission · 8.6% management · 13.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 80.11% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 75.9% mission · 8.3% management · 15.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 102.97% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$1,624,073

Expenses$1,499,413

Annual surplus $124,660 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$1,233,745 · 82.3% of expenses

Management and office costs$104,232 · 7.0% of expenses

Fundraising$161,436 · 10.8% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$1,624,073

Expenses$1,499,413

Assets$3,147,628

Income$1,813,713

Contributions$1,468,510

Mission work (program services)$1,233,745

Fundraising$161,436

Management and general$104,232

Stocks and bonds$1,174,129

Accounting fees$18,735

Investing fees$11,101

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

KATHRYN E WAGNER ESQEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $298,933Base $277,867 · Other $21,066

AMY A LEHMAN ESQDIRECTOR OF LEGAL SERVICES · 40 hrs/week $213,432Base $190,800 · Other $22,632

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (37)

KATHRYN E WAGNER ESQEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

AMY A LEHMAN ESQDIRECTOR OF LEGAL SERVICES

PALISA KELLEY ESQBOARD MEMBER

SABRINA SILVERBERG ESQBOARD MEMBER

MARGARET A DALE ESQBOARD MEMBER

MARK P HANNAFEY ESQBOARD MEMBER

MICHAEL C LASKY ESQBOARD MEMBER

MICHAEL E SALZMAN ESQSECRETARY

MICHAEL SCHAPER ESQBOARD MEMBER

MICHAEL T HEYRICH ESQBOARD MEMBER

NICHOLAS GAGLIO ESQBOARD MEMBER

ALISON I STEIN ESQBOARD MEMBER

PAULA VIOLA ESQBOARD MEMBER

PETER R RIENECKER ESQBOARD MEMBER

PETER R STERN ESQBOARD MEMBER

PRISCILLA FASORO ESQBOARD MEMBER

PRITESH P SHAH ESQBOARD MEMBER

RACHELLE L LAROCHE ESQBOARD MEMBER

RICHARD ALSOP ESQBOARD MEMBER

DOUGLAS R NEMEC ESQBOARD MEMBER

ANDRES SERRANOBOARD MEMBER

BARRY I SLOTNICK ESQBOARD MEMBER

CYNTHIA DAIGNAULTBOARD MEMBER

CYNTHIA S ARATO ESQVICE CHAIR

DANIEL ILAN ESQBOARD MEMBER

DAVID LEICHTMAN ESQBOARD MEMBER

DEIRDRE M MCDONALD ESQBOARD MEMBER

DONNA ROSS DANIELS ESQTREASURER

JUSTIN G HAMILL ESQBOARD MEMBER

EDWARD COPELAND ESQBOARD MEMBER

ELEANOR M LACKMAN ESQBOARD MEMBER

GARY H GLASER ESQBOARD MEMBER

JAY COHEN ESQCHAIR

JOHN F DELANEY ESQBOARD MEMBER

JONATHAN D DAVIS ESQBOARD MEMBER

JORDAN ROMANOFF ESQBOARD MEMBER

JOSEPH C TEDESCHI ESQBOARD MEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1978
Location: 729 7TH AVE STE 1401, NEW YORK, NY 10019-6891
County: New York
In care of: JAY COHEN ESQ
Primary officer: JAY COHEN ESQ, CHAIR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailfirst_nameJohnlast_nameSmithemailjohnsmith@example.comSubmit Phone(212) 319-2787

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: LUTZ AND CARR CPAS LLP
NTEE classification: Arts, Culture & Humanities (A900)