VOLUNTEER LEGAL ADVOCATES Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

VOLUNTEER LEGAL ADVOCATES

EIN 26-1089584 · Housing & Shelter (L800)

What they do

to ADVOCATE for DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS, AT-RISK CHILDREN, and OTHER VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS BY PROVIDING OVER $22.8M IN PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES, SOCIAL SERVICE REFERRALS, and ON-GOING SUPPORT; to TRAIN and SUPPORT A STRONG NETWORK of VOLUNTEER LAWYERS and COMMUNITY ADVOCATES.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $85.60 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 2025The charity has a recent tax report to read.

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

They name their leaders23 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

75.79%of revenue went to mission work85.6% of expenses · Program services

6.82%of revenue went to fundraising7.7% of expenses

$88.58spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

5.97%of revenue went to management and office costs6.7% of expenses

$0.82in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

100.5%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 $208,644 for SARA TENNEN (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 2025

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$5,486,445

Mission workProgram services$4,158,39675.79% of revenue85.6% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$327,7575.97% of revenue6.7% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$373,9576.82% of revenue7.7% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$626,33511.42% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$4,860,11088.58% 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

2025CurrentExpense mix: 85.6% mission · 6.7% management · 7.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 88.58% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 84.9% mission · 7.5% management · 7.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.47% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 85.0% mission · 6.7% management · 8.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.34% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 83.6% mission · 7.9% management · 8.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 78.11% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 85.8% mission · 8.7% management · 5.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 66.28% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 79.3% mission · 15.2% management · 5.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.75% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 60.5% mission · 27.0% management · 12.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 113.44% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 65.4% mission · 15.1% management · 19.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 81.01% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$5,486,445

Expenses$4,860,110

Annual surplus $626,335 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)$4,158,396 · 85.6% of expenses

Management and office costs$327,757 · 6.7% of expenses

Fundraising$373,957 · 7.7% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$5,486,445

Expenses$4,860,110

Assets$3,983,501

Income$5,569,963

Contributions$5,515,919

Mission work (program services)$4,158,396

Fundraising$373,957

Management and general$327,757

Executive compensation (total)$127,262

Accounting fees$66,660

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2025

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

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

SARA TENNENEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $208,644Base $191,689 · Other $16,955

BRIAN YOURISHDIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS · 40 hrs/week $151,416Base $135,054 · Other $16,362

AIDA VINDELLLEGAL DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $138,241Base $130,412 · Other $7,829

MARCY BASKINDIR. OF GRANTS & FOUNDATIONAL GIVING · 40 hrs/week $129,571Base $117,370 · Other $12,201

DANIELA HUERTA GARCIADIRECTOR OF LEGAL PARTNERSHIPS · 40 hrs/week $127,791Base $116,404 · Other $11,387

BESTY CRUMBLEGAL DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $120,257Base $108,358 · Other $11,899

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 (23)

SARA TENNENEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BRIAN YOURISHDIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

AIDA VINDELLLEGAL DIRECTOR

MARCY BASKINDIR. OF GRANTS & FOUNDATIONAL GIVING

DANIELA HUERTA GARCIADIRECTOR OF LEGAL PARTNERSHIPS

BESTY CRUMBLEGAL DIRECTOR

KAMIL R SHIELDSDIRECTOR

TRACEY COATESVICE PRESIDENT

STEPHEN RAPTISDIRECTOR

PRINCESS MCDUFFIEDIRECTOR (UNTIL 7/31/2025)

PHILLIP HURSTDIRECTOR

MATTHEW COHENDIRECTOR

MARGARET MCKINNEYDIRECTOR (FROM 9/17/2025)

MAGGIE PRIETODIRECTOR

KATHARINE WEYMOUTHDIRECTOR

KAREN BARKER MARCOUPRESIDENT

JESSICA C ABRAHAMSDIRECTOR

ILENE WEINREICHDIRECTOR

HENRY BREWSTERSECRETARY

HEATHER LAMBERGDIRECTOR

DAVID LASTDIRECTOR

ANNETTE M STANLEYTREASURER

ALEXIS COLLINSDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2008
Location: 5335 WISCONSIN AVENUE SUITE 44, WASHINGTON, DC 20015-2030
County: District of Columbia
In care of: % KAREN BARKER
Primary officer: SARA TENNEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@dcvlp.org Phone(202) 885-5542

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: GELMAN ROSENBERG & FREEDMAN
NTEE classification: Housing & Shelter (L800)
IRS tax category: Other Management Consulting Services