ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY CENTER OF THE MIDWEST Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY CENTER OF THE MIDWEST

EIN 36-3866530 · Environment (C30Z)

What they do

THE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & POLICY CENTER (ELPC) is THE MIDWESTS LEADING PUBLIC INTEREST ENVIRONMENTAL LEGAL ADVOCACY and ECOBUSINESS INNOVATION ORGANIZATION, and AMONG THE NATIONS LEADERS. WE DEVELOP and LEAD SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS to IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY and PROTECT OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. WE ARE PUBLIC INTEREST ENVIRONMENTAL ENTREPRENEURS WHO ENGAGE IN CREATIVE BUSINESS DEAL MAKING WITH DIVERSE INTERESTS to PUT INTO PRACTICE OUR BELIEF THAT ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS and ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CAN BE ACHIEVED TOGETHER. ELPCS MULTIDISCIPLINARY STAFF of TALENTED and EXPERIENCED PUBLIC INTEREST ATTORNEYS, ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS SPECIALISTS, POLICY ADVOCATES, and COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALISTS BRING A STRONG and EFFECTIVE COMBINATION of SKILLS to SOLVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $81.60 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 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 leaders29 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

62.83%of revenue went to mission work81.6% of expenses · Program services

5.33%of revenue went to fundraising6.9% of expenses

$77.02spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

8.87%of revenue went to management and office costs11.5% of expenses

$4.91in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

78.6%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 $613,135 for HOWARD LEARNER (PRESIDENT AND 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$12,058,051

Mission workProgram services$7,575,80262.83% of revenue81.6% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,069,4258.87% of revenue11.5% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$642,2025.33% of revenue6.9% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$2,770,62222.98% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$9,287,42977.02% 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: 81.6% mission · 11.5% management · 6.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 77.02% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 81.1% mission · 11.9% management · 7.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 80.62% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 73.7% mission · 16.1% management · 10.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 74.81% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 79.1% mission · 10.7% management · 10.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 49.35% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 78.4% mission · 14.5% management · 7.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 76.23% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 84.9% mission · 9.7% management · 5.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 81.30% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 83.1% mission · 9.9% management · 7.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.62% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 81.8% mission · 10.5% management · 7.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.29% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$12,058,051

Expenses$9,287,429

Annual surplus $2,770,622 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)$7,575,802 · 81.6% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,069,425 · 11.5% of expenses

Fundraising$642,202 · 6.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$12,058,051

Expenses$9,287,429

Assets$45,609,465

Income$12,165,908

Contributions$9,480,645

Mission work (program services)$7,575,802

Fundraising$642,202

Grants given$1,608,333

Average grant$100,521

Management and general$1,069,425

Executive compensation (total)$800,308

Stocks and bonds$39,578,797

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

HOWARD LEARNERPRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 60 hrs/week $613,135Base $519,639 · Other $93,496

KEVIN BRUBAKERDEPUTY DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $317,506Base $250,527 · Other $66,979

BRADLEY KLEINSR. ATTORNEY · 40 hrs/week $282,543Base $227,064 · Other $55,479

MARY FRANCES OCONNORDEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $271,091Base $220,695 · Other $50,396

ROBERT MICHAELSSR. ATTORNEY · 40 hrs/week $264,011Base $224,439 · Other $39,572

ROBERT KELTERSR. ATTORNEY · 40 hrs/week $257,763Base $223,509 · Other $34,254

GILLIAN CRONINHR DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $210,821Base $177,189 · Other $33,632

ANN MESNIKOFFSR. ATTORNEY · 40 hrs/week $210,805Base $190,547 · Other $20,258

MARY MCCLELLANDCOMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $198,570Base $176,396 · Other $22,174

KATHLEEN GARVEYSR. ATTORNEY · 40 hrs/week $167,678Base $141,549 · Other $26,129

WENDY BLOOMSR. ATTORNEY · 40 hrs/week $163,463Base $135,573 · Other $27,890

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 (29)

HOWARD LEARNERPRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

KEVIN BRUBAKERDEPUTY DIRECTOR

BRADLEY KLEINSR. ATTORNEY

MARY FRANCES OCONNORDEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

ROBERT MICHAELSSR. ATTORNEY

ROBERT KELTERSR. ATTORNEY

GILLIAN CRONINHR DIRECTOR

ANN MESNIKOFFSR. ATTORNEY

MARY MCCLELLANDCOMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

KATHLEEN GARVEYSR. ATTORNEY

WENDY BLOOMSR. ATTORNEY

WILLIAM MCNARYBOARD MEMBER

HARRY DRUCKERBOARD MEMBER

TIM COXBOARD MEMBER

STAN GOLDBLATTBOARD MEMBER

SMITA SHAHBOARD MEMBER

SIMON FISHBOARD MEMBER

SCOTT HEIDEPRIEMVICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTOR

SAMIR MAYEKARBOARD MEMBER

CARL LINGENFELTERTREASURER

CARLEEN SCHREDERBOARD MEMBER

ROBERT GRAHAMBOARD MEMBER

NANCY LOEBBOARD MEMBER

MICHAEL SADDLERBOARD MEMBER

DAVID WILHELMBOARD MEMBER

ANDREW ROSSBOARD MEMBER

MANNY FLORESCHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTOR

KNUTE NADELHOFFERBOARD MEMBER

ELLEN CRAIGSECRETARY

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1993
Location: 35 E WACKER DR STE 1600, CHICAGO, IL 60601-2206
County: Cook
In care of: % ENVI
Primary officer: HOWARD A LEARNER, PRESIDENT

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website EmailELPCinfo@ELPC.org Phone(312) 673-6500

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: SASSETTI LLC
NTEE classification: Environment (C30Z)
IRS tax category: Other Social Advocacy Organizations
Grant-giving organization: Yes