MOUNTAIN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

MOUNTAIN STATES LEGAL FOUNDATION

EIN 84-0736725 · Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy (R600)

What they do

WE PROTECT INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY, THE RIGHT to OWN and USE PROPERTY, THE PRINCIPLES of LIMITED and ETHICAL GOVERNMENT, and THE BENEFITS of THE FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $69.30 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 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 leaders17 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

209.34%of revenue went to mission work69.3% of expenses · Program services

64.04%of revenue went to fundraising21.2% of expenses

$301.89spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

28.51%of revenue went to management and office costs9.4% of expenses

$2.07in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

91.9%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.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $1,720,956 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

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$852,425

Mission workProgram services$1,784,483209.34% of revenue69.3% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$243,03228.51% of revenue9.4% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$545,86664.04% of revenue21.2% of expenses

Total expenses$2,573,381301.89% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

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: 69.3% mission · 9.4% management · 21.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 301.89% of revenue

2024Expense mix: 70.0% mission · 7.6% management · 22.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 118.53% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 65.2% mission · 10.7% management · 24.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 133.73% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 67.2% mission · 11.4% management · 21.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 196.95% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 67.5% mission · 14.7% management · 17.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 135.11% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 62.0% mission · 18.2% management · 19.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 164.44% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 58.7% mission · 16.1% management · 25.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 143.30% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 49.6% mission · 19.6% management · 30.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.99% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$852,425

Expenses$2,573,381

Annual shortfall $1,720,956 Expenses were higher than revenue 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)$1,784,483 · 69.3% of expenses

Management and office costs$243,032 · 9.4% of expenses

Fundraising$545,866 · 21.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$852,425

Expenses$2,573,381

Assets$5,323,530

Income$852,425

Contributions$783,152

Mission work (program services)$1,784,483

Fundraising$545,866

Management and general$243,032

Executive compensation (total)$424,290

Stocks and bonds$3,930,942

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2025

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

No compensation was reported for these leaders. The complete board and leadership roster is shown below.

Board and leadership roster (17)

KEN JOHNSONDIRECTOR

WILLIAM TRACHMANGENERAL COUNSEL

WILLIAM MCGRATHDIRECTOR

RUSS HENDRICKSVICE CHAIRMAN

ROY G COHEEDIRECTOR

ROGER M CYMBALUKDIRECTOR

RICHARD ROYCE FLETCHER ESQCHAIRMAN

PETER I WOLDTREASURER

NICK DRANIASDIRECTOR

AUSTIN SCOTTCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

JOHN R GIBSONDIRECTOR

JOHN E ROCKWELL PESECRETARY

JAMES KERWINSENIOR ATTORNEY

IVAN LONDONSENIOR ATTORNEY

DON SHAWCROFTDIRECTOR

CRISTEN WOHLGEMUTHPRESIDENT/CEO

BRAD ALLENDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1977
Location: 2596 S LEWIS WAY, LAKEWOOD, CO 80227-2705
County: Denver
In care of: CRISTEN WOHLGEMUTH
Primary officer: CRISTEN WOHLGEMUTH, President & CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailcontact@mslegal.org Phone(303) 292-2021

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2025
Tax period began: January 1, 2025
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: HAYNIE & COMPANY
NTEE classification: Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy (R600)
IRS tax category: Human Rights Organizations