Charities United States Advocacy & Civil Rights Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation
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Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation

Administer programs to assist in securing legal assistance and related services for persons of low-income in the chicagoland area

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services

Chicago, IL EIN: 237164989 (IRS) Sign up to see website
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90
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
90/100 · methodology

About Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation

Free Chicago Legal Aid for low income residents of Cook County. Case types include: adoption, divorce, foreclosure, landlord disputes, immigration, wills, and more.

Founded
Headquarters
Chicago, IL
Foundation type
Supporting organization (509(a)(3))
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
medium

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 1972

Mission

Administer programs to assist in securing legal assistance and related services for persons of low-income in the chicagoland area

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Advocacy & Civil Rights
Cause tags
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.
SDG 16 SDG 16 · Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice, and build effective institutions.

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar advocacy & civil rights in United States
Program spending This charity: 86%
Peer average: 80%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 4.81%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 90
Peer average: 90

Concerns

· None found
No red flags found
Screened for IRS revocation history, Open investigations, Governance scandals, Related-party deals, Excessive exec comp.

Where every $1 goes

$0.86
Program expenses$0.86 ($3.0 million)
86% to programs beats the peer average (80%) and beats the Charity Navigator "highly efficient" threshold (75%).

GiveRadar Analysis

Original analysis from GiveRadar's dataset of comparable organizations

GiveRadar's verified records show Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation with a complete profile, cross-referenced across 3 independent sources including the IRS.

  • Established in 1970, it predates 91% of the advocacy & civil rights charities in the United States GiveRadar has a founding year for. View this cohort
  • It has more complete contact information than nearly all comparable organizations, with a verified website, email, phone and address on record. Compare with peers
  • Its integrity score of 90 places it in the top 1% of the 127,988 advocacy & civil rights charities in the United States GiveRadar tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. View this cohort
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a contact email
  • a donation page
Not yet verified by GiveRadar
  • an owner-submitted profile claim

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation is a registered advocacy & civil rights nonprofit based in Chicago, IL, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1970 and has been operating for 56 years. Its EIN is 237164989. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 90/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $4M in annual revenue. 127 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 90/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 90 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 86% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for advocacy & civil rights charities in United States is 90/100.

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation is located in Chicago, IL, United States. The organization was established in 1970 and has been active for 56 years.

Based on official tax filings, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation has $4M in annual revenue. It allocates 86% of expenses to programs and services. This is above the average of 80% for advocacy & civil rights charities in United States. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation is classified as an Advocacy & Civil Rights organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Supporting organization (509(a)(3)). By size, it is categorized as a medium organization. It has $4M in annual revenue. The organization has 127 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

According to GiveRadar's records, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It reports that 86% of expenses go to programs (the peer average is 80%). You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research and does not endorse any organization. A GiveRadar Integrity Assessment reflects how much public data is available, not whether an organization is safe to donate to, so it is always smart to do your own research before giving.

Free Chicago Legal Aid for low income residents of Cook County. Case types include: adoption, divorce, foreclosure, landlord disputes, immigration, wills, and more. Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation is classified as an advocacy & civil rights organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1970.

Among advocacy & civil rights charities registered in United States: It allocates 86% of expenses to programs, above the peer average of 80%. Its annual revenue of $4M is comparable to the peer average of $4M.

Yes, donations to Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 237164989, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Annual revenue
$1M-$10M
86% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2025) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

6 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2025): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2025, FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Staff & volunteers

From the latest filing

Employees
35

Leadership

PA
Patrick S•••••••
President

Officers & trustees (25)

Source: Public filings

See full names, roles, and stories

25 officers and trustees on file - free with a GiveRadar account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$4.2M revenue
FY2025
IRS 990
Form filed
$4.3M revenue
FY2024
IRS 990
Form filed
$3.7M revenue
FY2023
IRS 990
Form filed
$3.9M revenue
FY2022
IRS 990
Form filed
$2.6M revenue
FY2021
IRS 990
Form filed
$2.5M revenue
FY2020
IRS 990

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Cause areas in United States

How many charities work in each area, with this charity's area highlighted.

Human Services 322,441
Education 195,493
Arts & Culture 133,055
Advocacy & Civil Rights this charity 127,988
Religion 114,580
Health 98,829
Community Development 56,048
Youth Development 53,423
See all cause areas in United States

Most common causes in United States

Causes charities work on most, with this charity's causes ticked.

Education 159,016
Social Services 140,118
Religion 103,741
Arts & Culture 101,203
Community Development 95,028
Civil Rights 70,065
Health 64,848
Youth Development 47,775

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2025 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 127 disclosed in the public registry.
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 12, 2026
Registry checked
Jun 6, 2026
Profile completeness
90%

What we know and don't know

Exactly which public data we hold on this charity. Our score reflects transparency, not impact.

On record · 10
  • Financial data · FY2025 on record
  • Named leadership · 127 officers on file
  • Executive pay · Disclosed
  • Government registration · Registered with an official registry
  • Mission statement · Published
  • Official website · On record
  • Headquarters address · On file
  • Direct contact · Email or phone published
  • Tax-deductibility · Verified
  • Founding date · 1970
Not available · 1
  • Programs & activities
    No named programs listed by the charity

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email [email protected] with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

Quick facts about Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation

What is Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation?
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation is a advocacy & civil rights supporting organization (509(a)(3)) based in Chicago, United States. Free Chicago Legal Aid for low income residents of Cook County. Case types include: adoption, divorce, foreclosure, landlord disputes, immigration, wills, and more.
When was Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation founded?
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation was founded in 1970.
Who leads Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation?
Patrick Spangler serves as President.
Where is Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation located?
Headquartered in Chicago, IL, United States.
What is Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately $1M-$10M. 86% of expenses go to program services.
Is Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation trustworthy?
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 90 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation's registration number?
IRS EIN: 237164989.
What is Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation's website?
http://www.cvls.org