N A A C P Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc
40 Rector Street 5th Floor, New York, NY · IRS data through FY2025
Revenue, expenses and net assets
Revenue Expenses Net assets
| Tax year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $68,473,100 | $63,767,502 | $423,346,899 |
| FY2024 | $75,675,969 | $58,450,816 | $415,177,583 |
| FY2023 | $29,467,489 | $51,723,153 | $384,227,580 |
| FY2022 | $83,799,759 | $48,705,015 | $360,619,331 |
| FY2021 | $174,184,879 | $42,477,407 | $341,090,669 |
| FY2020 | $150,001,178 | $26,839,473 | $202,595,769 |
| FY2019 | $37,292,472 | $23,195,480 | $80,465,206 |
| FY2018 | $22,366,879 | $18,776,127 | $65,978,823 |
| FY2017 | $33,949,413 | $17,005,637 | $60,839,899 |
| FY2016 | $12,106,218 | $15,225,262 | $42,683,046 |
| FY2015 | $18,480,121 | $14,892,538 | $46,991,346 |
| FY2014 | $12,911,115 | $13,084,487 | $45,056,066 |
| FY2013 | $24,248,320 | $15,430,352 | $42,441,570 |
| FY2012 | $16,855,581 | $15,541,541 | $31,264,735 |
Form 990 filings
The returns filed by N A A C P Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc (EIN 13-1655255), including Form 990 PDFs and e-file data by year, are available in ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. The figures on this page come from IRS data files built from those returns.
Where the revenue came from
| Source | Amount | % of revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions & grants | $45,129,800 | 66% |
| Program service revenue | $1,979,462 | 3% |
| Other revenue | $21,363,838 | 31% |
Where the money was spent
| Category | Amount | % of expenses |
|---|---|---|
| Program services | $42,892,819 | 67% |
| Management & general | $10,903,747 | 17% |
| Fundraising | $9,970,936 | 16% |
What the numbers show
- Contributions & grants made up 66% of total revenue in FY2025.
- Program services accounted for 67% of functional expenses, management & general 17%, and fundraising 16%.
- 67% of functional expenses went to program services in FY2025. That is higher than 4.5% of 22 Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy organizations in NY.
- Net assets covered about 79.7 months of expenses at the end of the reporting year. That puts it in the 93rd percentile among 291 Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy organizations in NY.
- Total revenue was higher than 99.3% of 299 Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy organizations in NY.
- Total revenue rose from $16,855,581 in FY2012 to $68,473,100 in FY2025. Revenue increased in 7 and decreased in 6 of 13 year-over-year comparisons.
- Expenses exceeded revenue in 3 of 14 reported years (FY2014, FY2016, FY2023).
- The highest revenue on record here is $174,184,879 in FY2021.
- Net assets grew from $31,264,735 to $423,346,899 between FY2012 and FY2025.
- Contributions and grants made up 84% of revenue in FY2012 and 66% in FY2025.
- Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity).
Figures compared against other organizations of the same NTEE program area in the same state. See the methodology page for how these are calculated and the guide to reading nonprofit financials for their limits.
About this organization
THE LEGAL DEFENSE FUND (LDF) IS AMERICA'S PREMIER LEGAL ORGANIZATION FIGHTING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE.
IRS status
| Ruling year | 1940 |
| Subsection | 501(c)(3) |
| Classification | Public charity |
| Program area (NTEE) | R220 — Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy |
| Donations | Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity). |
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Source: Internal Revenue Service — Exempt Organizations Business Master File (downloaded November 4, 2026), Statistics of Income extracts, Form 990 e-file data, Publication 78 and the Automatic Revocation list. Figures are as reported by the organization; IRS processing may adjust them. This is not a charity rating and not tax advice. Confirm deductibility in IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
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