Celebrating 30 years of helping you give wisely
America's most independent,
assertive charity watchdog
Top Rated

LatinoJustice PRLDEF

CharityWatch report issued
July 2021

Top-Rated Charity
A
CharityWatch Grade
Our independent grade based
on a number of factors.
 
80%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$6
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

LatinoJustice PRLDEF
475 Riverside Drive
Suite 1901
New York, NY 10115

Other Names

Puerto Rican Legal Defense & Educational Fund

Tax Status

501(c)3

Stated Mission

Protects the civil & human rights of all Latinos in the U.S. Works to create a more just society by using & challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable & accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy & education.

View similar charities
Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 06/30/2020

Program Percentage: 80%

The percentage of LatinoJustice PRLDEF's cash budget it spends on programs relative to overhead (fundraising, management, and general expenses).

$4,500,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $6

How many dollars LatinoJustice PRLDEF spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$6,500,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
LatinoJustice PRLDEF IRS Form 990 13-2722664
LatinoJustice PRLDEF Audited Financial Statements 13-2722664
Entity: LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 13-2722664
Entity: LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Document Type: Audited Financial Statements
Tax ID: 13-2722664

Governance & Transparency

CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
This charity is Top-Rated
What does it mean to be Top-Rated?
 
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
meets governance benchmarks.
 
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
meets transparency benchmarks.
Transparency
Provides Financial Information
Audit Accessibility
Governance: Policies
Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy
Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts
Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy
Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy
Governance: Financials
Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS
Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant
Governance: Board of Directors
Reports at least 5 voting board members
51% or more of voting board members reported as independent
Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy No Sharing  

  Name Title Compensation
1 Juan Cartagena President/General Counsel $230,722
2 Jose Perez Deputy General Counsel $207,553
3 Jackson Chin Senior Counsel $140,648
1
Name: Juan Cartagena
Title: President/General Counsel
Compensation: $230,722
2
Name: Jose Perez
Title: Deputy General Counsel
Compensation: $207,553
3
Name: Jackson Chin
Title: Senior Counsel
Compensation: $140,648

CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.

According to the LatinoJustice PRLDEF audit of June 30, 2020 (Note 9, Concentration of Credit Risk):

"For the year ended June 30, 2020, one institutional donor accounted for approximately 50% of total contributions and 36% of total support and revenue. For the year ended June 30, 2019, two institutional donors accounted for approximately 55% of total contributions and 29% of total support and revenue."

According to the LatinoJustice PRLDEF audit of June 30, 2020 (Note 16, COVID-19 Pandemic, Paycheck Protection Program):

"On April 22, 2020, the Organization received loan proceeds of $562,130 under the Paycheck Protection Program ('PPP'). The PPP, which was established as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, provides for loans to qualifying businesses for amounts up to 2.5 times certain average monthly payroll expenses of the qualifying business. The loan and accrued interest, or a portion thereof, may be forgiven after 24 weeks so long as the borrower uses the loan proceeds for eligible purposes, including payroll, benefits, rent, mortgage interest and utilities, and maintains its payroll levels, as defined by the PPP...

"The PPP loan matures two years from the date of first disbursement of proceeds to the Organization (the 'PPP Loan Date') and accrues interest at a fixed rate of 1%. Payments are deferred for at least the first six months and is payable in 18 equal consecutive monthly installments of principal and interest commencing upon the expiration of the deferral period of the PPP Loan Date.

"U.S. GAAP does not contain authoritative accounting standards for forgivable loans provided by governmental entities. ... The Organization deemed the conditional contribution model to be the most appropriate accounting policy for this arrangement based on the nature of the PPP loan program. The Organization recognized $414,979 in grant revenue under the PPP loan program during the year ended June 30, 2020... As of June 30, 2020, $147,151 is included in refundable advances on the statement of activities related to the PPP loan program."

According to the LatinoJustice PRLDEF audit of June 30, 2020 (Note 16, COVID-19 Pandemic):

"During the 2020 fiscal year, the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 to constitute a 'Public Health Emergency of International Concern.' Since March 2020, as a result of pandemic restrictions, the Organization has shifted to nearly all virtual programs and services. All legal proceedings, education programs, know-your-rights trainings and advocacy work has been carried out on virtual platforms. The fundraising events in 2020 were either canceled, postponed or held virtually and have yielded reduced fundings as well as reduced costs for events that were held virtually. Individual donations have increased through both internal and external fundraising campaigns and portals. Foundation revenue has held steady and there is increased revenue from existing foundations. As a result of the pandemic, the Organization has entered into new collaborations with nonprofit and media partners to offer increased know-your-rights presentations and to facilitate public dialogue on key program issues. Given the uncertainty of the situation, the duration of the disruption and related financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time."

According to the LatinoJustice PRLDEF audit of June 30, 2020 (Note 12, Collective Bargaining Agreement):

"The Organization negotiated a collective bargaining agreement with the LatinoJustice PRLDEF Staff Association, NOLSW, Local 2320, UAW, AFL-CIO, covering certain of its professional employees, which expires on June 30, 2021. At June 30, 2020, the Organization had a total of 22 employees, of which approximately 50% are represented by the union."