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Neighborhood Legal Services Inc at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Neighborhood Legal Services Inc

Neighborhood legal services, inc.

$2.5M
Granted FY2025still arriving
11
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$573k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Crime & Legal$8.1MHousing & Shelter$1.2MEducation$445kHuman Services$195kHealth$107kSocial Science$42kScience & Tech$7kOther$0
02FY2025 · 11 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $16k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $44k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $144k
  • $250k+5 grants · $2.3M
$143,656
Median grant
1
States reached
$7.7M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BELMONT HOUSING RESOURCES WNY$572,875
WNY LAW CENTER$474,850
CENTER FOR ELDER LAW AND JUSTICE INC$420,194
ERIE COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER LAWYERS PROJECT$415,938
LEGAL AID BUREAU OF BUFFALO INC$411,551
THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK$143,656
EVERGREEN HEALTH SERVICES$16,792
VIA VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADVANCEMENT$15,885
VIA EVALUATION$10,830
UB CENTER FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH - ITTIC$8,665
CRISIS SERVICES$7,156
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY18–25, $171k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%SOUTHWESTERN INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTER INC: $24k → 18%SOUTHWESTERN INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTER INC: $10k → 18%VIA VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADVANCEMENT: $87k → 13%VIA VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADVANCEMENT: $16k → 13%VIA VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADVANCEMENT: $9k → 13%VIA VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADVANCEMENT: $8k → 13%VIA VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADVANCEMENT: $7k → 13%VIA VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADVANCEMENT: $6k → 13%VIA VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADVANCEMENT: $5k → 13%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

100%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$10.0M · 15 repeat orgs$35k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +43% since the first grant, against -4% for those funded once.

15 repeat relationships: 11 still active in FY2025, 4 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

15
2

Total granted

$10.0M
$35k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+43%
-4%

Still filing today

87%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Crime & LegalHuman ServicesHealthHousing & ShelterEducationOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • EC
    Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project Inc
    9× · 2017–2025 · $2.3M · revenue +160%
  • WN
    Western New York Law Center Inc
    4× · 2022–2025 · $1.9M · revenue +42%
  • CF
    CENTER FOR ELDER LAW & JUSTICE INC
    4× · 2022–2025 · $1.8M · revenue +25%

Funded once

  • CA
    CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES OF ERIE COUNTY
    one grant, 2018 · $29k · revenue -4%
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2021 · $6k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York Inc

The legal aid society of northeastern new york fights for fairness, dignity, and justice for those living in poverty and for a society which is inclusive and equitable for all. we transform lives, build community and empower people by…

Crime & Legal
2
Legal Services of Central New York Inc

Legal services of central new york (lscny) is a 501c3 non-profit law firm that helps people and communities in central new york change law, policy, and systems to promote equity and create pathways out of poverty.

Crime & Legal
3
Disability Advocates Inc Disability Rights New York

Provide individual legal assistance, information referral, and legal advocacy to individuals with disabilities. drny is the designated protection and advocacy system for persons with disabilities in new york.

Public Safety & Disaster
4
Legal Services Nyc

Legal services nyc is a non-profit organization that provides free civil legal assistance to low-income people in new york city. a community-based organization serving more than 100,000 people annually, lsnyc is the nation's largest…

Crime & Legal
5
The Legal Aid Society of Westchester County

Securing justice for, protecting the rights of and rendering legal assistance and representation to indigent residents and non-residents of westchester county.

—
6
Federal Defenders of New York Inc

The organization provides representation and related defense services to indigent persons charged with federal crimes.

Crime & Legal
7
Legal Services of Long Island

To provide free legal assistance in non-criminal matters to persons meeting financial eligibility requirements or having other special needs.

—
8
Lakeshore Legal Aid

Standing with our neighbors, Lakeshore Legal Aid fights poverty and injustice through advocacy and by providing meaningful and dignified access to the legal system.

Crime & Legal
9
Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York Inc

The lawsuit reform alliance of new york (is a broad based coalition of hardworking new york business leaders,professionals and taxpayers who are committed to changing new york's burdensome and expensive legal system to help create more…

Public Benefit
10
New York County Defender Services Inc

New york county defender services (nycds) is a not-for-profit corporation, incorporated under the laws of new york state. as such, many of its obligations are defined by law. nycds' purpose is to represent indigent persons in resolving…

Crime & Legal
11
Crime Victim Center of Erie County Inc

To provide counseling and crisis intervention services to victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes and their significant others.

Health
12
Brooklyn Legal Services Inc

Brooklyn legal services, inc is a not-for-profit corporation organized for the purpose of providing legal assistance to indigent persons in the new york city area in noncriminal proceedings or matters.

Crime & Legal
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Center for Elder Law & Justice Inc; the most unlike its peers is Child and Family Services of Erie County. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

14 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 14 of the 17 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
14/14
Grantees still filing
12/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Erie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project Inc: $2,263,060 · Crime & LegalErie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project IncWestern New York Law Center Inc: $1,880,451 · Crime & LegalWestern New York Law Center IncCENTER FOR ELDER LAW & JUSTICE INC: $1,820,701 · Crime & LegalCENTER FOR ELDER LAW & JUSTICE INCTHE LEGAL AID BUREAU OF BUFFALO: $1,794,555 · Crime & LegalTHE LEGAL AID BUREAU OF BUFFALO+2 more: $164,995 · Crime & LegalBELMONT HOUSING RESOURCES FOR WNY INC: $1,145,875 · Housing & ShelterBELMONT HOUS…The Research Foundation for The State University of New York: $375,235 · EducationSTARBRIDGE SERVICES INC: $103,830 · OtherVIA EVALUATION: $76,447 · OtherUB CENTER FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH - ITTIC: $41,661 · OtherCHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES OF ERIE COUNTY: $29,480 · Other+1 more: $5,558 · OtherVIA VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADVANCEMENT: $137,041 · Human ServicesSOUTHWESTERN INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTER INC: $33,491 · Human ServicesEHS INC: $124,734 · HealthSUICIDE PREVENTION & CRISIS SERVICE INC: $23,431 · Health
Crime & Legal$7,923,762Housing & Shelter$1,145,875Education$375,235Other$256,976Human Services$170,532Health$148,165

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetErie County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project Inc: $2,263,060 over 9y, 10% of budgetWestern New York Law Center Inc: $1,880,451 over 4y, 14% of budgetCENTER FOR ELDER LAW & JUSTICE INC: $1,820,701 over 4y, 7.3% of budgetTHE LEGAL AID BUREAU OF BUFFALO: $1,794,555 over 4y, 3.8% of budgetBELMONT HOUSING RESOURCES FOR WNY INC: $1,145,875 over 2y, 6.3% of budgetThe Research Foundation for The State University of New York: $375,235 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetVIA VISUALLY IMPAIRED ADVANCEMENT: $137,041 over 6y, 0.5% of budgetEHS INC: $124,734 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetSTARBRIDGE SERVICES INC: $103,830 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetLEGAL ASSISTANCE OF WESTERN NEW YORK INC: $99,995 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetCIVIL JUSTICE INC: $65,000 over 2y, 2.7% of budgetSOUTHWESTERN INDEPENDENT LIVING CENTER INC: $33,491 over 2y, 3.7% of budgetCHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES OF ERIE COUNTY: $29,480 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSUICIDE PREVENTION & CRISIS SERVICE INC: $23,431 over 4y, 0.1% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Community Foundation …The New York Bar Foun…Evans Devereux Memori…United Way of Buffalo…The Frank G Raichle F…First Niagara Foundat…Health Foundation for…The Western New York …The John R Oishei Fou…Mother Cabrini Health…Amazonsmile Foundation
Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo IncNY25.6× affinity10 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo Inc · The New York Bar Foundation · Evans Devereux Memorial Fund Ua 11 Uw Virginia Devereux · United Way of Buffalo and Erie County · The Frank G Raichle Foundation · First Niagara Foundation · Health Foundation for Western & Central New York · The Western New York Foundation · The John R Oishei Foundation · Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Inc · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Neighborhood Legal Services Inc funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Neighborhood Legal Services Inc. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →median 23%
  • Civil Justice Inc: 23% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 17 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

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More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home