Wisconsin · Nonprofit
WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC
WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC (Wisconsin) receives grants from 7 organizations whose IRS filings report $44,936 to it, the largest being GREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION INC ($25,000). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 73% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2025
- $597k
- Funders on record
- 7
- Grants received
- $45k
- Net assets
- $3.9M
What Wisconsin Law Foundation Inc does
Mission
To promote public understanding of the law, improvement of the administration of justice and other law-related public service through funding of innovative and creative programs that improve the vision of the american justice system.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
On its FY2024 return the organization reported starting a significant new program.
The kathryn rasmussen bullon fund to enhance legal representation addresses the need for legal representation in underserved areas, often referred to as "legal deserts," by funding the rural practice development program. The goal of this state bar of wisconsin administered program is to recruit three attorneys each year to practice law in a designated county in rural wisconsin for at least two years. Options include starting a practice, joining a firm, or practicing in a government or nonprofit setting. An approved eligible attorney receives $5,000 at the start of the agreement and another $5,000 upon completion of the two-year commitment.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 2).
Truman mcnulty grants: the mcnulty grants are awarded to charitable or educational programs that promote public understanding of the law, or improve the administration of justice, or are a law-related public service project. The recipients of the fy2025 grants are: abc for health; briarpatch youth services, inc.; catholic multicultural center; centro legal; grant county teen court; legal action of wisconsin, inc.; milwaukee justice center; oneida county teen court; sauk county family law court; sheboygan county health & human services; wisconsin casa association; wisconsin teen court association.
$28,000 spentof which $28,000 as grants31% of program spendingState bar law-related education programs: the state bar law-related education program grants support the high school mock trial tournament, which promote awareness of the law and citizenship through interactive educational experiences. The high school mock trial tournament familiarizes students with the american legal system with students participating in a trial simulation as lawyers and witnesses.
$16,463 spentof which $16,463 as grants$11,871 earned by the program18% of program spending1. 2025 annual meeting and conference registration for three diversity clerkship program participants.2. 2025 solo and small firm conference registration for up to three diversity clerkship program participants.3. Exclusive sponsor of the 2025 diversity clerkship reception which honors both the law clerks and employers for this year's diversity clerkship program. Leaders from across the profession come together to participate in this annual gathering.
$15,169 spentof which $15,169 as grants$7,762 earned by the program17% of program spendingTo promote public understanding of the law, improvement of the administration of justice and other law-related public service through funding of innovative and creative programs that improve the vision of the american justice system including but not limited to the following programs: the belle case la follette awards recognize three recent law school graduates, who are state bar of wisconsin members and practicing in wisconsin, and who represent under-served populations, such as people of modest means and those who live in rural areas. One award is given to a graduate of the university of wisconsin law school. One award is given to a graduate of marquette university law school. One award is given to a graduate of a law school located outside wisconsin who is practicing in wisconsin.the kathryn rasmussen bullon fund to enhance legal representation addresses the need for legal representation in underserved areas, often referred to as "legal deserts," by funding the rural practice development program. The goal of this state bar of wisconsin administered program is to recruit three attorneys each year to practice law in a designated county in rural wisconsin for at least two years.…
$29,362 spentof which $24,318 as grants$371,987 earned by the program33% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $88,994.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2024 to 2025, from $3.3M to $3.9M (+18%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 0 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Who funds it, year by year
2019 → 2023: the base held at 1 funder, grant income fell $2k → $16.
3 of 7 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 73% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 56% of grant income and the top three 95%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
73% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2019 100% · 2020 100% · 2021 77% · 2022 97% · 2023 100% — broadly stable.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
73% of WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $12k that is directly attributable, 98% of it comes from Wisconsin funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $33k arriving through sponsors registered in 3 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Organizations like WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Wisconsin
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
47% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
83%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- State Bar of Wisconsin · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC?
- WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC (Wisconsin) receives grants from 7 organizations whose IRS filings report $44,936 to it, the largest being GREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION INC ($25,000). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 73% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC have?
- IRS filings report 7 organizations giving $44,936 in grants to WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC, 1 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC?
- GREATER MILWAUKEE FOUNDATION INC is the largest funder on record, with $25,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like WISCONSIN LAW FOUNDATION INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Wisconsin. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 7 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing