Accesslex Institute
AccessLex Institute is a public charity based in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It supports access to, affordability of, and value in legal education through research, grantmaking, policy analysis and advocacy, and educational services.
Accesslex Institute at a glance
In short: Accesslex Institute gave $2.3M across 38 grants in 2025 (avg $60K), top state New York. 41% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $2,282,755
- +10.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 38
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $60,073
- +10.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $50,000
- Total assets
- $1,569,435,529
- -12.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 41% first-time grantees (14 of 34, 2025)
- Primary geography
- New York (15% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Accesslex Institute
- Invitation Only
-
The institute uses an online grant application system. Applicants create an account to submit a proposal, and reporting requirements are submitted through the system as follow-up forms under the grant agreement. The Directed Grant Program is invitation-only. The Diversity Pathway Intervention Grant Program requires, among other things, a focus on eligible pre-law participants, a program evaluation plan, and methods for tracking and documenting outcomes.
- Contact
Mailing address: 10 North High Street Ste 400, West Chester, PA 19380
Phone: (484) 653-3300
Website: https://accesslex.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
9 open opportunities from Accesslex Institute
AccessLex: Bar Success Research Grant Program
Accesslex Institute
Amount
US $150,000 - US $300,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
AccessLex: Diversity Pathway Intervention Grant Program
Accesslex Institute
Amount
US $200,000 - US $300,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Admission Innovation Project
Accesslex Institute
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who Accesslex Institute funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The State Bar of California - Exam Features Experiment ($175K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Organizations only. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($370,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
205 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 126 grants of 205 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grants included recipients in multiple states and the District of Columbia. The largest reported shares of grant dollars by recipient state were New York (15%), Illinois (12%), California (9%), Arkansas (7%), and the District of Columbia (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 38 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Accesslex Institute open to new grantees?
41%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 34 grantees (41%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $55K; repeat grants $76K. How we count
Medians: $37K first-time, $69K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+1%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2021–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.7M (2021) to $2.3M (2025). In 2025 it made 38 grants totaling $2.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The State Bar of California - Exam Features Experiment San Francisco, CA | Program Support/Research | $175,000 |
| 4 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $370,000 |
| American Bar Foundation - Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program in Legal and Chicago, IL | Program Support/Research | $150,000 |
| New York Law School - Empirical Study of Use of Students' Prior Knowledge & New York, NY | Program Support/Research | $150,000 |
| Pennsylvania State University - Antiracist Development Initiative for Law S Carlisle, PA | Program Support/Research | $125,000 |
| National Center for Civic Innovation Inc - Enhancing the Ea's Productive M New York, NY | Program Support/Research | $100,000 |
| Regents of University of Colorado - Prelaw Pathway Partnership Denver, CO | Program Support/Research | $100,000 |
| University of Miami - the Relationship Between Curriculum Selections and Ba Atlanta, GA | Program Support/Research | $92,500 |
| Indiana University Maurer School of Law - Evaluating a Productive Mindset P Bloomington, IN | Program Support/Research | $91,438 |
| Association of American Law Schools (Aals) - Research Directed Grant Washington, DC | Program Support/Research | $75,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Accesslex Institute?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,569,435,529 | $72,063,198 | $83,246,965 | $2,282,755 | 38 | $13,470,283 |
| 2024 | $1,785,535,287 | $95,890,882 | $101,842,774 | $2,073,758 | 38 | $12,875,427 |
| 2023 | $1,820,687,091 | $77,938,285 | $76,455,750 | $1,758,934 | 42 | $12,119,366 |
| 2022 | $2,183,370,969 | $71,548,007 | $67,049,586 | $2,255,217 | 50 | $23,403,754 |
| 2021 | $3,025,741,930 | $95,736,485 | $83,513,828 | $1,742,638 | 37 | $15,431,468 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
AccessLex’s stated mission is to foster broad-based access to quality legal education for talented, purpose-driven students and to maximize the value and affordability of a law degree. Its stated focus areas include bar exam success, diversity, actionable data, and financial education. Its grantmaking priorities include broadening access to legal education, particularly for people from historically underrepresented racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and increasing bar passage among students and graduates most at risk of not passing.
The institute operates grant programs in admissions innovation, diversity pathways, bar-success interventions, and bar-success research, as well as an invitation-only Directed Grant Program. Its Diversity Pathway Intervention Grant Program supports programs for college students and graduates from historically underrepresented groups preparing to enter law school and the legal profession. The program specifies a 12–24-month duration and funding request of $200,000–$300,000, and calls for measurable objectives and an evaluation plan.
Its 2025 grants included support for law schools and universities, research organizations, professional associations, and other nonprofits. For example, the American Bar Foundation received $150,000; the foundation describes its mission as advancing knowledge and justice through rigorous empirical research. The Association of American Law Schools received $75,000; it describes its mission as upholding and advancing excellence in legal education. The National Center for Civic Innovation received $100,000; it describes its purpose as facilitating the adaptation of initiatives that promote the performance of government and nonprofit organizations.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, AccessLex reported 38 grants totaling $2,282,755. Grants ranged from $7,500 to $175,000, with a median of $50,000. The reported purposes for the largest grants included program support and research.
Among the largest awards were $175,000 to the State Bar of California for an exam-features experiment; $160,000 to an individual recipient in Arkansas; $150,000 each to the American Bar Foundation for an emerging scholars fellowship program and New York Law School for an empirical study; and $125,000 to Pennsylvania State University for an antiracist development initiative. Other awards included $115,000 to the Association of an individual recipient Professionals and $100,000 to the National Center for Civic Innovation and the Regents of the University of Colorado.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Christopher P. Chapman as president and CEO. Listed board officers are Robert K. Rasmussen, chair; Mary Crossley, vice chair; and David Brennen, secretary/treasurer. The filing also lists Neel Chatterjee, Danielle M. Conway, Mark C. Dawkins, Vilas Dhar, Chris Guthrie, and Bridget M. McCormack as board members.
Accesslex Institute is led by Christopher P. Chapman, President & CEO on every filing since 2021; 17 of 29 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Christopher P. Chapman
President & CEO
On filings since 2021
37.5 hrs/week
$816K (2021) → $719K (2025)
Aaron N. Taylor
Senior Vice President & Executive Director for Legal Executive Director
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$297K (2021) → $342K (2025)
Robert K. Rasmussen
Board Chair
Board Vice Chair → Board Chair, 2023
On filings since 2021
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Robert J. Greenawalt
Managing Director - Port Management
Managing Director & Portfolio Management → Managing Director - Port Management, 2022
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$169K (2021) → $189K (2025)
Erick Hnosko
Managing Director - It Operations
On filings since 2024
50 hrs/week
$160K (2024) → $166K (2025)
Nancy Conneely
Managing Director - Policy & Clee Administrator
New on the 2025 filing
50 hrs/week
$161K (2025)
Pamela Dunn
Managing Director - Data & Learning Solution`
New on the 2025 filing
50 hrs/week
$172K (2025)
David J. Ramage
Senior Vice President & CIO
Vice President, Investments & Corporate Development → Vice President Investments & CIO, 2022
Vice President Investments & CIO → Senior Vice President & CIO, 2023
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$225K (2021) → $299K (2025)
Deborah A. Fabryka
Executive Assistant & Assistant Secretary
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$97K (2021) → $114K (2025)
Debra Swartz
Senior Vice President General Counsel & CCO
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & CCO → Senior Vice President General Counsel & CCO, 2023
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$303K (2021) → $423K (2025)
James R. Cassity
Senior Vice President Corp Operations & CIO
Vice President & Corporate Operations → Vice President, Corp Operations & CIO, 2022
Vice President, Corp Operations & CIO → Senior Vice President Corp Operations & CIO, 2023
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$220K (2021) → $309K (2025)
Jennifer Schott
Vice President, Center for Legal Education & Finance
Managing Director & Financial Edu → Managing Director - Financial Executive Director, 2022
Managing Director - Financial Executive Director → Vice President, Center for Legal Education & Finance, 2025
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$146K (2021) → $181K (2025)
Samuel Greenhalgh Jr.
Senior Vice President & CFO
Vice President & Controller → Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, 2022
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer → Senior Vice President & CFO, 2023
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$213K (2021) → $297K (2025)
Tiffane Cochran
Vice President Research
Managing Director & Research → Managing Director - Research, 2022
Managing Director - Research → Vice President Research, 2023
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$160K (2021) → $207K (2025)
Valerie Young
Vice President Human Resources
Managing Director - Hr → Vice President Hr, 2024
Vice President Hr → Vice President Human Resources, 2025
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$146K (2021) → $208K (2025)
Joyce Glanfield
Managing Director - Assistant Controller
On filings since 2022
50 hrs/week
$155K (2022) → $173K (2025)
Cynthia A. Cassity
Senior Vice President Strategic Engagement & Helix COO
On filings since 2023
27.5 hrs/week
$159K (2023) → $169K (2025)
Evneet Khurana
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
On filings since 2023
50 hrs/week
$143K (2023) → $207K (2025)
Austen L. Parish
Board Member
On filings since 2021
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Guthrie
Board Member
On filings since 2021
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Danielle M. Conway
Board Member
On filings since 2021
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David A. Brennen
Board Secretary & Treasurer
Board Member → Board Secretary & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2021
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark C. Dawkins
Board Member
On filings since 2021
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Crossley
Board Vice Chair
Board Secretary & Treasurer → Board Vice Chair, 2023
On filings since 2021
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Maureen A. O'Rourke
Board Member
On filings since 2021
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Renee McDonald Hutchins
Board Member
On filings since 2023
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Vilas Dhar
Board Member
On filings since 2023
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Neel Chatterjee
Board Member
On filings since 2024
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bridget M. McCormack
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
6 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Olga O'Donnell (2023–2024) — Managing Director - Assistant General Counsel
- Former: Ralph D. Sinsheimer (2021–2023) — Board Member
- Former: William Ks Wang (2021–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Cynthia A. Cassity Sibley (2021–2022) — Senior Vice President, Strategic Engagement & COO
- Former: Wh Knight Jr. (2021–2022) — Board Chair
- Former: Christopher Clements (2021) — Director & It Architecture
- Former: Clarine Nardi Riddle (2021) — Board Member
- Former: Hannah Arterian (2021) — Board Member
- Former: Lyssa Thaden (2021) — Managing Director & Helix
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $719K, to Christopher P Chapman (President & CEO). 17 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Accesslex Institute
How much does Accesslex Institute give each year?
Accesslex Institute gave $2.3M across 38 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $2.1M across 38 grants.
What is Accesslex Institute's typical grant size?
Accesslex Institute's median grant in 2025 was $50,000, and its average grant was $60,073, across 38 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Accesslex Institute that year got $55K on average.
Where does Accesslex Institute give grants?
Accesslex Institute's top state is New York, with 15% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Illinois (12%) and California (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (5 grants), New York, NY (3 grants), Chicago, IL (3 grants) and San Francisco, CA (2 grants).
Does Accesslex Institute give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 38 grants with a stated purpose on Accesslex Institute's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program Support/Research" (38 grants).
Who are Accesslex Institute's largest grantees?
Accesslex Institute's largest 2025 grantees include The State Bar of California - Exam Features Experiment ($175,000), American Bar Foundation - Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program in Legal and ($172,880 across 2 grants) and New York Law School - Empirical Study of Use of Students' Prior Knowledge & ($150,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 4 grants to individuals ($370,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 22% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Accesslex Institute?
Accesslex Institute reported $1.6B in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $72.1M.
What does Accesslex Institute fund?
AccessLex’s stated mission is to foster broad-based access to quality legal education for talented, purpose-driven students and to maximize the value and affordability of a law degree. Its stated focus areas include bar exam success, diversity, actionable data, and financial education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Accesslex Institute?
The institute uses an online grant application system. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Accesslex Institute's EIN?
Accesslex Institute's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-2719985. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 3, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 9, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 13, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Accesslex Institute's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Accesslex Institute funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/accesslex-institute-morg_8d69574edb1744058b4d6140f456220d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_232719985_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Accesslex Institute funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/accesslex-institute-morg_8d69574edb1744058b4d6140f456220d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Accesslex Institute's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Accesslex Institute down — hundreds of funders to go?