American Bar Association
The American Bar Association (ABA) is a professional membership organization and business league (501(c)(6)) founded in 1905, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with an additional office in Washington, D.C. The organization serves both the legal profession and the public by providing resources to assist lawyers and judges, accrediting law schools, and working to improve the legal system. The ABA operates as a voluntary membership organization with approximately 472-835 employees and around 8,500 volunteers.
Key facts about American Bar Association
- EIN
- 36-0723150
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $258,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 34
- Average grant
- $7,588
- Median grant
- $6,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 12% first-time grantees (4 of 34, 2025)
- Total assets
- $307,695,958
- Primary geography
- South Carolina (26% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
Who American Bar Association funds
By grant dollars, the top recipient states for American Bar Association's 34 itemized 2025 grants were South Carolina (26%). The most frequent recipient cities were Columbia, SC (2 grants). None of its 34 grants with a stated purpose were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Awards/Fellowships" (32 grants).
Is American Bar Association open to new grantees?
12%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 34 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $8K. How we count
Medians: $6K first-time, $6K repeat.
Estimate from itemized IRS Form 990-PF grant lists (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Next steps with American Bar Association
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Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$307.7M
-3.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$258K
+2.4% YoY
Grant Count
34
+3.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$8K
-0.6% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
Mission Statement: To serve equally the members of the legal profession and the public by defending liberty and delivering justice as the national representative of the legal profession, to apply the knowledge and experience of the profession to promote the public good and to encourage cordial discourse among the members of the Bar.
Program Areas: The ABA provides lawyers with professional growth and service opportunities through 22 Sections, 7 divisions, and 6 forums dedicated to specific areas of law. These include:
- Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
- Antitrust Law
- Business Law
- Criminal Justice
- Dispute Resolution
- Environment, Energy and Resources
- Family Law
- Health Law
- Civil Rights and Social Justice
- Intellectual Property Law
- International Law
- Labor and Employment Law
- Legal Education
- Litigation
- Public Contract Law
- Infrastructure and Regulated Industries
- Real Property, Trust and Estate Law
- Science and Technology Law
- State and Local Government Law
- Taxation
- Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice
Grantmaking
The ABA makes grants with typical award sizes ranging from $4,100 to $908,000. According to the most recent filings, the organization distributed approximately $527,885 in total giving.
Ready to take the next step with American Bar Association?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Primary funding areas include the District of Columbia, South Carolina, and Arkansas.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 34 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $318,819,299
- Total Revenues: $119,070,500
- Total Expenses: $136,212,880
- Total Giving: $527,885
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $313,000,000
- Total Revenues: $108,000,000
- Total Expenses: $118,000,000
Additional Financial Details:
- Total Liabilities (2023): $180,000,000
- Unrelated Business Income (2023): $2,788,356
- Net Unrelated Business Income (2023): $530,860
- Program Service Revenue (2023): $77,483,727
- Investment Income (2023): $12,444,075
The organization is tax-exempt since September 1994 (EIN: 36-0723150) and is incorporated in the District of Columbia with legal domicile in Illinois.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $307,695,958 | $318,819,299 | $312,769,241 |
| Revenue | $166,167,244 | $119,070,500 | $107,983,462 |
| Expenses | $138,566,608 | $136,212,880 | $118,296,342 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $58,070,512 | $10,138,462 | $12,444,075 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 28, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 17, 2026)
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
Grant Size Distribution
183 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from American Bar Association
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2025 grants, the largest recipients include University of South Carolina ($60,000), Attorney General of Texas ($6,000), Commonwealth of Virginia ($6,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of South Carolina Columbia, SC | Awards/Fellowships | $60,000 |
| Attorney General of Texas Austin, TX | Awards/Fellowships | $6,000 |
| Commonwealth of Virginia Richmond, VA | Awards/Fellowships | $6,000 |
| Connecticut Dept of Consumer Protection Hartford, CT | Awards/Fellowships | $6,000 |
| District of Columbia Govt Washington, DC | Awards/Fellowships | $6,000 |
| Florida Department of Legal Affairs Tallahassee, FL | Awards/Fellowships | $6,000 |
| Mississippi AG's Office Jackson, MS | Awards/Fellowships | $6,000 |
| NC Dept of Justice Raleigh, NC | Awards/Fellowships | $6,000 |
| Nebraska Dept of Justice Lincoln, NE | Awards/Fellowships | $6,000 |
| New York State Dept of Law New York, NY | Awards/Fellowships | $6,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Principal Officer: Reynonda McFarland
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
From 2025 IRS filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha M Brady | Executive Director | 45 | $774,253 |
| Holly O Cook | Sr Assoc Exec Dir-Govt Affairs and PIL | 50 | $417,550 |
| William K Phelan | Sr Assoc. Executive Director and CFO | 36 | $385,545 |
| Scott N Carlson | Assoc Exec Director-Global Programs | 20 | — |
| Annaliese Fleming | Sr Assoc Exec Dir and General Counsel | 33 | $338,120 |
| Carol Stevens | Assoc Exec Director-Media Relations and Strategic Comm | 38 | $357,197 |
| Amy B Eggert | Sr Assoc Exec Dir and Chief of Staff | 55 | $362,639 |
| Joshua Poje | Chief Product Officer-Chief Member Experience Officer | 40 | $320,923 |
| Daniel D Andresen | ABA ROLI Chief Operating Officer Global Programs | 25 | — |
| Ken Zinn | Chief Membership and Marketing Officer | 38 | $295,186 |
| Donna Gollmer | Managing Dir Business Development Revenue Op | 38 | $237,177 |
| Beverly Pendowski | Chief Financial Officer | 40 | $202,442 |
| Katherine Pichon | Chief Information Officer | 40 | $269,240 |
| Candace Cavalier | Division Director Human Resources | 38 | $245,251 |
| Janae E LeFlore | Associate Executive Director and Chief Governance Officer | 38 | $230,303 |
| Amy E Horton-Newell | Director-Public Interest Law | 30 | $248,850 |
| William R Bay | President | 60 | $50,000 |
| Michelle A Behnke | President-Elect | 35 | — |
| Jonathan Cole | Chair, House of Delegates | 35 | — |
| Marvin SC Dang | Secretary | 20 | — |
| Frank H Langrock | Treasurer | 5 | — |
| Mary L Smith | Immediate Past President | 30 | — |
| Thomas W Lyons III | Board of Governors | 2 | — |
| Thomas C Rombach | Board of Governors | 10 | — |
| Thomas Hoff Prol | Board of Governors | 8 | — |
| Tracy A Giles | Board of Governors | 1 | — |
| Thomas C Grella | Board of Governors | 10 | — |
| Samuel Lester Tate III | Board of Governors | 1 | — |
| Aurora Austriaco | Board of Governors | 7 | — |
| Jo Ann Engelhardt | Board of Governors | 2 | — |
| Sheena R Hamilton | Board of Governors | 3 | — |
| James S Hill | Board of Governors | 1 | — |
| M Joe Crosthwait Jr | Board of Governors | 12 | — |
| Frank X Neuner Jr | Board of Governors | 2 | — |
| Carlos A Rodriguez-Vidal | Board of Governors | 5 | — |
| Ann McMahon Romanskaya | Board of Governors | 1 | — |
| Vincent Ted Chang | Board of Governors | 2 | — |
| Cynthia E Nance | Board of Governors | 1 | — |
| Erik Anthony Christiansen | Board of Governors | 9 | — |
| Daniel A Schwartz | Board of Governors | 8 | — |
| Beverly A Carroll | Board of Governors | 6 | — |
| Denise R Avant | Board of Governors | 4 | — |
| Victor M Marquez | Board of Governors | 4 | — |
| Juan Raudrick Thomas | Board of Governors | 1 | — |
| Katherine Maureen Larkin-Wong | Board of Governors | 5 | — |
| Eileen Sullivan | Board of Governors | 2 | — |
| Linda Strite Murnane | Board of Governors | 10 | — |
| Loandria Dahmer | Board of Governors | 2 | — |
| Pamela C Enslen | Board of Governors | 2 | — |
| Michael W Mutek | Board of Governors | 6 | — |
| Anita M Ventrelli | Board of Governors | 4 | — |
| Theodore H Davis Jr | Board of Governors | 2 | — |
| Lucian T Pera | Board of Governors | 3 | — |
| Linda L Randell | Board of Governors | 2 | — |
| Gregory G Brooker | Board of Governors | 1 | — |
| Pauline Weaver | Board of Governors | 4 | — |
| Gail Golman Holtzman | Board of Governors | 2 | — |
| Paula C Martucci | Board of Governors | 4 | — |
| Christopher Steven Jennison | Board of Governors | 3 | — |
| Abre' Conner | Board of Governors | 1 | — |
Contact Information
Chicago Headquarters: American Bar Association 321 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60654
Washington DC Office: American Bar Association 1050 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 400 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 662-1000
Service Center Hotline: Phone: (800) 285-2221 International: +1(312) 988-5000 Email: [email protected] Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM ET
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does American Bar Association fund?
**Mission Statement:** To serve equally the members of the legal profession and the public by defending liberty and delivering justice as the national representative of the legal profession, to apply the knowledge and experience of the profession to promote the public good and to encourage cordial discourse among the members of the Bar. **Program Areas:** The ABA provides lawyers with professional growth and service opportunities through 22 Sections, 7 divisions, and 6 forums dedicated to speci…
How do I apply for a grant from American Bar Association?
The ABA makes grants with typical award sizes ranging from $4,100 to $908,000. According to the most recent filings, the organization distributed approximately $527,885 in total giving. The organization's grant-making focuses on Education, Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, and Human Services, with primary geographic concentration in the District of Columbia, South Carolina, and Arkansas.
Where does American Bar Association make grants?
Primary funding areas include the District of Columbia, South Carolina, and Arkansas.
What size grants does American Bar Association award?
In 2025, American Bar Association awarded 34 grants totaling $258K — an average of about $8K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
What is American Bar Association's EIN?
American Bar Association's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 36-0723150. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
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Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.