The Legal Foundation of Washington (LFW) is a nonprofit organization established in 1984 at the direction of the Washington Supreme Court to distribute Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) funds to legal aid organizations across the state. Based in Seattle, Washington, LFW has over 35 years of experience raising, managing, and distributing funds to achieve equal civil justice for low-income people. The organization funds civil legal aid, impact litigation, policy reform, and systemic advocacy across Washington State.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$99.6M
+58.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$7.2M
-75.6% YoY
Grant Count
36
-23.4% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$199K
-68.1% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
LFW's mission is to achieve equal civil justice for low-income people. The organization envisions a society where poverty and race are not impediments and seeks to ensure access to civil legal aid for all people in Washington while improving equity in the civil justice system. The organization's work contributes to breaking cycles of poverty and ensuring equal opportunity.
LFW funds programs devoted to delivering equitable access to the civil justice system for underprivileged citizens in Washington State. Primary focus areas include:
- Civil legal aid services for low-income families
- Impact litigation and policy reform
- Systemic advocacy for racial justice and equity
- Legal services addressing specific needs including:
- Eviction prevention
- Immigrant defense
- Domestic violence survivor support
- Juvenile justice system support
- Wage theft and worker benefits issues
- Foreclosure defense
- Veterans' services
Grantmaking
LFW distributes more than $15 million annually in grants to civil justice organizations. Since its founding, the organization has distributed more than $200 million to Washington's legal aid community.
Grant Range
$5,000 to $10,600,000
Average Grant
amount varies by program
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Washington State, with primary focus on civil legal aid organizations across the state.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets and Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $99,564,152
- Total revenues: $55,353,985
- Total expenses: $9,847,982
- Total giving: $7,176,682
Assets and Revenue (2023):
- Total assets: $62.8 million
- Total revenues: $46.8 million
- Total expenses: $31.6 million
- Annual giving: $29,388,845
Endowment:
- Manages the Endowment for Equal Justice, the largest civil legal aid endowment in the nation with a corpus exceeding $22 million
Staffing:
- 14 employees (2024)
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $99,564,152 | $62,808,379 | $28,574,544 |
| Revenue | $55,353,985 | $46,770,626 | $17,401,527 |
| Expenses | $9,847,982 | $31,559,184 | $5,249,337 |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | $3,739,561 | $1,535,506 | $372,344 |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
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 2024
Grant Size Distribution
215 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
4 open opportunities from Legal Foundation of Washington
Goldmark Equal Access to Justice Internship Grant
LEGAL FOUNDATION OF WASHINGTON
Amount
More than US $16,800
Deadline
Rolling / Open
LFW: Accelerator Grants
LEGAL FOUNDATION OF WASHINGTON
Amount
US $20,000 - US $100,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
LFW: Partnership Grants
LEGAL FOUNDATION OF WASHINGTON
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Executive Director: Caitlin Davis
- Grants Coordinator: Emily Van Yuga
- Chief Development and Stewardship Officer: Melinda Mann
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| JULI FARRIS | PRESIDENT | 3 | — |
| JOANNA PLICHTA BOISEN | VICE PRESIDENT | 2 | — |
| GARY MELONSON | TREASURER | 2 | — |
| ANTHONY POWERS | SECRETARY | 2 | — |
| SEAN DAVIS | PAST PRESIDENT | 2 | — |
| CANDELARIA MURILLO | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| WILLIAM PICKETT | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| KRISTIN FERRERA | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| MICHAEL PONTAROLO | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| MICHAEL SPRANGERS | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| JENNIFER BERESKIN-SEAMONSTER | TRUSTEE | 1 | — |
| CAITLIN DAVIS | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $180,872 |
| ANNIE RAMIREZ | ENDOWMENT DIRECTOR | 8 | $161,150 |
| KRISTIN PARKER | DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS | 40 | $107,954 |
| ALEXANDRA DEAS | ANNUAL CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR | 40 | $104,184 |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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