National Center for Youth Law
The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) is a public charity based in Oakland, California. It works to change systems affecting children and youth through litigation, policy advocacy, partnerships, and research, with work spanning education, health, immigration, foster care, and youth justice.
Key facts about National Center for Youth Law
In short: National Center for Youth Law gave $1.2M across 16 grants in 2025 (avg $76K), mostly in California. 19% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 94-2506933
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,223,334
- Grants made (2025)
- 16
- Average grant
- $76,458
- Median grant
- $76,563
- New grantees (estimate)
- 19% first-time grantees (3 of 16, 2025; small sample)
- Total assets
- $20,838,374
- Primary geography
- California (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- The organization states that selection criteria for grant assistance are determined by specific NCYL donors at the time of donation, and that NCYL distributes donations on their behalf. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$20.8M
-8.5% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.2M
+5.0% YoY
Grant Count
16
-15.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$76K
+24.7% YoY
Is National Center for Youth Law open to new grantees?
19%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 16 grantees (19%) were first-time recipients. With only 16 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. First grants averaged $117K; repeat grants $67K. How we count
Medians: $66K first-time, $88K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
NCYL’s stated mission is to put children and youth at the heart of the pursuit of justice, using litigation, policy change, partnerships, and research to protect children’s rights and ensure every voice is heard. Its work includes education, children’s health and wellbeing, youth justice and equity, and legal strategies to bring systemic change. The organization describes work on foster care, immigration, commercial sexual exploitation, reproductive health, and education among its areas of focus.
Its 2025 grants included subgrants for a Youth Justice Initiative and for collaborative responses to commercial sexual exploitation, as well as support for reproductive and sexual health work involving youth in foster care. The grantees’ own descriptions show support reaching community organizations, youth-serving programs, and legal advocacy organizations. For example, Regional Access Project Foundation says it provides funding, oversight, technical assistance, and guidance to organizations and collaborative groups serving eastern Riverside County in health, mental health, and juvenile interventions. Children’s Law Center of California describes its work as legal representation and advocacy for children and youth affected by abuse and neglect. Be Smooth Inc says it works to foster school communities where youth and families heal, grow, and create change.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, NCYL reported 16 grants totaling $1,223,334. Grants ranged from $6,000 to $265,625, with a median of $76,562. All reported grant dollars went to recipients in California.
The largest reported grants included $265,625 to Regional Access Project Foundation for a Youth Justice Initiative subgrant; $150,000 each to Amelia Ann Adams Whole Life Center and KIDS IN KONFLICT INC for Youth Justice Initiative subgrants; and $123,584 to Children’s Law Center of California for a Collaborative Responses to Commercial Sexual Exploitation subgrant. Other notable grants included $100,000 each to Be Smooth Inc, Children’s Home of Stockton, and Neighborhood College Youth Opportunity Program for Youth Justice Initiative subgrants, and $87,500 to John Burton Foundation for work supporting a collective-impact campaign to increase access to reproductive and sexual health care and information for foster youth in Los Angeles County.
How to Apply
The organization states that selection criteria for grant assistance are determined by specific NCYL donors at the time of donation, and that NCYL distributes donations on their behalf.
Ready to take the next step with National Center for Youth Law?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
NCYL describes work at state and federal levels and says it defends children’s rights across the country. Its 2025 reported grants were all to California recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 16 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $342K (2019) to $1.4M (2022). In 2025 it made 16 grants totaling $1.2M.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Regional Access Project Foundation ($266K). Together the top 10 received $1.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
82 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 47 grants of 82 (57%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Regional Access Project Foundation Palm Desert, CA | Youth Justice Initiative sub-grant | $265,625 |
| Amelia Ann Adams Whole Life Center Stockton, CA | Youth Justice Initiative sub-grant | $150,000 |
| Kids in Konflict Inc Riverside, CA | Youth Justice Initiative sub-grant | $150,000 |
| Children's Law Center of California Monterey Park, CA | Collaborative Responses to Commercial Sexual Exploitation sub-grant | $123,584 |
| Be Smooth Inc Stockton, CA | Youth Justice Initiative sub-grant | $100,000 |
| Children's Home of Stockton Stockton, CA | Youth Justice Initiative sub-grant | $100,000 |
| Neighborhood College Youth Opportunity Program Riverside, CA | Youth Justice Initiative sub-grant | $100,000 |
| John Burton Foundation San Francisco, CA | To support development of a resilient collective impact campaign and related activities that will increase access to reproductive and sexual health care and information, and in the long run, significantly reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies in foster youth in Los Angeles County. | $87,500 |
| Integral Community Solutions Institute Fresno, CA | Deliver the Bienestar Youth Wellness Program to up to 70 youth per year over three years, | $65,625 |
| Black Women for Wellness Los Angeles, CA | Implementation planning and engaging in Teen Talk Foster Youth | $20,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $20,838,374 | $15,871,698 | $17,337,828 | $1,223,334 across 16 grants |
| 2024 | $22,780,127 | $18,263,729 | $19,797,644 | $1,164,953 across 19 grants |
| 2023 | $25,256,809 | $13,795,088 | $19,032,286 | $1,107,009 across 18 grants |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $20,838,374 | $22,780,127 | $25,256,809 |
| Revenue | $15,871,698 | $18,263,729 | $13,795,088 |
| Expenses | $17,337,828 | $19,797,644 | $19,032,286 |
| Net Investment Income | $553,329 | $746,436 | $603,223 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 31, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS July 26, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 28, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 11, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 25, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 21, 2020)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Sophie Fanelli as president, Denise Forte as vice president, Luis Vergara as secretary, and Lex Brainerd, Preetha Chakrabarti, June Dipchand, Mishaela Duran, and Frank Figgers as board members. Mary Bissell served as treasurer through July 2025, and Mohammad Barkeshli began serving as treasurer in July 2025.
National Center for Youth Law is led by Shakti Belway, Executive Director since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 7 of 22 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Shakti Belway
Executive Director
Dep. Director Policy & Litigation → Dep. Director Pol., Litig. & Executive Director, 2023
Dep. Director Pol., Litig. & Executive Director → Executive Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
37.5 hrs/week
$58K (2020) → $323K (2025)
Sophie Fanelli
President
Board Member → President, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karla James
Dep. Director Finance & Ops.
Dep. Director, Operations & Finance → Dep. Director Finance & Operations, 2022
Dep. Director Finance & Operations → Dep. Director Finance & Ops., 2025
On filings since 2019
37.5 hrs/week
$158K (2019) → $146K (2025)
Rebecca Gudeman
Senior Director & Health
On filings since 2019
37.5 hrs/week
$139K (2019) → $203K (2025)
Neha Desai
Senior Director & Immigration
On filings since 2021
37.5 hrs/week
$162K (2021) → $215K (2025)
Francis Guzman
Senior Director & Youth Justice
Senior Director & Youth Justice Initiative → Senior Director & Youth Justice, 2023
On filings since 2022
37.5 hrs/week
$174K (2022) → $201K (2025)
Beulah Bloxom
Senior Director & Human Resources
New on the 2025 filing
37.5 hrs/week
$203K (2025)
Jason Okonofua
Board Member
President → President & Consultant, 2022
President & Consultant → Board Member, 2023
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$10K (2022) → $0 (2025)
Jason Sutton
Senior Controller
New on the 2025 filing
37.5 hrs/week
$194K (2025)
Lori Schechter
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Bissell
Treasurer
Vice President → President, 2023
President → Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mona Tawatao
Board Member
Secretary → Vice President, 2023
Vice President → Board Member, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sandeep Solanki
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Denise Forte
Vice President
Board Member → Secretary, 2023
Secretary → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Frank Figgers
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
June Dipchand
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Preetha Chakrabarti
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lex Brainerd
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lisa Rieger
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Luis Vergara
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mishaela Duran
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mohammad Barkeshli
Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (19)
- Former: Brian Rocca (2019–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Christopher Wu (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Laura Francois (2019–2024) — Senior Director & Compassionate Executive Director Sys.
- Former: Laura K Lin (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Mary E McCutcheon (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Peter B Edelman (2019–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Brenda Shum (2020–2024) — Senior Directing Attorney
- Former: Kate Walker-Brown (2023–2024) — Senior Director & Collab. Responses to Cse
- Former: Jesse Hahnel (2019–2023) — Executive Director
- Former: Elida Bautista (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Kristen Weber (2023) — Senior Director & Child Welfare
- Former: David Brown (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Jack Londen (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Michael Harris (2019–2022) — Senior Director & Juvenile Justice
- Former: Leecia Welch (2019–2021) — Senior Director & Child Welfare · Filing note: Term ended 921
- Former: Seth Galanter (2019–2021) — Senior Director & Legal Advocacy
- Former: Sidharth Kakkar (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: James D Weill (2019–2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Walter P Loughlin (2019–2020) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "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 $323K, to Shakti Belway (Executive Director). 7 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 428 13Th Street Fl 5, Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: (510) 835-8098
Website: https://youthlaw.org
Frequently asked questions about National Center for Youth Law
How much does National Center for Youth Law give each year?
National Center for Youth Law gave $1.2M across 16 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $1.2M across 19 grants.
What is National Center for Youth Law's typical grant size?
National Center for Youth Law's median grant in 2025 was $76,563, and its average grant was $76,458, across 16 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from National Center for Youth Law that year got $117K on average.
Where does National Center for Youth Law give grants?
National Center for Youth Law gives mostly in California: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Los Angeles, CA (4 grants), Stockton, CA (3 grants) and Riverside, CA (2 grants).
Does National Center for Youth Law give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 16 grants with a stated purpose on National Center for Youth Law's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Youth Justice Initiative sub-grant" (6 grants).
Who are National Center for Youth Law's largest grantees?
National Center for Youth Law's largest 2025 grantees include Regional Access Project Foundation ($265,625), Amelia Ann Adams Whole Life Center ($150,000) and Kids in Konflict Inc ($150,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 46% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is National Center for Youth Law?
National Center for Youth Law reported $20.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $15.9M.
What does National Center for Youth Law fund?
NCYL’s stated mission is to put children and youth at the heart of the pursuit of justice, using litigation, policy change, partnerships, and research to protect children’s rights and ensure every voice is heard. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from National Center for Youth Law?
The organization states that selection criteria for grant assistance are determined by specific NCYL donors at the time of donation, and that NCYL distributes donations on their behalf. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is National Center for Youth Law's EIN?
National Center for Youth Law's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-2506933. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Here's the math on researching National Center for Youth Law by hand.
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