Prison Law Office
The mission of the Prison Law Office is to reduce incarceration and ensure humane and constitutional treatment of people who remain in prisons, jails and on parole.
Prison Law Office at a glance
In short: Prison Law Office gave $20K across 2 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Louisiana. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $20,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 2
- Average grant
- $10,000
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $140,149,324
- +15.0% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Louisiana (50% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
Who Prison Law Office funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 2 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Promise of Justice Initiative ($10K). Together the top 2 received $20K.
Grant Size Distribution
2 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 2 grants of 2 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 2 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
In 2025 it made 2 grants totaling $20K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Promise of Justice Initiative New Orleans, LA | Sponsor for 2024 Prison Law and Advocacy Conference | $10,000 |
| Uncommon Law Oakland, CA | Sponsor for 2025 Uncommon Heroes Event | $10,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $140,149,324 | $12,850,528 | $7,643,924 | $20,000 | 2 | $830,600 |
| 2024 | $121,847,624 | $10,257,835 | $6,165,644 | — | — | $579,367 |
| 2023 | $104,217,285 | $16,140,547 | $5,026,875 | — | — | $4,765,090 |
| 2022 | $89,399,266 | $24,155,941 | $4,280,714 | — | — | $18,072,762 |
| 2021 | $98,997,228 | $11,276,060 | $3,722,859 | — | — | $1,998,371 |
| 2020 | $75,722,346 | $10,465,939 | $4,304,254 | — | — | $1,993,747 |
About Prison Law Office
Based on IRS filings
Prison Law Office is a public charity focused on Crime & Legal Related, based in Berkeley, CA. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $140.1M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 2 grants totaling $20K. Net investment income was $831K.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Prison Law Office is led by Margot Mendelson, Executive Director since 2024 (on filings since 2023); 6 of 17 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Margot Mendelson
Executive Director
Attorney → Executive Director, 2024
On filings since 2023
45 hrs/week
$182K (2023) → $300K (2025)
Claire McDonnell
Board Chair & Member
Member → Board Chair & Member, 2025
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Chesa Boudin
Board Chair & Member
Member → Board Chair & Member, 2025
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alison Hardy
Attorney
On filings since 2020
45 hrs/week
$207K (2020) → $269K (2025)
Rita Lomion
Attorney
On filings since 2020
45 hrs/week
$153K (2020) → $210K (2025)
Steven Fama
Attorney
On filings since 2020
45 hrs/week
$207K (2020) → $267K (2025)
Marissa Hatton
Attorney
New on the 2025 filing
45 hrs/week
$232K (2025)
Rana Anabtawi
Attorney
New on the 2025 filing
45 hrs/week
$196K (2025)
Jean Lu
Member
Palo Alto → Member, 2021
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael Marcum
Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Seth Morris
Vice President & Treasurer
Member → Vice President & Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vishal Shah
Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Adrienne Yandell
Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nick Gregoratos
Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jason Bell
Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vanita Gaonkar
Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Keramet Reiter
Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (13)
- Former: Donald Specter (2020–2024) — Attorney
- Former: Sara Norman (2020–2024) — Attorney
- Former: Christianne Hipps (2023–2024) — President
- Former: Chris Hipps (2020–2022) — Member
- Former: Harlan Grossman (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Ruth Morgan (2020–2022) — Member
- Former: Cesar Lagleva (2020–2021) — Member
- Former: Corene Kendrick (2020–2021) — Attorney
- Former: Laura Magnini (2020–2021) — Member
- Former: Margaret Johns (2020–2021) — Member
- Former: Marshall Krause (2020–2021) — Treasurer
- Former: Michele Walkin-Hawk (2020–2021) — Vice President
- Former: Penelope Cooper (2020–2021) — President
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 $300K, to Margot Mendelson (Executive Director). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Prison Law Office
How much does Prison Law Office give each year?
Prison Law Office gave $20K across 2 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990.
How large is Prison Law Office?
Prison Law Office reported $140.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $12.9M.
What is Prison Law Office?
Prison Law Office is a public charity focused on Crime & Legal Related, based in Berkeley, CA. It holds $140.1M in total assets as of 2025.
Where does Prison Law Office operate?
Prison Law Office has awarded grants in California, Louisiana.
What is Prison Law Office's EIN?
Prison Law Office's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-2495939. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
Live grants for the work Prison Law Office funds
Crime & Legal Related Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Prison Law Office's focus areas in our free grants database
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Prison Law Office'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.
Prison Law Office down — hundreds of funders to go?