Attach to Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
Go to
www.irs.gov/Form990 for instructions and the latest information.
| (i) Name of supported organization | (ii) EIN | (iii) Type of organization (described on lines 1- 10 above (see instructions)) | (iv) Is the organization listed in your governing document? | (v) Amount of monetary support (see instructions) | (vi) Amount of other support (see instructions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | |||||
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Total |
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Calendar year
(or fiscal year beginning in)
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(a) 2020 | (b) 2021 | (c) 2022 | (d) 2023 | (e) 2024 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grant.") .. | 5,651,681 | 20,015,131 | 8,036,922 | 3,071,141 | 4,745,677 | 41,520,552 |
| 2 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf .... | ||||||
| 3 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge.. | ||||||
| 4 | Total. Add lines 1 through 3 | 5,651,681 | 20,015,131 | 8,036,922 | 3,071,141 | 4,745,677 | 41,520,552 |
| 5 | The portion of total contributions by each person (other than a governmental unit or publicly supported organization) included on line 1 that exceeds 2% of the amount shown on line 11, column (f) .. | ||||||
| 6 | Public support. Subtract line 5 from line 4. | 41,520,552 | |||||
Calendar year
(or fiscal year beginning in)
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(a) 2020 | (b) 2021 | (c) 2022 | (d) 2023 | (e) 2024 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Amounts from line 4.. | 5,651,681 | 20,015,131 | 8,036,922 | 3,071,141 | 4,745,677 | 41,520,552 |
| 8 | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources... | 378,689 | 353,173 | 555,826 | 977,644 | 991,374 | 3,256,706 |
| 9 | Net income from unrelated business activities, whether or not the business is regularly carried on.. | ||||||
| 10 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.).. | 19,029 | 61,576 | 52,022 | 19,800 | 4,464 | 156,891 |
| 11 | Total support. Add lines 7 through 10 | 44,934,149 | |||||
Calendar year (or fiscal
year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2020 | (b) 2021 | (c) 2022 | (d) 2023 | (e) 2024 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grants.") . | ||||||
| 2 | Gross receipts from admissions, merchandise sold or services performed, or facilities furnished in any activity that is related to the organization's tax-exempt purpose | ||||||
| 3 | Gross receipts from activities that are not an unrelated trade or business under section 513 ..... | ||||||
| 4 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf... | ||||||
| 5 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge | ||||||
| 6 | Total. Add lines 1 through 5 | ||||||
| 7a | Amounts included on lines 1, 2, and 3 received from disqualified persons | ||||||
| b | Amounts included on lines 2 and 3 received from other than disqualified persons that exceed the greater of $5,000 or 1% of the amount on line 13 for the year. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 7a and 7b.. | ||||||
| 8 | Public support. (Subtract line 7c from line 6.) | ||||||
Calendar year
(or fiscal year beginning in)
![]() |
(a) 2020 | (b) 2021 | (c) 2022 | (d) 2023 | (e) 2024 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Amounts from line 6... | ||||||
| 10a | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources.. | ||||||
| b | Unrelated business taxable income (less section 511 taxes) from businesses acquired after June 30, 1975. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 10a and 10b. | ||||||
| 11 | Net income from unrelated business activities not included on line 10b, whether or not the business is regularly carried on. | ||||||
| 12 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.) .. | ||||||
| 13 | Total support. (Add lines 9, 10c, 11, and 12.).. | ||||||
| Section A - Adjusted Net Income | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
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| 1 | Net short-term capital gain | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Other gross income (see instructions) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Add lines 1 through 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Depreciation and depletion | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Portion of operating expenses paid or incurred for production or collection of gross income or for management, conservation, or maintenance of property held for production of income (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Other expenses (see instructions) | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Adjusted Net Income (subtract lines 5, 6 and 7 from line 4) | 8 | ||||
| Section B - Minimum Asset Amount | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
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| 1 | Aggregate fair market value of all non-exempt-use assets (see instructions for short tax year or assets held for part of year): | 1 | ||||
| a | Average monthly value of securities | 1a | ||||
| b | Average monthly cash balances | 1b | ||||
| c | Fair market value of other non-exempt-use assets | 1c | ||||
| d | Total (add lines 1a, 1b, and 1c) | 1d | ||||
| e |
Discount claimed for blockage or other factors (explain in detail in Part VI): |
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| 2 | Acquisition indebtedness applicable to non-exempt use assets | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Subtract line 2 from line 1d | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Cash deemed held for exempt use. Enter 0.015 of line 3 (for greater amount, see instructions). | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Net value of non-exempt-use assets (subtract line 4 from line 3) | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Multiply line 5 by 0.035 | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Minimum Asset Amount (add line 7 to line 6) | 8 | ||||
| Section C - Distributable Amount | Current Year | |||||
| 1 | Adjusted net income for prior year (from Section A, line 8, Column A) | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Enter 85% of line 1 | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Minimum asset amount for prior year (from Section B, line 8, Column A) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Enter greater of line 2 or line 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Income tax imposed in prior year | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Distributable Amount. Subtract line 5 from line 4, unless subject to emergency temporary reduction (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| Section D - Distributions | Current Year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Amounts paid to supported organizations to accomplish exempt purposes | 1 | |
|
2
Amounts paid to perform activity that directly furthers exempt purposes of supported organizations, in excess of income from activity |
2 | |
| 3 Administrative expenses paid to accomplish exempt purposes of supported organizations | 3 | |
| 4 Amounts paid to acquire exempt-use assets | 4 | |
| 5 Qualified set-aside amounts (prior IRS approval required - provide details in Part VI) | 5 | |
| 6 Other distributions (describe in Part VI). See instructions | 6 | |
| 7Total annual distributions. Add lines 1 through 6. | 7 | |
|
8
Distributions to attentive supported organizations to which the organization is responsive (provide details in Part VI). See instructions |
8 | |
| 9 Distributable amount for 2024 from Section C, line 6 | 9 | |
| 10 Line 8 amount divided by Line 9 amount | 10 | |
| Section E - Distribution Allocations (see instructions) |
(i) Excess Distributions |
(ii) Underdistributions Pre-2024 |
(iii) Distributable Amount for 2024 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Distributable amount for 2024 from Section C, line 6 | ||||
|
2
Underdistributions, if any, for years prior to 2024 (reasonable cause required-- explain in Part VI).
See instructions. |
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| 3 Excess distributions carryover, if any, to 2024: | ||||
| a From 2019....... | ||||
| b From 2020....... | ||||
| c From 2021....... | ||||
| d From 2022....... | ||||
| e From 2023....... | ||||
| fTotal of lines 3a through e | ||||
| g Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| h Applied to 2024 distributable amount | ||||
|
i
Carryover from 2019 not applied (see instructions) |
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| j Remainder. Subtract lines 3g, 3h, and 3i from line 3f. | ||||
| 4Distributions for 2024 from Section D, line 7: | ||||
| $ | ||||
| a Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| b Applied to 2024 distributable amount | ||||
| c Remainder. Subtract lines 4a and 4b from line 4. | ||||
|
5
Remaining underdistributions for years prior to 2024, if any. Subtract lines 3g and 4a from line 2. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
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6
Remaining underdistributions for 2024. Subtract lines 3h and 4b from line 1. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
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7 Excess distributions carryover to 2025. Add lines 3j and 4c. |
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| 8 Breakdown of line 7: | ||||
| a Excess from 2020..... | ||||
| b Excess from 2021..... | ||||
| c Excess from 2022..... | ||||
| d Excess from 2023..... | ||||
| e Excess from 2024..... | ||||
| Facts And Circumstances Test |
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| Return Reference | Explanation |
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| Software Version: |
| Return Reference | Explanation |
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| Form 990, Part III, 4a Legal Services and Access to Justice Support: | As the official, statewide entity recognized by the Supreme Court of Ohio for advancing access to justice, the Foundation collaborates with the Court and other statewide justice partners including the Ohio Judicial Conference, the Ohio State Bar Association, and Ohio legal aids to make Ohio more just and equitable. The Foundation is the largest funder of civil legal aid in Ohio. Civil legal aid provides skilled lawyers to assist Ohioans who are low-income or lack access, helping them address critical civil legal matters that impact their ability to live safe, stable, and financially secure lives. Through its grantmaking, the Foundation funds efforts that help veterans secure benefits they have earned through their service; enable seniors to maintain their independence and financial security; empower survivors of domestic violence to achieve safety and security; support families impacted by substance abuse disorders; and ensure children receive the supports they need to succeed in school. Additionally, Foundation funding advances legal assistance for record sealing and drivers' license reinstatement efforts, which not only help individual Ohioans, but which strengthen Ohio's workforce. In FY25, the Foundation oversaw distribution of $38.8 million in Interest on Lawyer's Trust Accounts (IOLTA), Interest on Trust Accounts (IOTA), and filing fee revenue, and granted out an additional $11.5 million from the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Fund, thereby supporting legal services in Ohio with $50.3 million in funding. Over $1.7 million in grants was directed to helping newly arrived Ukrainians who fled the war in Ukraine stabilize themselves and their families in Ohio. As a result of the Foundation's funding, Ohio's civil legal service nonprofits succeeded in providing legal information, advice, or representation in over 65,000 civil matters and assisted over 153,000 Ohioans, including 64,016 children, 20,485 persons with disabilities, 4,400 veterans, and 20,822 seniors. The Foundation also furthers its mission to improve access to justice by developing and supporting innovative services to help Ohioans who face legal challenges. The Foundation is the single, largest funder of Ohio Legal Help, an independent nonprofit organization which operates a state-of-the-art web portal that provides all Ohioans with meaningful access to reliable legal information and trustworthy legal referrals. Ohio Legal Help is available 24 hours a day in all 88 counties. During FY25, Ohio Legal Help served over 767,000 Ohioans across the state. The Foundation also operates the Ohio Justice Bus; a mobile civil legal office and technology hotspot that delivers brief advice clinics to low-income Ohioans in rural and other areas with limited access to civil legal services. See Schedule O, Part III, 4c, Pro Bono and Ohio Justice Bus for additional details. Through Neighborhood Stabilization Grants, the Foundation promotes both development and redevelopment in targeted Ohio communities. Since 2017, the Foundation has awarded $14.9 million to support transactional legal work that empowers Ohioans and community groups to revitalize their neighborhoods. Neighborhood Stabilization grants have historically supported new business development, the implementation of solar power, and the restoration of affordable housing. Beginning in FY25, Ohio Attorney Unclaimed Funds received from the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Unclaimed Funds, have allowed this program to further address housing needs statewide by supporting affordable and healthy housing initiatives, and promoting homeownership in partnership with legal aid and community organizations. In addition, the Foundation offers two-year Justice for All Fellowships to outstanding law graduates who are passionate about public service and determined to address emergent legal needs. These young lawyers serve at civil legal service organizations across Ohio. Fellows focus their work on civil legal issues which adversely impact Ohioans who are low-income or who lack access to civil legal services. In FY25, Justice for All Fellows helped victims of predatory and fraudulent auto lending and sales practices; provided holistic legal services to survivors of sexual assault and mothers experiencing domestic violence in rural areas; represented unaccompanied minors in court; created accessible user-centered legal content, forms, and tools for formerly incarcerated Ohioans; and provided civil legal services to Ohioans impacted by the criminal legal system. The Foundation also funds the Justice for All Summer Clerkship program which provides law students with hands-on experience in civil legal services by funding summer clerk positions at civil legal services organizations. This initiative helps cultivate the next generation of public interest lawyers while helping meet the critical legal needs of low-income Ohioans. To support the recruitment and retention of talented civil legal aid attorneys, the Foundation additionally administers a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). The Foundation's LRAP provides up to $6,000 annually in educational loan repayment assistance to qualifying civil legal services attorneys. In FY25, 96 participants received over $304,000 in loan repayment assistance for federal and private educational loans, helping ensure that financial barriers do not prevent the best and brightest attorneys from serving low-income Ohioans who are in dire need of assistance. Thanks to the generous support of the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Foundation continues to expand and improve Ohio Legal Help, strengthen Ohio's civil legal aid organizations, and work to increase pro bono engagement across the state. Beyond these core grant programs which the Foundation has operated for many years, in FY25, the Foundation also launched three new grant programs: a $1.29 million general operating grant program for civil legal service nonprofits, a $1 million grant program to serve the legal needs of documented immigrants, and a $450,000 pilot partnership grant program to address civil legal needs of families that are at risk of entering the foster care system. The Foundation also oversees the administration of other grant funds directed at supporting Ohio's civil legal aid societies and furthering access to justice. This work ensures that grant funding is used effectively to help Ohioans who are low-income or who lack access overcome legal challenges so they can attain safety, stability, and financial security. The Foundation captures measurable data through its grant reporting, which is used to continually improve legal services and diminish the justice gap. Finally, the Foundation serves as an advocate by educating state and national legislators and the public about the transformative role of civil legal aid on people's lives. The Foundation is honored to partner with Ohio's courts, bar associations, businesses, governmental agencies, social service agencies, and others to build statewide awareness of and support for civil legal aid and access to justice in Ohio. |
| Form 990, Part III, 4c, Pro Bono and Ohio Justice Bus | Through a generous grant from the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Foundation works at the statewide level to increase pro bono participation in delivering civil legal services to low-income Ohioans. One of the successful statewide pro bono initiatives developed by the Foundation is the Ohio Justice Bus. During FY25, the Ohio Justice Bus held 102 clinics serving over 650 Ohioans. Seventy percent of the Bus' clinics were held in Ohio's most underserved counties where the ratio of attorneys to the county population is less than 1:700. The clinics provided brief advice and information for communities in need of civil legal services. The Bus operates across the state, including regularly recurring clinics in Adams, Ashtabula, Brown, Clermont, Delaware, Franklin, Hamilton, Montgomery, Sandusky, and Summit counties. Volunteer attorneys provide legal advice at these events, addressing legal issues including divorce, custody, record sealing, certificates of qualification for employment, and driver's license reinstatement. In its effort to increase pro bono engagement in Ohio, the Foundation publicly promotes and recognizes pro bono efforts throughout the state to encourage and grow pro bono involvement. The Foundation works to find meaningful ways to engage the legal community starting at law school and continuing through retirement from active law practice. In collaboration with the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Foundation recognizes graduating law students for their pro bono efforts with certificates of achievement and recognition at the bar admissions ceremony. The Foundation also administers and publishes an annual pro bono report which champions the successes of Ohio's pro bono lawyers. To simplify access to volunteer opportunities, in FY25 the Foundation launched Pro Bono Ohio, a free and user-friendly website to locate statewide pro bono opportunities. The new site, which is maintained by the Foundation, allows attorneys to filter pro bono opportunities by area of law, level of service, and time commitment, so that attorneys can find an opportunity that fits their interests and schedule. Each year, the Foundation presents an annual Presidential Award to recognize outstanding efforts to improve access to justice in Ohio. In 2025, the Foundation award went to Thomson Hine's Dayton office for its work with the Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project to address the legal needs of individuals facing landlord-tenant disputes. The firm serves nearly 100 people every year and has significantly improved housing stability for low-income individuals and families in the greater Dayton area. During FY25, the Foundation also presented the Elam Award, which recognizes an attorney who selflessly donates their time and talent to pro bono causes. In 2025, the Elam Award went to the Honorable Mary Jane Trapp, who devoted her career to public service and encouraged pro bono volunteerism throughout the community. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11b | The Foundation's Audit Committee, as charged by the Foundation Board, reviews and approves a final draft of the 990. The full Board receives and reviews the 990 prior to the 990 being signed and filed with the IRS. The Foundation's most recently filed 990 is posted on its website. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c | The Foundation's conflict of interest policy and procedures extends to all Directors and Officers, who must annually complete and sign "The Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Annual Business Relationship and Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form." Determinations of whether an actual conflict exists are made by the Board through a majority vote which excludes the vote of a potentially conflicted Director. No Director or Officer may preside over, vote on, or participate in any deliberation of any matter in which such Director or Officer has a conflict or potential conflict of interest. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15a | The Executive Committee of the Board reviews the Executive Director's performance and compensation annually. As a basis for comparison, the committee reviews executive director compensation for comparable nonprofit organizations in Ohio and nationally through composite salary surveys. The Board meets in executive session at a duly called meeting and, per the recommendation of the Executive Committee, approves any salary increases for the Executive Director. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 | The Foundation makes its governing documents available to the public on its website, https://www.ohiojusticefoundation.org, including the annual business relationship and conflict of interest disclosure policy and procedure, annual report, and latest Form 990. The Foundation makes other documents available upon request. |
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