Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Oct 1983.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
84 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
14 people listed on the 990; $972K paid to officers and key staff.
Cathy Costanzo’s $245K as Executive Director is at the 94th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1147 $1–10M crime & legal nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathy Costanzo | $244,831 | $269,975 | $233,433 | $235,380 | $216,951 |
| Steven Schwartz | $217,565 | $257,031 | $221,757 | $220,634 | $213,182 |
| Kathryn Rucker | $170,676 | $184,832 | $140,470 | $139,523 | $131,838 |
| Mona Igram | $178,973 | $175,587 | $135,846 | — | — |
| Lila Shane Mereschuk | $159,638 | $174,233 | $116,943 | — | — |
| Mark Murphy | — | $113,870 | $162,016 | $155,710 | $152,647 |
| Alison Barkoff | — | — | — | — | $154,805 |
| Morgan Whitlatch | — | $149,961 | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Provides free legal help and representation to low-income individuals with mental illness or disabilities.
Questions for Center for Public Representation
Your first name shows with your question. Center for Public Representation answers here, for everyone.
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The center provides legal assistance, representation and advocacy to persons with disabilities in system reform initiatives to ensure their full integration and participation in their communities and to afford them opportunities for choice in all aspects of their lives.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $336K | $480K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $11.5M | $15.4M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $15.6M | $17.5M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $1.3M | $650K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $14.3M | $16.9M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $262K | $233K | $29K | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $1.4M | $1.2M | $211K | |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $64K | $54K | $10K | |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $139K | $121K | $17K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $128K | $101K | $27K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $24K | $21K | $3K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $74K | $30K | $45K | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $38K | $36K | $2K | |
| RoyaltiesLn 15 | $15K | $7K | $8K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $45K | $37K | $8K | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $5K | $2K | $3K | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $36K | $31K | $5K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $18K | $15K | $3K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $86K | $67K | $19K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $2.4M | $2.0M | $390K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $3.5M | $2.4M | $1.1M | $16.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $3.3M | $2.5M | $799K | $14.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $1.1M | $2.5M | −$1.4M | $13.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $4.0M | $2.2M | $1.8M | $13.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $2.7M | $2.2M | $476K | $16.0M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $3,464,100 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 9 of 9 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $3,464,100 across 7 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $2,380,510 across 14 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $17,520,094 assets, 16 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $16,870,530 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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