Uncommon Law FY2023 filing

Tax-deductible

Oakland, CA501(c)(3)Since 2012Crime & LegalEIN 46-1538094Revenue $3.0M in FY2023

On file with the IRSuncommonlaw.org318 Harrison St Ste 103, 94607-4133 · Oakland, CATax-exempt since Jan 2015Publicly supported — 509(a)(2)

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UnCommon Law fights to ensure that all people incarcerated for violent crime have access to healing, justice, and effective legal representation.Through our unique, trauma-informed model of advocacy, we provide the space currently missing in the system for healing, accountability, and safe pathways home from prison. In developing new self narratives, the people we serve are able to more effectively disrupt violence inside and outside prison, and become leaders who change negative societal narratives about those incarcerated for violent crime. Our groundbreaking approach is changing policy and outcomes, driven by the voices and experiences of system-impacted communities.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
90¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
$546K paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2023 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2024
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2024, 2 tax years back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
3 of 5
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $1.2M a year · 29% of revenue · last 5 filings
Worth a look: a surplus in 3 of the last 5 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 5 filings
Spent on programs
90%
of spending
Looks good: 90% of spending went to programs; 75% or more.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$546K
to officers and key staff · 16% of spending
Fine: pay to officers and key staff is 16% of spending; 15% to 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
9 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 8.7 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $15K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$711K
17% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 17% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
8
of 9 voting members
Looks good: 8 of 9 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$3.0M
-26% vs prior year
Spent
$3.4M
To programs
90%
Net assets
$3.5M
By yearFY2020–FY2024
Revenue
$3.0M
FY2023▼ -26%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$3.7M
FY2021$2.1M
FY2022$4.1M
FY2023$3.0M
FY2024$7.6M
Expenses
$3.4M
FY2023▲ +15%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$1.2M
FY2021$2.6M
FY2022$3.0M
FY2023$3.4M
FY2024$4.4M
Net assets
$3.5M
FY2023▼ -10%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$3.2M
FY2021$2.8M
FY2022$3.9M
FY2023$3.5M
FY2024$6.8M

From the FY2023 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2023 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2024) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jan 2015.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

90 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 90% · $3.1M Management & general 7% · $245K Fundraising 3% · $102K

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

12 people listed on the 990; $546K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Dir.
$193,814Pt VII · Sec A
Dir. Legal Service
$127,391Pt VII · Sec A
Dir.finance & Oper
$123,471Pt VII · Sec A
Dir of Dev. & Comm
$101,460Pt VII · Sec A
Finance Chair
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Keith Wattley’s $201K as Executive Dir. is at the 87th 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

NameFY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Keith Wattley$201,221$193,814$161,592$162,038$155,666
Lilliana Paratore$144,078————
Katy Dybwad$136,078$123,471———
Lilliana B Paratore—$127,391———
Rebecca Berry$121,102————
Katherine Dybwad———$112,250—
Susan M Kim$110,124————
Natasha Baker$108,797————

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
  • Loans to or from officersSch L · Pt II1 listed

Programs and updates

Provides healing, justice, and legal help for people imprisoned for violent crimes.

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Provided by the organization

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2 programs · $3.1M · in their own filed words · FY2023
01

UnCommon Law provided parole resources (by mail and through online access), phone support, and legal trainings to over 9,000 incarcerated people and community members across the State.Our attorneys represented 68 clients in the parole hearing process, with 35scheduled parole hearings and 15 parole grants.

$3.1Mprogram expense
02

We launched a cohort at our second location of the Home After Harm program: Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP). In addition to this inaugural cohort at SVSP, we launched the second cohort at California State Prison- Los Angeles County (Lancaster) following the first Lancaster graduation in 2022.UnCommon Laws Policy team introduced a bill…

Pt IX · col B

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$15K

By the numbers

The FY2023 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$3.0M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$3.0M
Other incomeLn 4–11$70K
Money outPt IX
$3.4M
Ln 25
Programscol B$3.1M
Managementcol C$245K
Fundraisingcol D$102K
Owns and owesPt X
$3.5M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$2.5M
Total assetsLn 16$4.2M
LiabilitiesLn 26$711K
PeoplePt VI, VII
12
listed · VII A
PaidVII A4
Voting boardVI 1a9
IndependentVI 1b8
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$3.0M
Government grantsLn 1e$1.9M
Other incomeLn 4–11$70K
Gains on assetsLn 7$0
Total revenueLn 12$3.0M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$2.5M
SavingsLn 2$0
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$2.5M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$4K
Other assetsLn 15$127K
Total assetsLn 16$4.2M
LiabilitiesLn 26$711K
Net assetsLn 32$3.5M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 530
VolunteersI 610
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13No
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY23End FY23
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$2.3M$2.5M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$9K$4K
Total assetsLn 16$4.4M$4.2M
LiabilitiesLn 26$451K$711K
Net assetsLn 32$3.9M$3.5M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$0
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$194K$182K$6K$6K
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$2.0M$1.9M$66K$63K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$0
Other employee benefitsLn 9$226K$211K$8K$7K
Payroll taxesLn 10$176K$165K$6K$5K
Management feesLn 11a$0
Legal feesLn 11b$23K$23K
Accounting feesLn 11c$27K$27K
Lobbying feesLn 11d$0
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$245K$126K$119K$16
Advertising and promotionLn 12$0
Office expensesLn 13$14K$13K$925$429
Information technologyLn 14$32K$30K$1K$1K
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$122K$115K$4K$4K
TravelLn 17$158K$156K$631$2K
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$0
InterestLn 20$3K$901$2K
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$4K$4K$130$127
InsuranceLn 23$17K$14K$3K$452
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$113K$71K$2K$41K
All other expensesLn 24e$30K$58K$2K−$30K
Total functional expensesLn 25$3.4M$3.1M$245K$102K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2024 Latest $7.6M$4.4M$3.3M$6.8M 990 PDF
FY2023 Viewing $3.0M$3.4M−$407K$3.5M 990 PDF
FY2022 $4.1M$3.0M$1.1M$3.9M 990 PDF
FY2021 $2.1M$2.6M−$413K$2.8M 990 PDF
FY2020 $3.7M$1.2M$2.4M$3.2M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $3,021,275 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $3,986,555$2,951,671
I-9 Program service revenue$0
I-10 Investment income$0
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $86,066$69,604
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $4,072,621$3,021,275
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paid$0
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $2,292,366$2,640,219
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $685,902$788,374
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $2,978,268$3,428,593
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $1,094,353−$407,318
Part VI · Governance 8 of 9 board members independent, 1 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body9
VI-1b Independent voting members8
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $3,021,275 across 10 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$1,881,034
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$1,070,637
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$2,951,671
VIII-3 Investment income$0
VIII-5 Royalties$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or loss$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assets$0
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising events$61,151
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Related to mission $8,453$8,453
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $8,453$3,021,275
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $3,428,593 across 31 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individuals$0
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipients$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for members$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $181,640 · Management $6,219 · Fundraising $5,955$193,814
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $1,916,195 · Management $65,612 · Fundraising $62,820$2,044,627
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$0
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $211,318 · Management $7,662 · Fundraising $6,970$225,950
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $164,819 · Management $5,596 · Fundraising $5,413$175,828
IX-11a Management fees$0
IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $22,669$22,669
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $26,524$26,524
IX-11d Lobbying fees$0
IX-11e Professional fundraising fees$0
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $126,499 · Management $118,555 · Fundraising $16$245,070
IX-12 Advertising and promotion$0
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $12,985 · Management $925 · Fundraising $429$14,339
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $29,660 · Management $1,040 · Fundraising $1,301$32,001
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $114,638 · Management $3,841 · Fundraising $3,786$122,265
IX-17 TravelPrograms $155,903 · Management $631 · Fundraising $1,957$158,491
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetings$0
IX-20 InterestManagement $901 · Fundraising $1,887$2,788
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $3,842 · Management $130 · Fundraising $127$4,099
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $13,580 · Management $3,283 · Fundraising $452$17,315
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $70,508 · Management $1,921 · Fundraising $40,572$113,001
IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $57,548 · Management $2,212 · Fundraising −$29,948$29,812
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $3,081,804 · Management $245,052 · Fundraising $101,737$3,428,593
Part X · Balance sheet $4,222,000 assets, 22 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $2,295,739$2,481,645
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investments$0
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $1,801,430$1,565,399
X-4 Accounts receivable$0
X-8 Inventories for sale or use$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $29,912$43,693
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $8,540$4,442
X-11 Publicly traded securities$0
X-12 Other securities$0
X-13 Program-related investments$0
X-14 Intangible assets$0
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $233,385$126,821
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $4,369,006$4,222,000
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $165,501$132,564
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $6,035$1,875
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $21,600$7,200
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $257,427$569,236
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $450,563$710,875
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $1,796,680$1,909,447
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $2,121,763$1,601,678
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $3,918,443$3,511,125
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $4,369,006$4,222,000
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $3,511,125 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$3,021,275
XI-2 Total expenses$3,428,593
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$407,318
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$3,918,443
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$3,511,125

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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