Charities United States Social Services Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational …
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund logo

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

Founded in 1968, maldef is the nation's leading latino civil rights legal organization, promoting social change through advocacy, community education and litigation in the areas of education, employment, …

Maldef - Mexican American Legal

Social Services Los Angeles, CA EIN 741563270 · IRS Sign up to see website
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89
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
89/100 · methodology

About Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

MALDEF is the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Our commitment is to protect and defend the rights of all Latinos living in the United States and hthe constitutional rights of all Americans.

Founded
Headquarters
Los Angeles, CA
Foundation type
Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2))
NTEE code
R220
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
medium

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 1967

Mission

Founded in 1968, maldef is the nation's leading latino civil rights legal organization, promoting social change through advocacy, community education and litigation in the areas of education, employment, immigrants rights and political access.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Social Services · NTEE R220

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar social services in United States
Program spending This charity: 0%
Peer average: 0%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 4.98%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 89
Peer average: 89

Red flags

· All clear
IRS revocation history
OFAC / EU / UN sanctions
Open investigations
Governance scandals
Related-party deals
Excessive exec comp

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is a registered social services nonprofit based in Los Angeles, CA, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1967 and has been operating for 59 years. Its EIN is 741563270. It has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 89/100 (Strong transparency), indicating well-documented governance, financials, and contact details. The organization reports $7M in annual revenue. 141 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 89/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 89 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for social services charities in United States is 89/100.

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is located in Los Angeles, CA, United States. The organization was established in 1967 and has been active for 59 years.

Based on official tax filings, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund has $7M in annual revenue. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $2M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is classified as a Social Services organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a medium organization. It has $7M in annual revenue. The organization has 141 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 89/100 (Strong transparency) and no red flags have been detected, which suggests it is a well-documented organization. It is regulated by the IRS. You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research purposes and does not endorse any organization. Always do your own due diligence.

MALDEF is the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Our commitment is to protect and defend the rights of all Latinos living in the United States and hthe constitutional rights of all Americans. Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is classified as a social services organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1967.

Among social services charities registered in United States: Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 89/100 is in line with the peer average of 89/100. Its annual revenue of $7M is well above the peer average of $2M.

Yes, donations to Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 741563270, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Verified against 5 official sources, last refreshed .

Annual revenue
$1M-$10M
0% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2025) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

6 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2025): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2025, FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
Financial details are free - with a GiveRadar account

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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Leadership

TH
Thomas A Saenz
President

Officers & trustees (25)

Source: Public filings

AN
Andrea S••••••
REGIONAL COUNSEL: DC
AN
Anna M•••• C•••••
PROGRAM & PLANNING COMMITTEE CHAIR
AN
Antoinette S••••••••••••
2ND VICE CHAIR
AR
Aracely M••••
1ST VICE CHAIR
BE
Belinda E H•••••
NATIONAL SENIOR COUNSEL
BI
Bill L••• L••
Director
CA
Carlos R S••••••
Director
CA
Carlos S••••••
Director
DR
Dr C•••••• T•••••
Director
EL
Elisa D• L• V•••
Director
EM
Emilio G•••••••
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR
EM
Emilio G••••••• N••
Director
EN
Enrique C••••• J•
GOVERNANCE & NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR
FA
Fabian N••••
Director
GI
Gina M••••••
VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT
GR
Griselda V••• S•••••
REGIONAL COUNSEL: CHICAGO
IR
Irma R•••••••• M••••
CHAIR
JE
Jeffrey G•••••
SECRETARY/TREASURER, FISCAL
JE
Jeffrey G••••• S•••••••••••••••••
FISCAL & INVESTMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR
JO
Joe G•••••
Director
JO
Jorge A H••••••
Director
JO
Jorge A H•••••• G•••••••••
& NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR
JO
Jose S••••••
Director
LA
Laura F••••• C•••••••
PROGRAM & PLANNING COMMITTEE CHAIR
LI
Lillian R•••••••• L••••
Director
Full names, contact details & compensation

Free with an account.

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Latest news

From global news sources

4 articles found

From global news sources

Sentiment

Neutral

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$7.3M revenue
FY2025
IRS_990
Form filed
$7.3M revenue
FY2024
IRS_990
Adriana Gross Obituary (1945 - 2023) - San Francisco, CA - San Francisco Chronicle - Legacy obituary
Jan 2024
www.legacy.com
Form filed
$11.6M revenue
FY2023
IRS_990
Form filed
$10.4M revenue
FY2022
IRS_990
Form filed
$9.3M revenue
FY2021
IRS_990
Will New Privacy Changes Protect Census Data or Make Things Worse? - The Markup
May 2021
themarkup.org
Form filed
$9.0M revenue
FY2020
IRS_990
Despite COVID-19, Cal-in-Sacramento internships thrived, remotely - University of California, Berkeley
Jul 2020
news.berkeley.edu
'Racism from cradle to grave': Texas cemetery sued for 'whites only' policy - The Guardian
May 2016
www.theguardian.com

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Peer charities

Other social services in United States, by integrity assessment

Charity Score Revenue Program %
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund This page 89 $7.3 million -
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Connecticut Inc 89 $2.4 million -
Offender Alumni Association 89 $2.5 million -
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Colorado Inc 89 $3.5 million -
Brightside Child and Family Advocacy Inc 89 $1.9 million -
American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii Foundation 89 $4.1 million -
Collective Heritage Institute 89 $5.3 million -
National Lesbian and Gay Law Foundation 89 $3.2 million -
Alive Inc 89 $2.2 million -

Sources and verification

Refreshed

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2025 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 141 disclosed in the public registry.
News and media coverage
GDELT Project + Google News
Supplementary verification
Charity Navigator

Data freshness

Last updated
May 27, 2026
Profile completeness
100%

What we don't know

Honest gaps - our score reflects transparency, not impact

Programs & projects
No named programs listed by the charity
Operating reach
Countries where programs run not specified
Programmatic detail
Specific cause areas not yet tagged

Methodology

GiveRadar combines public registry filings, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and news archives into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Quick facts about Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund

What is Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund?
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is a social services publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Los Angeles, United States. MALDEF is the nation's leading Latino legal civil rights organization. Our commitment is to protect and defend the rights of all Latinos living in the United States and hthe constitutional rights of all Americans.
When was Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund founded?
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund was founded in 1967.
Who leads Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund?
Thomas A Saenz serves as President.
Where is Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund located?
Headquartered in Los Angeles, United States.
What is Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately $1M-$10M. 0% of expenses go to program services.
Is Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund trustworthy?
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 89 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's registration number?
IRS EIN: 741563270.
What is Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's website?
http://www.maldef.org