Adler and Colvin (styled Adler & Colvin) is a left-of-center law firm that specializes in nonprofit and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) classification-related matters. ¹ The firm is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and maintains an office in Washington, D.C. ²

Adler and Colvin’s clients include numerous left-of-center nonprofits and philanthropic organizations such as California Forward, the California Labor Federation, the Clif Bar Family Foundation, the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, Equal Rights Advocates, the Horizons Foundation, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, MoveOn.org, Netroots Nation, the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, SEIU California State Council, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, California Endowment, the Omidyar Network, the Skoll Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. ³

History and Leadership

Adler and Colvin was founded in 1981 ⁴ as Silk Adler and Cohen by nonprofit attorney Tom Silk. ⁵ During his career, Silk had consulted with the Asia Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund on nonprofit law-related matters. ⁶

Adler and Colvin emeritus partner Gregory Colvin has published books on nonprofits that received funding from the San Francisco Foundation and the Gerbode Foundation. The second edition of his book, Fiscal Sponsorship: 6 Ways to Do It Right, received an endorsement from Drummond Pike of the left-of-center Tides Foundation. ⁷ Former partner Betsy Buchalter Adler ⁸ is on the governing board of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California, the Hartnell College Foundation, and the Nancy Buck Ransom Foundation. ⁹

As of June 2024, Cynthia Walrod is the executive director of Adler and Colvin. ¹⁰ She has been the executive director of Adler and Colvin since June 2009 and has worked at the law firm since 1998. ¹¹

Activities and Funding

Adler and Colvin is a left-of-center law firm that specializes in nonprofit and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) classification-related matters. The firm is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and maintains an office in Washington, D.C. ²

Its practice areas include IRS-related matters, charitable gift planning, tax-exempt status, grantmaking and social investing, international charitable transactions and operations, nonprofit governance and ethics, nonprofit structures and relationships, private foundations, public charities, social enterprise, religious institutions, tax treatment of lobbying and political activities, unions, associations and clubs, donor-advised funds, and nonprofit network affiliations. ¹²

Adler and Colvin’s services include helping organizations obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS as well as group tax exemptions, in which parent organizations obtain nonprofit status from the IRS for its affiliates, forming new affiliated entities, and other issues. ¹³ The law firm provides similar services for private foundations, publishes a nonprofit newsletter, ¹⁴ and employs a team of attorneys and paralegals to provide legal support across the nonprofit sector. ¹⁵

Clients

Adler and Colvin maintains numerous left-of-center nonprofits and philanthropic organizations including the California Clean Energy Fund, California Forward, the California HealthCare Foundation, the California Labor Federation, the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, the Clif Bar Family Foundation, Community Initiatives, Community Partners, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, the Consumers Union West Coast Regional Office, the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, Equal Rights Advocates, the Equality California Institute, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, Hispanics Organized for Political Equality, the Horizons Foundation, Humanity United, the Institute for OneWorld Health, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Jerry Garcia Foundation, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Levi Strauss Foundation, the Liberty Hill Foundation, the Marin Community Foundation, the Mennen Environmental Foundation, MoveOn.org, Netroots Nation, the Network for Good, Northern California Grantmakers, the Oracle Corporation, the Parker Foundation, the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and Local Affiliates, the Rosenberg Foundation, the Salesforce.com Foundation, the SEIU California State Council, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Stuart Foundation, The Asia Foundation, California Endowment, the Charles Schwab Corporation Foundation, The Foundation of City College of San Francisco, the James Irvine Foundation, the Omidyar Network, The Rosicrucian Order, the San Francisco Foundation, the Skoll Foundation, the Gerbode Foundation, the Women’s Foundation of California, the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, Trust for Public Land, United Way Worldwide, the University of California Berkeley Foundation, the University of California San Francisco Foundation, the Walter and Elise Haas Fund, the Washington Coalition of Voters, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and others. ³

1. “Legal Counsel to the Nonprofit Sector.” Adler and Colvin. Accessed June 23, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/our-firm/.
2. “Home.” Adler and Colvin. Accessed June 22, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/.
3. “Our Clients.” Adler and Colvin. Accessed June 22, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/clients/
4. “Adler and Colvin.” PitchBook. Accessed June 23, 2024. https://pitchbook.com/profiles/advisor/62440-03#overview.
5. “Sad News – Tom Silk.” Adler and Colvin. January 26, 2022. Accessed June 23, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/blog/2022/01/26/sad-news-tom-silk/.
6. Brodie, Leslie. “Meet California Bar Foundation Director Thomas Silk As Silk Adler & Colvin Is Now Only Adler & Colvin.” TLR’s SP (Support Platform. October 5, 2012. Accessed June 23, 2024. https://lesliebrodie.wordpress.com/2012/10/05/meet-california-bar-foundation-director-thomas-silk-as-silk-adler-colvin-is-now-only-adler-colvin/.
7. Maghami, Neil. “Inside Fiscal Sponsorships: A Way to Start Nonprofits.” Capital Research Center. May 14, 0219. Accessed June 23, 2024. https://capitalresearch.org/article/inside-fiscal-sponsorships-part-1a/.
8. “Happy Graduation, Betsy Buchalter Adler.” Adler & Colvin. December 14, 2012. Accessed June 23, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/blog/2012/12/14/happy-graduation/.
9.  “Betsy Buchalter Adler.” Adler & Colvin. Accessed June 23, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/betsy-buchalter-adler/.
10. “Cynthia Walrod.” Adler and Colvin. Accessed June 22, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/cynthia-walrod-3/.
11. “Experience.” Cynthia Walrod LinkedIn Profile. Accessed June 22, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-walrod-clm-shrm-cp-phr-6619069/.
12. “A & C Nonprofit News.” Adler and Colvin. Accessed June 22, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/blog/.
13. “Nonprofit Structures, Relationships & Affiliations.” Adler and Colvin. Accessed June 22, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/nonprofit-structures-relationships-affiliations-2/.
14. “A&C Nonprofit News.” Adler and Colvin. Accessed June 22, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/blog/.
15. “Our People.” Adler and Colvin. Accessed June 22, 2024. https://www.adlercolvin.com/our-people/.