Innovation Law Lab

The Innovation Law Lab is a legal activist group that litigates against deportations and other efforts by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) and other arms of the United States government to control its borders. It works on behalf of refugee groups and similar advocates. 1

At-A-Glance

Issue Areas: Immigration Policy
Formation:

2014

Founder and Executive Director:

Stephen Manning

Location: Portland, OR View on map
Tax ID: 47-1012852
Most Recent Filing: 2025
Budget (2025): Assets: $6,954,748 Revenue: $4,395,958 Expenses: $5,643,342

Contents

    Background and Activities

    Innovation Law Lab is a legal activist group that litigates against deportation, U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement, and other efforts by the United States government to control its borders. It works on behalf of refugee groups and similar advocates. 1 It is located in Portland, Oregon. 2 It was founded in 2014.  3

    Innovation Law Lab characterizes itself as “radical and inspiring.” 4 It describes the United States’ “vast detention and deportation machine” as an “industry of misery” that works to “grind down the spirit of the immigrant,” separate families, and strip refugees of their rights to “inclusion and safety.”  1

    Partnerships

    The Innovation Law Lab is a member of Evacuate Our Allies, a coalition of refugee organizations and related groups that work with veterans to resettle “as many at-risk Afghans as possible.” 5

    Financials

    In 2022, the Innovation Law Lab reported revenues of $9,458,378, total expenses of $4,699,646, and net assets of $7,208,202. 6

    Funding

    In 2018, the Innovation Law Lab received an $8,000 “endowment” from the Glencoe Family Foundation. 7

    In 2022, the Innovation Law Lab reported receiving $864,916 in government grants on its tax return. 8

    In 2022, the Innovation Law Lab received $136,000 to aid its “immigrant rights attorney” from Causa of Oregon, an organization that has since gone defunct. 9

    In 2022, the Innovation Law Lab received $20,000 from Impact Fund, a left-of-center legal activist organization. 10

    Grantmaking

    In 2022, the Innovation Law Lab granted $60,000 to the Santa Fe Dreamers Project for “program assistance.” 11

    Leadership

    Innovation Law Lab founder Stephen Manning works as its executive director and as a board member. Manning is a founding partner of Immigrant Law Group PC and an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark Law School. He serves on the boards of ACLU of Oregon and Health Bridges International, and previously served as a commissioner on the City of Portland’s Human Rights Commission. 4

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2025 $6,954,748 $4,395,958 $5,643,342 View
    2023 $7,625,365 $9,458,378 $4,699,646 View
    2022 $3,547,187 $3,555,200 $3,892,565 View
    2021 $2,713,433 $4,502,049 $3,395,774 View
    2020 $1,812,671 $3,385,998 $2,390,040 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2018

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 44

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Stephen ManningExecutive Director$167,014
    Jose CruzDirector of Products$151,753
    Tess HellgrenDirector of Litigation$128,317
    Jordan CunningsLegal Director$124,696
    Ian PhilabaumDirector of Legal Organizing$117,630
    Ariel PradoDirector of Civic Engagement$117,630
    Elizabeth SkokanDirector of Operations$117,583
    Isa PenaDirector of Strategy$115,865
    Benjamin GrassDirector of Logistics$114,283

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $5,848,801
    • Number of Grants: 119
    • Number of Funders: 51

    Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $264,5002021 Causa of OregonIMMIGRANT RIGHTS ATTORNEY
    $250,0002021 The California EndowmentTo support narrative and communications efforts to advance the health and well-being of asylum seekers and immigrant families in California.
    $250,0002020 Causa of OregonIMMIGRANT RIGHTS ATTORNEY
    $240,0002021 Seeding JusticeOPERATING SUPPORT
    $235,8582023 Catena FoundationIMMIGRATION – SUPPORT EXPANDION OF ACCESS TO LEGAL COUNSEL AND SAFE FACILITIES
    $230,1282022 Catena FoundationIMMIGRATION – SCALE LEGAL SERVICES FOR IMMIGRANTS THOUGH THE USE OF DATA, TECHNOLOGY, AND ATTORNEYS
    $200,0002023 Meyer Memorial TrustTo build a digital inclusion project for more than 60,000 individual beneficiaries of Oregon Worker Relief's relief funds
    $185,0002020 Seeding JusticeGeneral support
    $165,0002022 Meyer Memorial TrustFor general operating support to leverage lawyers (legal representation and litigation); technology and organizers (advocacy and volunteer management) to advance immigrant and refugee justice
    $165,0002021 Meyer Memorial TrustFor legal counsel, representation, litigation, advocacy and volunteer management in connection with the detention of immigrants at the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, Ore.; This grant is awarded as a part of the Oregon Immigrant and Refugee Funders Collaborative, which addresses critical and time-sensitive issues facing immigrants and refugees
    $160,0002024 Oregon Worker ReliefVENDOR NAVIGATION SERVICES CAPACITY
    $150,0002025 Meyer Memorial TrustTo support this organization that works to advance immigrant inclusion statewide
    $150,0002024 Meyer Memorial TrustFor general operating support of this organization that leverages law, organizing and technology to fight for immigrant and refugee justice statewide
    $150,0002024 Tykeson Family Charitable TrustGENERAL FUND
    $150,0002020 Catena FoundationIMMIGRATION & BODER ENFORCEMENT
    $140,0002024 Digital Harbor Foundation IncPROGRAM SUPPORT
    $140,0002022 IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CORPS INCJUSTICE FELLOWS
    $140,0002021 IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CORPS INCJUSTICE FELLOWS
    $136,0002022 Causa of OregonIMMIGRANT RIGHTS ATTORNEY
    $75,0002023 The Collins FoundationOIRFC GRANT TO SUPPORT A DIGITAL INCLUSION PROJECT TO DEVELOP FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT TOOLS FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES ACCESSING WORKER RELIEF FUNDS IN OREGON
    $71,5502020 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $60,0002022 Lannan FoundationEL PASO IMMIGRATION COALITION (EPIC)
    $60,0002021 Lannan FoundationEL PASO IMMIGRATION COALITION (EPIC)
    $55,0002023 Meyer Memorial TrustFor general operating support
    $55,0002022 Meyer Memorial TrustGeneral operating support

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $1,790,881
    • Number of Grants: 23
    • Number of Recipients: 9

    Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years:

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $175,6612021 Metropolitan Public Defender Services IncImmigration Serivces
    $168,0002022 Pueblo Unido PdxProgram Assistance
    $167,9532021 CATHOLIC CHARITIES of OREGONImmigration Services
    $118,6502020 LUTHERAN COMMUNITY SERVICES NORTHWESTImmigration Serivces
    $118,6502020 Metropolitan Public Defender Services IncImmigration Serivces
    $114,2862020 Pueblo Unido PdxImmigration Serivces
    $113,5132021 LUTHERAN COMMUNITY SERVICES NORTHWESTImmigration Serivces
    $102,5502020 CATHOLIC CHARITIES of OREGONImmigration Services
    $85,7142021 Pueblo Unido PdxImmigration Serivces
    $75,5572021 The Immigrant and Refugee Community OrganizationImmigration Services
    $60,0002023 Contigo Immigrant JusticeProgram Assistance
    $59,3252020 The Immigrant and Refugee Community OrganizationImmigration Services
    $50,6852021 Contigo Immigrant JusticeImmigration Serivces
    $50,0002022 Contigo Immigrant JusticeProgram Assistance
    $50,0002020 Contigo Immigrant JusticeImmigration Serivces
    $45,1392021 Safe Passage Project CorporationImmigration Services
    $45,1392021 TeamBrownsville, Inc.Immigration Services
    $29,6632021 Immigration Counseling Service IncImmigration Serivces
    $16,8382022 Immigration Counseling Service IncProgram Assistance
    $16,6012022 The Immigrant and Refugee Community OrganizationProgram Assistance
    $8,3072022 LUTHERAN COMMUNITY SERVICES NORTHWESTProgram Assistance

    References

    1. “Home.” Innovation Law Lab. Accessed April 1, 2025. https://innovationlawlab.org/.
    2. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. Innovation Law Lab. 2022. Box C.
    3. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. Innovation Law Lab. 2022. Box  L.
    4. “Who.” Innovation Law Lab. Accessed April 1, 2025. https://innovationlawlab.org/who/.
    5. “Home.” Evacuate Our Allies. Accessed April 1, 2025. https://www.evacuateourallies.org/home
    6. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. Innovation Law Lab. 2022. Part I, lines 12, 18, 22.
    7. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. Glencoe Family Foundation. 2019. Part XV. 3 – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year.
    8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. Innovation Law Lab. 2022. Part VII – Statement of Revenue, line f.
    9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. Causa of Oregon. 2022. Schedule I, Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
    10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. Impact Fund. 2022. Schedule I, Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.
    11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. Innovation Law Lab. 2022. Schedule I, Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments.