Nonprofit Legal Services of Utah

Nonprofit Legal Services of Utah (NLSU) is a Salt Lake City–based legal-services nonprofit founded in 2015 to serve individuals and small nonprofits excluded from free legal aid but unable to afford private attorneys. NLSU revised its original fee-based mission toward a programmatic model focused on partnership-driven access-to-justice initiatives, as stated on its website: “We are working to develop new and exciting programs that will help address the access to justice issues in our community through partnerships with other organizations.” 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Website:

www.nonprofitlegalservices.com

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Formation:

2015

Executive Director:

Aaron Garrett

Location: Sandy, UT View on map
Tax ID: 47-4827863
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2024): Assets: $203,836 Revenue: $604,681 Expenses: $508,620

Contents

    NLSU has received contributions from left-of-center organizations including the Sierra Club Foundation. 2

    Activities

    Nonprofit Legal Services of Utah (NLSU) offers sliding-scale legal assistance in a variety of civil law areas, including small claims, employment disputes, landlord–tenant matters, contract issues, debt and credit collection, family law, estate planning, probate, conservatorships, guardianships, and homeowners’ association cases. It occasionally takes on contingency-fee cases, particularly those deemed too small or unprofitable for private attorneys. Earlier guided by a two-part mission focused on affordable legal services for individuals and nonprofits, NLSU has updated its mission wording to emphasize developing “new and exciting programs…through partnerships with other organizations.” 1

    Leadership

    Aaron Garrett is the co-founder and executive director of Nonprofit Legal Services of Utah. His 2023 compensation from the organization was $104,135. He also works as an attorney at Garrett & Garcia LLC. He previously served as School Children’s Trust Specialist in the Utah State Office of Education. 3

    Nathan R. Garcia is co-founder and managing director at NLSU. His 2023 compensation was $71,316. He previously worked at Garrett & Garcia LLC until January 2025, when he became a senior associate at Hall & Evans LLC. 4

    The organization’s 2023 board of trustees includes Alan Kennedy‑Shaffer, Genevieve Greeley, Kaitlin Spas, Shane Barrow, and Wayne Riggs. 5

    Funding

    From 2020 through 2023, Nonprofit Legal Services of Utah received roughly $5.5 million in public support, including gifts, grants, and donations. 6 Its funders include individual donors via platforms such as the PayPal Charitable Giving Fund, which contributed $26,790 in 2023, as well as institutional grants from left-leaning organizations. 7 For instance, in 2022, NLSU received $100,000 from the Sierra Club Foundation, an environmental advocacy group known for supporting left-of-center causes. 2

    Smaller grants came from Utah Humanities, which awarded $8,000 in 2023 for cultural programming, and the WCF Foundation, which provided $7,600 in 2022 for mental health and community connection initiatives. 8  9

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2024 $203,836 $604,681 $508,620 View
    2023 $265,085 $876,524 $825,706 View
    2022 $354,157 $1,185,044 $1,438,632 View
    2021 $764,006 $1,683,323 $2,010,464 View
    2020 $1,046,332 $1,837,636 $1,297,442 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 3

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Aaron GarrettDirector$101,564
    Nathan R GarciaDirector$75,890

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $11,146,572
    • Number of Grants: 37
    • Number of Funders: 29

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

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $10,001,0002021 National Philanthropic TrustHUMAN SERVICES
    $200,0002020 W.K. Kellogg FoundationDevelop and establish organizational infrastructure for the Yee Ha’oolniidoo organization so they may continue to lead the Navajo Hopi COVID-19 Relief Fund initiative aimed at providing direct relief to Navajo and Hopi Families affected by the pandemic
    $100,0002022 Sierra Club FoundationTO BUILD NARRATIVE POWER AND NARRATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE TO MAKE A JUST TRANSITION FROM AN EXTRACTIVE ECONOMY TO A LIVING ECONOMY POLITICALLY POSSIBLE IN UTAH AND FOSTER A CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION THAT UPROOTS HARMFUL STORIES UPHOLDING THE STATE'S EXTRACTIVE ECONOMY, REPAIRS HARM, AND BIRTHS NEW STORIES FOR A LIVING ECONOMY
    $100,0002021 Civic NationCovid-19 vaccine outreach
    $100,0002020 Marin Community FoundationWORK WITH INDIGENOUS VOTER REGISTRATION
    $75,0002022 New Mexico FoundationCovid Emergency Assistance
    $75,0002022 Civic NationCOVID-19 VACCINE OUTREACH
    $50,0002020 Fiduciary Charitable FoundationDONATIONS
    $40,5002021 American Endowment FoundationGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $40,0902024 Utah Bar Foundation
    $35,9502021 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $34,5682021 PayPal Giving FundGeneral Support
    $32,6082022 PayPal Giving FundGENERAL SUPPORT
    $30,0002020 Seattle FoundationNavajo / Hopi Relief Fund
    $26,7902023 PayPal Giving Fund
    $25,0002022 National Philanthropic TrustHUMAN SERVICES
    $25,0002020 ROCKEFELLER FAMILY FUND INCPROJECT SUPPORT – RURAL UTAH PROJECT EDUCATION FUND
    $20,0002021 American Endowment FoundationGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $20,0002021 The New World FoundationGENERAL SUPPORT
    $15,0002021 Joseph M Simmons FoundationGENERAL
    $15,0002021 The Schmidt Family FoundationStrengthening civic engagement
    $10,1462024 PayPal Giving FundGENERAL SUPPORT
    $10,0002021 Ihc Health Services IncPROMOTE COMMUNITY HEALTH
    $10,0002021 California Community FoundationDisaster Response
    $8,0002023 Utah Humanities CouncilCompetitive Grant

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    Financials, employee compensation, and grant information provided by Candid.

    Mentioned in this Article

    References

    1. “Nonprofit Legal Services of Utah.” Nonprofit Legal Services of Utah. Accessed July 18, 2025. https://www.nonprofitlegalservices.com/.
    2. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Sierra Club Foundation. 2022. Schedule I, Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments. Line 16.
    3. “Aaron Garrett.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 18, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-garrett-31110922/.
    4. “Nathan Garcia.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 18, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-g-b2095b3/.
    5. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Nonprofit Legal Services of Utah Inc. 2023. Part VII. Section A – Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, and Highest Compensated Employees.
    6.
    7. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Paypal Charitable Giving Fund. 2023. Schedule I, Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments. Line 8102.
    8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Utah Humanities Council. 2023. Schedule I, Part II – Grants and Other Assistance to Domestic Organizations and Domestic Governments. Line 2.
    9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). WCF Foundation. 2022. Part XIV – Grants and Contributions Paid During the Year or Approved for Future Payment.