Urban Justice Center

The Urban Justice Center is a left-leaning legal foundation and advocacy organization located in New York City. Urban Justice Center runs legal assistance clinics in concert with the offices of New York City politicians,1 represents sex worker interests in litigation and advocacy,2 and conducts other left-of-center projects. 3

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Issue Areas: Multi-Issue Advocacy
Website: www.urbanjustice.org
Formation:

1984

Founder:

Doug Lasdon

Location: New York, NY View on map
Tax ID: 13-3442022
Most Recent Filing: 2024
Budget (2025): Assets: $35,319,787 Revenue: $40,381,169 Expenses: $36,303,243

Contents

    The center was founded in 1984 and has grown to become among the largest social-justice legal organizations in New York and the United States. The organization is funded by prominent left leaning grantmaking foundations and individual donors. 4

    Former employees of the center include U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), who worked as a UJC staff attorney early in his career. 5

    Background

    The Urban Justice Center was founded in 1984 by Doug Lasdon, an attorney and Cornell Law School graduate, in East Harlem. Lasdon pioneered the idea of setting up free legal clinics in places like soup kitchens and homeless shelters. While the organization originally focused only on providing legal assistance to the homeless, the scope of the organization has grown. The center now focuses on dozens of issues and campaigns including homelessness, discrimination, civil rights, domestic violence, and prostitution, utilizing a two-pronged approach consisting of legal assistance and advocacy. 6

    Programs

    Legal Clinics

    The Urban Justice Center hosts several legal clinics for various underserved populations across New York City. Topics of the Center’s legal clinics include public benefits, housing issues, immigration issues, and family law issues. Some of the Center’s family law clinics have taken place at the offices of local politicians, including New York City Council Members Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan), Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx), and Ruben Diaz, Sr. (D-Bronx), as well as New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx). 1

    Projects

    As of 2025, the Urban Justice Center manages ten projects that provide litigation, political organizing, and issue advocacy on a specific issue or on behalf of a specific community. One of the most notable initiatives of the center is the Sex Workers Project, which provides legal services and social support to prostitutes and other people engaged in “sex work” in New York City. 2

    Other projects of the center include the street vendor project, advocating for the rights of street vendors; the Surveillance Oversight Technology Project, which opposes local and state government surveillance; and the College Athlete Advocacy initiative, which represents athletes with NCAA violations. The organization also runs initiatives around LGBT interests, immigration asylum sanctuaries, expanding access to public benefits, and others. 3

    While most of the center’s projects and initiatives are focused on New York City, some programs have a national or international reach, such as the International Refugee Assistance Project. 7

    Financial Statistics

    Total Assets

    Total Revenue

    Total Expenses

    YearTotal AssetsTotal RevenueTotal ExpensesFiling
    2025 $35,319,787 $40,381,169 $36,303,243
    2024 $35,402,524 $34,461,717 $33,149,156 View
    2023 $30,260,644 $32,475,750 $30,522,178 View
    2022 $28,163,640 $31,139,667 $30,990,754 View
    2021 $30,347,502 $35,298,941 $31,968,749 View
    2020 $29,390,094 $28,839,718 $33,339,324 View

    Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012

    Revenue Detail

    Expenses Detail

    Employee Compensation

    • Number of Employees: 183

    Highest Earning Employees

    EmployeeTitleTotal Compensation
    Douglas H LasdonEXEC DIRECTOR$346,124
    Madeline Garcia BigelowMANAGING DIRECTOR$210,340
    Kristin JamberdinoCOO/GENERAL COUNSEL$201,721
    Ann BiddleLITIGATION SUPERVISOR$194,612
    Idlir KalemiCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER$194,377
    Gretchen K NealonDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT$192,505
    Marika DiasMANAGING DIRECTOR$185,501
    Brooke Richie-BabbageDIRECTOR$60,100

    Grant Activity

    All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $50,705,927
    • Number of Grants: 1,095
    • Number of Funders: 375

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

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $2,915,0002020 Robin Hood FoundationGENERAL
    $1,596,1502021 Donor Advised Charitable Giving, Inc.PUBLIC, SOCIETAL BENEFIT
    $1,000,0002025 The Ford FoundationCore support for the United for Freedom Legal Defense Fund
    $545,0002021 Robin Hood FoundationPOVERTY RELIEF
    $500,0002025 The Oak Foundation USATo support the Safety Net Project in ending the criminalisation of homelessnessand working towards access to housing and shelter for all in New York City by scaling up community organising efforts
    $500,0002024 Oak FoundationTo support the Safety Net Project in ending the criminalization of homelessness and working towards access to housing and shelter for all in New York City by scaling up community organizing efforts.
    $420,0002022 Robin Hood FoundationPOVERTY RELIEF
    $350,0002022 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.GENERAL
    $340,1902020 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $300,0002024 The New York Community TrustFOR PROGRAM SUPPORT.
    $300,0002022 Trinity Church Wall Street PhilanthropiesA project grant to use direct services and policy advocacy to address significant barriers preventing current and potential housing voucher holders from securing and maintaining decent, affordable housing.
    $300,0002020 Good Ventures FoundationWorth rises
    $282,0002024 Vanguard CharitableFOR RECIPIENT'S EXEMPT PURPOSE
    $250,0002023 Mother Cabrini Health FoundationSUPPORT LOW-INCOME SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WITH WRAPAROUND SERVICES
    $248,6972024 Mother Cabrini Health FoundationSUPPORT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAM TO SUPPORT LOW-INCOME SURVIVORS WITH WRAPAROUND SERVICES
    $200,0002025 The Ford FoundationCore support for Freedom Agenda to strengthen the voices of formerly incarcerated people in public safety strategy discourse in New York City and advocate around reducing the city’s reliance on incarceration and closing Rikers
    $200,0002021 The Ford FoundationCore Support for Freedom Agenda to strengthen the voices of formerly incarcerated people in public safety policy discourse in New York City and advocate around reducing the city’s reliance on incarceration and closing Rikers
    $180,0002022 VERA INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE INCGENERAL OPERATING SUPPORT
    $150,0002024 Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc.CRIME & LEGAL-RELATED
    $150,0002024 The New York Community TrustFOR PROGRAM SUPPORT.
    $122,2272021 Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift FundFor grant recipient's exempt purposes
    $113,0362021 American Online Giving Foundation IncGENERAL SUPPORT
    $104,9622022 Community Service Society of New York (CSS)DIRECT SERVICE
    $101,2192020 American Online Giving Foundation IncGeneral support
    $100,7502020 American Endowment FoundationPROGRAMS

    All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:

    • Total Grant Value: $16,648,166
    • Number of Grants: 17
    • Number of Recipients: 14

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

    AmountYearFunderSubject
    $3,143,0262020 ASAPRebuilding asylum seekers' lives
    $1,581,4422024 Family Justice Law Center IncLEGAL SERVICES – SPIN OFF
    $1,395,2102020 Worth RisesCriminal justice reform
    $822,3092020 Veteran Advocacy Project IncLow-income veterans with post traumtic stress
    $495,2912021 Veteran Advocacy Project IncLOW-INCOME VETERANS WITH POST TRAUMTIC STRESS
    $475,1892020 Community Development Project IncLow-income new yorkers' provision
    $297,9052022 Community Development Project IncPROVIDES LEGAL, PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH, AND POLICY SUPPORT TO STRENGTHEN THE WORK OF GRASSROOTS AND COMMUNITY-BASED GROUPS IN NEW YORK CITY TO DISMANTLE RACIAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL OPPRESSION
    $68,0922021 The Brave House IncSUPPORTS YOUNG IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN NYC
    $60,0002024 Queens Economic Development CorporationSUBCONTRACTOR
    $26,0012022 Peace Development FundSUPPORT BIPOC (BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND/OR PEOPLE OF COLOR) AND SEX WORKER LED COMMUNITY BASED PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS BASED ON OUR VALUES OF ANTI-OPPRESSION, PRO-BLACKNESS AND REDISTRIBUTION/DIVESTMENT OF SUPPORT BIPOC (BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND/OR PEOPLE OF COLOR) AND SEX WORKER LED COMMUNITY BASED PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS BASED ON OUR VALUES OF ANTI-OPPRESSION, PRO-BLACKNESS AND REDISTRIBUTION/DIVESTMENT OF RESOURCES
    $26,0002021 SOCIAL GOOD FUNDDEVELOP LOCAL COMMUNITES
    $20,4262022 FUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK INCTO SUPPORT THE FUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE UWS OPEN HEARTS INITIATIVE, ADVOCATING FOR THE SHELTERED HOMELESS POPULATION IN THE UPPER WEST SIDE AND OTHER NYC NEIGHBORHOODS
    $5,5302022 New York Road Runners, Inc.MARATHON PARTICIPATION

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    Contact Us

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

    References

    1. “Our Clinics”. Urban Justice Center. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.urbanjustice.org/our-work/our-clinics/
    2. “About.” Sex Workers Project. Urban Justice Center. Accessed April 6, 2020. https://sexworkersproject.org/info/.
    3. “Initiatives”. Urban Justice Center. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.urbanjustice.org/initiatives/
    4. “Urban Justice Center”. Idealist. Accessed March 29, 2020.  https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit/a316223eacd140cb808b5bf0139ac47f-urban-justice-center-new-york
    5. “Cory Booker”. Urban Justice Center. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.urbanjustice.org/2019/10/21/cory-booker/
    6. “About Us”. Urban Justice Center. Accessed March 29, 2020.  https://www.urbanjustice.org/our-work/about-us/
    7. “Urban Justice Center: Grants Database”. Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.rbf.org/grantees/urban-justice-center