Mobilization for Justice, Inc.
Lobbying client
Mobilization for Justice, formerly known as MFY Legal Services, provides free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers in housing, disability, immigration, consumer and other matters. Its 1968 case over arbitrary welfare-benefit cutoffs led to the U.S. Supreme Court's Goldberg v. Kelly decision. It filed 15 disclosures since 2024, lobbying all 51 council members through Hollis Public Affairs and The Wright Group NY on securing program funding, and our data show $47.9 million in its active New York City contracts as of August 2026.
- Council members lobbied
- 51 (citywide)
- Filings (since 2024)
- 15
- Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
- $39,500
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Human Services
- City contracts (active)
- $47,857,002 · 2 contracts
- Awarded all-time
- $115,986,007 · 48 since 2013, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $88,792,002
- Won without a fresh bid
- 76% of contract value · $87,829,118 · 46 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $9,347,974 · 115 awards
- Funding history
- Funded every year since FY2018 (10 years running)
- Top officer pay (FY2024)
- $312,215 · Tiffany Liston, Executive Director
- Based in
- New York, NY
Represented by lobbyist firms
- Hollis Public Affairs, Inc. Lobbyist firm
- The Wright Group NY, Inc Lobbyist firm
Holds contracts at
- Department of Health and Mental Hygiene City agency
- Department of Social Services City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
Funded by these agencies
- Department of Health and Mental Hygiene City agency
- Department of Social Services City agency
- Department of Youth and Community Development City agency
What they lobbied on
subjects from their filings
- Budget - securing funding for programs
- Local Legislation (including introduction) - securing funding
City contracts
Registered city contracts, largest first by current contract value (not amount spent): running now, then registered to start later, then ended. Totals count every registered contract. Each line shows its Checkbook contract ID. The tag on each row is how it was awarded (“no-bid” = non-competitive).
- Anti-Eviction Full Legal Represent. Competition Pool Bronx Department of Social Services · CT106920258800700 $27,367,377
- Legal Advocacy Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · CT181620238800296 $20,489,625
- HPLP Renewal Bronx Housing Department of Social Services · CT106920191420456 · ended 2022 $19,981,682
- FY24 Amendment for WEI & ICR with Mobililz. for Justice Department of Social Services · CT106920248800092 · ended 2024 $9,629,094
- Allowance Amendments FY23 / HPLP-BX Department of Social Services · CT106920238800484 · ended 2023 $9,083,082
- Advocacy Services Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · CT181620200000151 · ended 2022 $5,509,560
- Advocacy Services Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · CT181620170000556 · ended 2019 $5,314,992
- Legal Services to mentally ill homeless adults Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · CT181620140000595 · ended 2016 $4,887,111
- Prov of comprehensive &free civil legal svcs to low-incomeNY Department of Social Services · CT106920258801718 · ended 2026 $2,325,000
- Helps stabilize families by providing civil legal services Department of Youth and Community Development · CT126020258804689 · ended 2026 $1,312,500
Largest payments, by purpose
The organization's largest individual city payments (roughly $25,000 and up), grouped by purpose, to show what recent money was for. This is NOT a total — smaller payments aren't listed; see “Paid to date” above for the complete amount paid against its contracts. Fiscal years 2020 and later.
- Anti-Eviction Full Legal Represent. Competition Pool Bronx Department of Social Services · FY2026 · 16 payments $6,870,657
- HPLP Renewal Bronx Housing Department of Social Services · FY2022 · 12 payments $6,417,081
- NAE - Homelessness Prevention Law Project - Bronx Department of Social Services · FY2023 · 12 payments $6,328,962
- HPLP-BX with Allowance - FY24 NAE Department of Social Services · FY2024 · 10 payments $5,446,285
- HPLP Renewal Bronx Housing Department of Social Services · FY2021 · 13 payments $4,902,153
- Anti-Eviction Full Legal Represent. Competition Pool Bronx Department of Social Services · FY2025 · 8 payments $3,895,845
- HPLP Renewal Bronx Housing Department of Social Services · FY2020 · 13 payments $3,479,952
- Anti-Eviction Full Legal Represent. Competition Pool Bronx Department of Social Services · FY2027 $2,469,688
- Advocacy Services Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · FY2022 · 7 payments $1,703,356
- Advocacy Services Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · FY2020 · 5 payments $1,486,329
- Legal Advocacy Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · FY2023 · 4 payments $1,403,324
- Legal Advocacy Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · FY2025 · 4 payments $1,396,956
- Legal Advocacy Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · FY2026 · 6 payments $1,305,403
- Legal Advocacy Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · FY2024 · 5 payments $1,252,152
- Advocacy Services Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · FY2021 · 4 payments $1,091,931
- Prov of comprehensive &free civil legal svcs to low-incomeNY Department of Social Services · FY2025 · 6 payments $917,070
- Allowance Amendments FY23 / HPLP-BX Department of Social Services · FY2025 $680,548
- HPLP Renewal Bronx Housing Department of Social Services · FY2025 $668,005
- Legal Advocacy Program Department of Health and Mental Hygiene · FY2027 $636,851
- Provision of civil legal services Department of Social Services · FY2022 · 3 payments $547,590
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Legal Services for the Working Poor Legal Services for the Working Poor · Dss/hra · FY2019 $455,000
- Legal Services for the Working Poor Legal Services for the Working Poor · Dss/hra · FY2020 $455,000
- Legal Services for the Working Poor Legal Services for the Working Poor · Dss/hra · FY2022 $455,000
- Legal Services for the Working Poor Legal Services for the Working Poor · Dss/hra · FY2023 $455,000
- Legal Services for the Working Poor Legal Services for the Working Poor · Dss/hra · FY2024 $455,000
- Legal Services for the Working Poor Legal Services for the Working Poor · Dss/hra · FY2025 $455,000
- Working-Class Legal Services for Low-Income and Working-Class New Yorkers (formerly Legal Services for Low-Income New Yorkers and Legal Services for the Working Poor) · Dss/hra · FY2026 $455,000
- Working-Class Legal Services for Low-Income and Working-Class New Yorkers · Dss/hra · FY2027 $455,000
- Legal Services for the Working Poor Legal Services for the Working Poor · Dss/hra · FY2018 $405,000
- Legal Services for the Working Poor Legal Services for the Working Poor · Dss/hra · FY2021 $384,705
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · MOCJ · FY2022 $300,000
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · DYCD · FY2023 $300,000
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · DYCD · FY2024 $300,000
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · DYCD · FY2025 $300,000
- Legal Services for Family Advocacy and Guardianship (formerly Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support and Legal Services for Families) Legal Services for Family Advocacy and Guardianship (formerly Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support and Legal Services for Families) · DYCD · FY2026 $300,000
- Legal Services for Family Advocacy and Guardianship Legal Services for Family Advocacy and Guardianship · DYCD · FY2027 $300,000
- Immigrant Opportunities Initiative Immigrant Opportunities Initiative · Dss/hra · FY2027 $226,000
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · MOCJ · FY2020 $200,000
- Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support · MOCJ · FY2021 $133,336
- Immigrant Opportunities Initiative Immigrant Opportunities Initiative · Dss/hra · FY2018 $126,000
Funded by these council members
City Council members who steered discretionary (member-item) money to this organization, largest first (FY2020 and later, where the sponsoring member is disclosed). Sitting members link to their page.
- Sandy Nurse FY2023-2027 · 5 awards $75,000
- Althea V. Stevens FY2022-2027 · 6 awards $40,000
- Rivera FY2020-2025 · 6 awards $30,000
- Christopher Marte FY2022-2025 · 4 awards $22,000
- Farah N. Louis FY2020-2023 · 5 awards $20,000
- Vanessa Gibson FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $20,000
- Diaz FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $10,000
- Chin FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $10,000
- Rosenthal FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $10,000
- Amanda C. Farías FY2022-2023 · 2 awards $10,000
- Stephen Levin FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $6,000
- Kallos FY2020-2021 · 2 awards $5,000
- Gale A. Brewer FY2022 · 1 award $5,000
- Jennifer Gutiérrez FY2025 · 1 award $5,000
- Harvey D. Epstein FY2026 · 1 award $5,000
- Lincoln Restler FY2022 · 1 award $3,000
- Julie Menin FY2022 · 1 award $2,500
Officer & key-staff pay
Reportable compensation from this organization's IRS Form 990 (Part VII), latest available filing (FY2024). Includes pay from related organizations where reported; an annual figure, not a running total. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Tiffany Liston Executive Director $312,215
- Anne Elise Brown DEPUTY DIRECTOR for legal prac $252,119
- Montel Cherry Deputy Director Of Diversity $236,241
- Lindsay Bascom Chief Fiscal Officer $233,740
- Kevin M Cremin Director Of Litigation $229,962
- David Epstein Director Of HR&Talent Strategy $227,884
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +37% from FY2020 to FY2024. Top-officer reportable compensation by year (org-paid only), with each year's share of total revenue. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 990 filings.
- FY2020 Jeanette Zelhof · 12.48% of revenue $231,630
- FY2021 Tiffany Liston · 10.67% of revenue $252,757
- FY2022 Tiffany Liston · 9.84% of revenue $279,419
- FY2023 Tiffany Liston · 12.49% of revenue $283,326
- FY2024 Tiffany Liston · 12.14% of revenue $312,215
Federal awards
Federal awards made directly to this organization in fiscal years 2023 through 2026. Each amount is what the federal government has OBLIGATED on that award as recorded on USAspending.gov as of 2026-08-31 — money committed, not money paid out. These are prime awards only: federal money this
- Department of the Treasury 21.008 Low Income Taxpayer Clinics · Internal Revenue Service · Grant $280,000
- Department of the Treasury 21.008 Low Income Taxpayer Clinics · Internal Revenue Service · Grant $200,000
- Department of the Treasury 21.008 Low Income Taxpayer Clinics · Internal Revenue Service · Grant $200,000
- Department of the Treasury 21.008 Low Income Taxpayer Clinics · Internal Revenue Service · Grant $172,083
Congressional testimony
Congressional committee meetings where congress.gov lists a witness whose stated affiliation is exactly this organization's name, for the 118th and 119th Congresses, as of 2026-09-01. Name variations are not matched, so an appearance filed under a different spelling of this organization is missing
- Restoring Prosperity in American Communities: Examining the Failures of Status Quo Housing Policy House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance 2024-02-22