Damascus Help Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521651722
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Damascus, MD, USA
Phone
3012534100
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$63,886
Expenses
$53,854
Assets
$271,228
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Rita Noble (General Chairperson)
  • Frank Ierardi (Recording Secretary)
  • Margaret Mark (Correspondence Secretary)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The purpose of this corporation is exclusively charitable, as the term used in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We provide assistance to needy persons and families in the upper portion of Montgomery County, MD and adjacent areas in the form of emergency food, holiday food baskets and gifts, transportation, furniture and emergency financial assistance. No one shall be denied service because of race, color, creed, age, sex, or marital status.

What it reported doing in 2025

There were 710 food deliveries for 2025 in the form of at least a three days' worth of groceries to help 191 families for a total of 708 people. There were 64 individuals given grocery store gift cards and 4 families given groceries for Thanksgiving food for a total of 38 individuals. At Christmas 7 families received grocery store gift cards and 1 family received groceries for a total of 27 individuals.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 97% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 61
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.6%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.7%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.04; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -12.1% per year; rating input score 0; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.6% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $54K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 42 of 42 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 52/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.