Germantown United Community Development Corporation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 453739378
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2016–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2014
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Phone
- 2158564303
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Community, Neighborhood Development
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $922,172
- Expenses
- $881,109
- Assets
- $559,115
- Liabilities
- $132,395
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
13 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- GARLEN CAPITA (PRESIDENT)
- JULIE STAPLETON-CARROLL (PRESIDENT EM)
Highest reported compensation
- LEO DILLINGER (EXECUTIVE DI): $94,925 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To promote and facilitate the sustainable and equitable development of philadelphia's germantown neighborhood. Gu works to improve the quality of life of germantown residents, support local businesses, and advance commercial corridor revitalization.
What it reported doing in 2025
Resident services - gu works to advance the quality of life of germantown residents, particularly those who are low- and moderate-income and traditionally underserved. Gu primarily acts as a referral agency, directing clients to resources provided by government agencies and other organizations of which gu has relationships with. Throughout the year, gu organizes and facilitates community meetings, educational workshops, and other special events related to our mission. Preserving housing is a key priority. Supportive services include, but not limited to: direct outreach to residents at risk of tax and mortgage forclosure, home repair, property tax, and utility assistance; financial and housing counseling; anti- predatory lending education; and facilitation of resident participation in city planning initiatives, capital projects, and other grassroot community improvement efforts. Funding that supports this work: city of philadelphia division of housing and community development, the elizabeth and arthur roswell foundation.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 79% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 80
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 36
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 79.6%; rating input score 80
- Program expense ratio: 83.2%; rating input score 83
- Fundraising efficiency: $44.59 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- 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: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 4.5%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.63; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 10.8%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 16.3% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 79.6% of revenue deployed · 83.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $733K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $95K · 13 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $326K reported
- Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 43/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 35/100.