Greater Washington Community Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237343119
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Washington, DC, US
Phone
202-955-5890
Rating
89
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Community Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$123,242,853
Expenses
$130,100,629
Assets
$518,339,863
Liabilities
$39,646,708

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TONIA R WELLONS (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • TONIA R WELLONS (PRESIDENT & CEO): $431,192 total reported compensation
  • MARCUS L BRAXTON (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $257,365 total reported compensation
  • JULIANA S MITROJORGJI (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $234,758 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

For over 50 years, the Greater Washington Community Foundation has ignited the power of philanthropy to respond to critical community needs and build a thriving region where every person prospers. We exist for the benefit of the communities in which we live and serve. We are committed to actively listening to our community partners to ensure their experience guides our work. Committed To Justice We strive for a racially equitable, just, and thriving region. To advance these justice principles, we apply a racial equity lens to our mission, strategy, and practices. We are galvanizing a united coalition of donors and doers to advance a bold vision – grounded in equity and economic justice – that will grow opportunity and secure prosperity for all who call this region home. Together we’ll invest in powerful economic strategies and put them to work in the parts of our community...

What it reported doing in 2024

Internal program initiatives - program initiatives are discretionary activities of the greater Washington community foundation designed to address specific areas of need within the service area of the greater Washington region. Program initiatives of the current reporting period include partnership to end homelessness, health equity fund, and voices dmv. The partnership to end homelessness brings together the public and private sectors to ensure homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. By joining across sectors, pteh works to increase the supply of deeply affordable housing, bolster the response system to help more people obtain and maintain stable housing, and ultimately end homelessness in dc. Voices of the community: dc, Maryland, Virginia (voicesdmv) is a community listening and engagement initiative conducted every three years to help understand the experiences of the people who live and work in the greater Washington region.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 76% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 99% 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 95
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 47
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 93.8%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: $47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 98.9%; rating input score 99; 37th 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; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -5.6%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.98; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.5%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 93.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 20 of 20 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $122M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $431K · 31 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $966K reported
  • Consistency: 45 of 46 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1426 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1418 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Federal audit findings: this organization reported findings in its latest federal Single Audit.