Greater Washington Urban League
Legal name: Greater Washington Urban League Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 530208981
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- 2022658200
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Human Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $170,236,163
- Expenses
- $170,155,766
- Assets
- $27,752,399
- Liabilities
- $26,002,989
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
25 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JOHN HOUSTON (PRESIDENT, THURSDAY NETWORK)
- ROBIN T BROWDER (PRESIDENT, GWUL GUILD)
- GEORGE H LAMBERT JR (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- GEORGE H LAMBERT JR (CEO): $225,184 total reported compensation
- KIMBERLY CORBIN (CAFO): $221,612 total reported compensation
- FELLS ERICA (PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $129,155 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To ensure that vulnerable households in the Greater Washington area can overcome housing insecurity and build stability through financial assistance, tailored resources, personalized guidance, and advocacy for lasting equitable solutions. Shielding Families, Sustaining Stability We help vulnerable households in the Greater Washington area overcome the profound effects of housing insecurity. Through vital financial assistance, targeted resources, and personalized guidance, we address systemic inequities, rising living costs, and economic hardship. Our work goes beyond short-term relief—we advocate for lasting, equitable solutions that enable individuals to rise above systemic barriers, build stability, and thrive. Together, we’re creating a future where no family is forced to choose between essential needs, and every individual can achieve a dignified and secure life. Mission.
What it reported doing in 2024
Emergency assistancestability pathways: easing access to emergency funds and public benefitswe provide channels of financial recovery by distributing emergency assistance to families at risk of eviction, food insecurity, utility disruptions, education delays or medical neglect. Our financial aid includes: payment of rental arrears paydown of past due utility bills cash for life's emergencies eviction diversion support access support for college students experiencing financial hardship advocacy to end poverty policies
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 99% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 97
- Transparency & Controls: 71
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 27
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 98.3%; rating input score 98
- Program expense ratio: 98.4%; rating input score 98
- Fundraising efficiency: $315.11 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Missing
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: 0%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.16; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.94; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0.6%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 32.8% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 24% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.2% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 98.3% of revenue deployed · 98.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 27 of 27 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $167.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $225K · 25 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3.3M reported
- Consistency: 31 of 32 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 5/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.