Norwegian Refugee Council USA

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
475342860
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2015
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
4253146125
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Relief

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,329,057
Expenses
$6,523,069
Assets
$2,322,496
Liabilities
$484,763

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

Leadership & pay

14 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BERNICE ROMERO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • BERNICE ROMERO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $214,236 total reported compensation
  • JOCHEN RIEGG (GLBL. LEAD HUMANITARIAN ACCESS): $134,620 total reported compensation
  • AARON GERSHOWITZ (SR. INST. PARTNERSHIP ADVISER): $130,455 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The norwegian refugee council USA (nrc USA) is a non-profit organization that was incorporated under the laws of the district of columbia in october 2015 and commenced operations during 2016. Nrc USA was established with two primary objectives: raising money for the norwegian refugee council's (nrc's) overseas programs that meet the needs of conflict-affected refugees and internally displaced people and providing humanitarian policy and technical advice to the administration, us congress, and peer non-governmental organizations. Nrc USA is also a resource to universities, think tanks, and the public on humanitarian issues and seeks financial support and partnerships with us based individuals, foundations, and corporations.

What it reported doing in 2025

Program support and compliance the norwegian refugee council USA assists the norwegian refugee council's field programs in applying for critical financial support. Nrc USA staff also support in ensuring compliance, financial and programmatic reporting, and advise on programs funded by the us government and us-based foundations and corporate donors.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 77% of its reported program spending out as grants.

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: 92
  • Transparency & Controls: 66
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 11
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 85.8%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $34.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • 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: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 80%; rating input score 80; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -50.7%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.36; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.21; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 28.3% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 21.4% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 24.5% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 85.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 8 filed program accomplishments · $5.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $214K · 14 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 31 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • 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: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.