Refugee Congress

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
861189798
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2029056238
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,625,571
Expenses
$1,229,088
Assets
$1,407,697
Liabilities
$1,067,216

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NILI YOSSINGER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • NILI YOSSINGER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $144,500 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Promote the well-being, integration, and rights of refugees, asylum-seekers, and other vulnerable migrants by elevating their voices, informing policy, and fostering community leadership

What it reported doing in 2024

Refugee Congress Delegates and their teams are the heart of our organization, using their lived expertise to shape priorities, strengthen advocacy, and lead awareness efforts nationwide. In 2024, we recruited 10 new highly skilled Lead Delegates across 10 states and onboarded 35 Associate Delegates, with participation on monthly calls increasing to an average of 30 attendees and demonstrating strong engagement across opportunities. We delivered consistent, high-quality trainings averaging 15 participants, and supported Delegates in building more strategic and diverse teams that expanded local capacity and strengthened partnerships. Delegates represented RC at key national events, including 25 Delegates and Associates at RCUSA Advocacy Days, 16 RC members at Welcoming Interactive, and more than 20 Delegates and staff at the National Immigrant Inclusion Conference. We also supported 25 Delegate-led World Refugee Day events through sponsorships, etc.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 66% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 56
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.9%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 85.8%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $71.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 24.4%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.15; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.76; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.8%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 64.9% of revenue deployed · 85.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $144K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.