Urban Institute

Legal name: The Urban Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
520880375
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Aug 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Washington, DC, US
Phone
202-833-7200
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Urban Studies

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$129,592,450
Expenses
$148,463,835
Assets
$311,581,937
Liabilities
$76,117,914

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

Leadership & pay

42 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SARAH ROSEN WARTELL (PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
  • ROBERT BUCHANAN (VICE PRESIDENT, CONTROLLER & TREASURER)
  • MARY CUNNINGHAM (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH AND PROGRAMS)
  • MYRA JONES-TAYLOR (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, IMPACT AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS)
  • TODD GREENE (VICE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WORKRISE)

Highest reported compensation

  • SARAH ROSEN WARTELL (PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $1,262,624 total reported compensation
  • MARY CUNNINGHAM (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH AND PROGRAMS): $463,278 total reported compensation
  • TODD GREENE (VICE PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WORKRISE): $447,129 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Urban is a trusted source for changemakers seeking to create a world where everyone has the opportunity and power to thrive.

What it reported doing in 2024

Social sciences - research and public policy analysis: the income and benefits policy center gives decisionmakers crucial information by predicting how policy changes will affect people, programs, and government. We analyze family economic well-being from childhood through retirement and undertake research on a wide variety of issues, including income support, social insurance, taxes, and child support; education and training programs and policies; employers, workplaces, and the labor market; and workforce development systems and policies. As technological and demographic shifts transform the nature of jobs, our experts on postsecondary education and workforce development study what skills workers will need in the future and what challenges lie ahead for retirees. Our research explores the implications of these changes for people and policies.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 61% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 91% 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.3%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 79.3%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $20.07 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Pass
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99%; rating input score 99; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.9%; rating input score 97; 52nd 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: -14.6%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.1; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.24; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.8%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 94.3% of revenue deployed · 79.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 31 of 32 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $117.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $1.3M · 42 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $5.8M reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 40 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 120 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 111 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.
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 58/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 42/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.