United Way for Southeastern Michigan
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 203099071
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Detroit, MI, US
- Phone
- 313-226-9200
- Rating
- 87
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Disaster Preparedness and Relief Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $112,317,221
- Expenses
- $115,291,584
- Assets
- $59,892,872
- Liabilities
- $20,193,375
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
55 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DR DARIENNE HUDSON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
- KYLE DUBUC (VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICAT)
- LARA KEATHLEY (VICE PRESIDENT, PEOPLE, CULUTRE, & GOVERNANCE)
- JEFFREY MILES (VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNITY)
Highest reported compensation
- DR DARIENNE HUDSON (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $441,679 total reported compensation
- BRANDON LEE (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER & EXECUTIVE): $291,189 total reported compensation
- TONYA ADAIR (FORMER CHIEF PEOPLE, EQUITY & ENG): $284,504 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 improve lives and strengthen communities by mobilizing the caring power of donors, advocates, and volunteers in Southeastern Michigan.
What it reported doing in 2024
Meeting basic needs: in our four-county region, which is home to nearly half the state's population, 42% of families struggle to afford a basic, no-frills monthly budget, according to united way's 2025 alice report. That means too many households are making impossible choices between necessities like food, housing, child care, and transportation.united way meets families in these moments with both urgency and intention. Through strategic investments in partners, programs, and advocacy, we help families move from crisis to stability and from stability to prosperity. Last year, our community investment grants supported more than 290,000 individuals across southeastern Michigan.through our connect4care network, we help families navigate what can often feel like a fragmented system of support connecting them to the right resources at the right time while working alongside partners to build a more coordinated, person-centered system of care. Last year, our 211 call center served as the front door into the social services ecosystem handling 148,781 connections.priority initiatives & programs 211 helpline & social navigation connect4care community information exchange basic needs grants utility assistance
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 86% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 86% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 91
- Transparency & Controls: 85
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 26
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 94.6%; rating input score 95
- Program expense ratio: 92.1%; rating input score 92
- Fundraising efficiency: $26.64 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 64; 64th 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: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 98.7%; rating input score 99; 36th 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -2.6%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.52; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.34; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 9th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 9 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 4 operating locations identified
- Where the money goes: 94.6% of revenue deployed · 92.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 41 of 41 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $106.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $442K · 55 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.2M reported
- Consistency: 37 of 38 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 369 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 360 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.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 17/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.