Washington DC Economic Partnership
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 311795776
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2020
- Location
- Washington, DC, USA
- Phone
- (202) 661-8670
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Economic Development
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,943,811
- Expenses
- $3,941,375
- Assets
- $2,808,664
- Liabilities
- $2,018,133
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
51 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DEREK FORD (PRESIDENT &)
Highest reported compensation
- DEREK FORD (PRESIDENT &): $245,992 total reported compensation
- CHAD SHUSKEY (EVP OF RA &): $203,412 total reported compensation
- SUZANNE WHITE (VP CORP ATTR): $190,247 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our mission is to foster and enhance economic growth and business prospects in the District of Columbia while providing support for business retention, expansion, and attraction initiatives. By leveraging our deep understanding of the District’s economic landscape, utilizing precise analytics, data, and research, and collaborating with community partners, WDCEP serves as a pivotal organization in Washington, DC, connecting the public and private sectors, neighborhoods, and communities, linking them to local, national, and international audiences. Through these efforts, we aim to advance sustainable, equitable, and inclusive economic development that benefits all.
What it reported doing in 2024
Marketing & pr wdcep positions and promotes business opportunities for the purposes of attracting, retaining, and expanding businesses in the district. This includes implementing a consistent, integrated marketing and communications strategy to promote the district as a premier location to do business and generate new business attraction, retention, and expansion leads. Marketing efforts support the district's economic development strategy(s) by focusing on key "vision themes" such as a destination of choice for innovators, job creators, and visitors; a place where people choose to live, work, visit, and thrive; and the district's vibrant neighborhoods.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 80% 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
SUPPORTED - 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: 67
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 26
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 75.3%; rating input score 75
- Program expense ratio: 75.3%; rating input score 75
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Missing
- 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: 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: 0.1%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.71; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.72; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 27.6%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 11.6% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 75.3% of revenue deployed · 75.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 45 of 45 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $246K · 51 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $125K reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 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.
- 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 12/100.