Women First Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
237068080
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2122130622
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and Fund Distribution

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,290,200
Expenses
$2,786,629
Assets
$17,793,045
Liabilities
$87,032

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JENNIFER HUFF (PRESIDENT)
  • EMILY FORHMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • EMILY FORHMAN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $222,713 total reported compensation
  • SARA EVALINE FRANKS (PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $140,749 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Women first invests in grassroots initiatives driven by women in developing economies that sustainably advance their lives.

What it reported doing in 2025

See schedule ograntmaking program - women first provides grants and long-term partnership to small and emerging organizations led by women working towards gender equity in their own communities. Through our unique 3-stage approach, we partner with grantees for 6 years. Women first offers funding, capacity assessment and planning tools, capacity building resources, and networking opportunities. Grantee partners may also be awarded additional funding to navigate unexpected challenges and/or capitalize on urgent, time-bound opportunities.we work alongside our grantee partners over years to build organizational effectiveness, improve sustainability, create opportunities and change lives.since our founding in 1969, women first has funded more than 700 organizations, in over 95 countries. Women first believes that women-led organizations are best equipped to empower women and girls. To enhance its grant-making efforts, women first engages in events, briefing, training, workshops and non-governmental discussions at the united nations headquarters in New York as well as virtually through its consultative status with ecosoc (un's economic and social council) and its membership in un-related groups. Women first presents a grassroots perspective in its formal statements to the un agencies and general assembly, and in a wide range of meetings sponsored within the auspices of the un. An active women first un committee membership, volunteers and its registered representatives maximize the outcomes of its un affiliation while expending a very limited amount of resources. Through reports from these activities, women first informs grantees, members and donors about un discussions, decisions, and policies relevant to women first's focus and goals.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 48% for direct work, and 52% for 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 37
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 77.6%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.19 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Pass
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.8%; rating input score 100; 54th 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; 64th 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: -116%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.39; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.7% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 77.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $223K · 18 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 4/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 29/100.