District Columbia Grassroots

Tax-deductible

Washington, DC501(c)(3)Since 2003Community DevelopmentEIN 27-2623232Revenue $1.1M in FY2025

On file with the IRSempowerdc.org1419 V St Nw, 20009-5806 · Washington, DCTax-exempt since Sep 2011Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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The mission of empower DC is to build the power of DC residents through resident-led community organizing to advance racial, economic, and environmental justice.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
66¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 90 volunteers and 12 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
5 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $327K a year · 23% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 5 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
66%
of spending
Fine: 66% of spending went to programs; 65% to 75%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$121K
to officers and key staff · 8% of spending
Top officer’s pay lower than 70% of similar orgs
Looks good: pay to officers and key staff is 8% of spending; 15% or less.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
6 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 5.5 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
1
named funder · $100K
Fine: 1 funder names it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$143K
4% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 4% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
10
of 10 voting members
Looks good: 10 of 10 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.1M
-33% vs prior year
Spent
$1.6M
To programs
66%
Net assets
$3.1M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$1.1M
FY2025▼ -33%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$876K
FY2021$894K
FY2022$1.2M
FY2023$2.6M
FY2024$1.7M
FY2025$1.1M
Expenses
$1.6M
FY2025▲ +14%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$638K
FY2021$728K
FY2022$840K
FY2023$1.3M
FY2024$1.4M
FY2025$1.6M
Net assets
$3.1M
FY2025▼ -13%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.5M
FY2021$1.6M
FY2022$2.0M
FY2023$3.3M
FY2024$3.6M
FY2025$3.1M

From the FY2025 Form 990 · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

Give Claim

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Sep 2011.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

66 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 66% · $1.0M Management & general 32% · $509K Fundraising 2% · $36K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

11 people listed on the 990; $121K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director
$120,699Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Treasurer
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Secretary
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Director
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Parisa Norouzi’s $121K as Executive Director is at the 30th percentile of top reported officer pay among 2832 $1–10M community development nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 1 named individual · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
Parisa Norouzi$120,699$110,899$126,849$92,049$75,700$69,060

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

See District Columbia Grassroots executive salaries →

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Empowers low-income residents to improve their quality of life through self-advocacy.

Questions for District Columbia Grassroots

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $1.0M · in their own filed words · FY2025
01

In 2025, empower DC continued to advance community organizing, tenant rights, housing justice, and environmental justice across the district of columbia. We conducted outreach at more than 300 multi-family buildings where tenants were facing poor housing conditions, eviction threats, displacement pressures, and other urgent concerns.

$1.0Mprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Namati INCFY2025$100K
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$100K
Grants paid · 5 grants · $116K · 2021–2025

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.1M
Ln 12
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$1.1M
Investment incomeLn 3$16K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$15K
Money outPt IX
$1.6M
Ln 25
Programscol B$1.0M
Managementcol C$509K
Fundraisingcol D$36K
Owns and owesPt X
$3.1M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$724K
Total assetsLn 16$3.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$143K
PeoplePt VI, VII
11
listed · VII A
PaidVII A1
Voting boardVI 1a10
IndependentVI 1b10
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$1.1M
Government grantsLn 1e$33K
Noncash giftsLn 1g$51K
Fees for servicesLn 2g$15K
Investment incomeLn 3$16K
Gains on assetsLn 7−$27K
Total revenueLn 12$1.1M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$1K
SavingsLn 2$723K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$724K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$1.9M
Other assetsLn 15$49K
Total assetsLn 16$3.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$143K
Net assetsLn 32$3.1M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 512
VolunteersI 690
Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$938K$724K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$1.5M$1.9M
Total assetsLn 16$3.7M$3.3M
LiabilitiesLn 26$77K$143K
Net assetsLn 32$3.6M$3.1M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$10K$10K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$142K$97K$42K$3K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$754K$514K$219K$21K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$13K$9K$4K$307
Other employee benefitsLn 9$70K$49K$21K
Payroll taxesLn 10$81K$57K$24K
Legal feesLn 11b$878$878
Accounting feesLn 11c$76K$76K
Investment management feesLn 11f$10K$10K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$118K$101K$5K$12K
Office expensesLn 13$126K$78K$47K$200
Information technologyLn 14$29K$20K$8K
OccupancyLn 16$110K$78K$32K
TravelLn 17$17K$9K$7K
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$19K$9K$10K
InsuranceLn 23$10K$7K$3K
Total functional expensesLn 25$1.6M$1.0M$509K$36K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $1.1M$1.6M−$451K$3.1M 990 PDF
FY2024 $1.7M$1.4M$313K$3.6M 990 PDF
FY2023 $2.6M$1.3M$1.3M$3.3M 990 PDF
FY2022 $1.2M$840K$405K$2.0M 990 PDF
FY2021 $894K$728K$166K$1.6M 990 PDF
FY2020 $876K$638K$238K$1.5M 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,135,163 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $1,598,347$1,103,374
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $52,104$15,301
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $50,823$16,488
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $1,000$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $1,702,274$1,135,163
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $10,750$10,000
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $828,941$1,061,178
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $549,504$514,842
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $1,389,195$1,586,020
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $313,079−$450,857
Part VI · Governance 10 of 10 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body10
VI-1b Independent voting members10
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,135,163 across 8 lines filed
VIII-1e Government grants$33,291
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$1,070,083
VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$50,594
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$1,103,374
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $15,301$15,301
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $43,023$43,023
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax −$26,535−$26,535
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $15,301 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $16,488$1,135,163
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,586,020 across 16 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizationsPrograms $10,000$10,000
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $97,370 · Management $41,523 · Fundraising $3,233$142,126
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $514,343 · Management $219,114 · Fundraising $20,600$754,057
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $9,245 · Management $3,943 · Fundraising $307$13,495
IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $49,319 · Management $21,137$70,456
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $56,731 · Management $24,313$81,044
IX-11b Legal feesManagement $878$878
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $75,683$75,683
IX-11f Investment management feesManagement $9,701$9,701
IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $101,207 · Management $5,209 · Fundraising $11,800$118,216
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $78,217 · Management $47,171 · Fundraising $200$125,588
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $20,358 · Management $8,402$28,760
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $78,204 · Management $32,278$110,482
IX-17 TravelPrograms $9,467 · Management $7,437$16,904
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetingsPrograms $9,031 · Management $9,683$18,714
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $7,019 · Management $2,897$9,916
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $1,040,511 · Management $509,369 · Fundraising $36,140$1,586,020
Part X · Balance sheet $3,288,719 assets, 14 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $6,696$1,125
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $931,423$722,711
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $1,175,829$596,321
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $730,321$1,221,488
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $782,619$697,734
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $55,639$49,340
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $3,682,527$3,288,719
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $31,876$106,346
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $45,213$36,801
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $77,089$143,147
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $2,081,563$2,294,444
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $1,523,875$851,128
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $3,605,438$3,145,572
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $3,682,527$3,288,719
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $3,145,572 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,135,163
XI-2 Total expenses$1,586,020
XI-3 Revenue less expenses−$450,857
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$3,605,438
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$173,490
XI-8 Prior period adjustments−$182,499
XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$3,145,572

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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