Greater Washington Urban League, Inc.
Empowering Communities. Changing Lives.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Greater Washington Urban League (GWUL or the League) envisions a DC Metro Area inclusive of flourishing, multi-generational, Black communities with members thriving unimpeded and unharmed by structural racism and violence. Thus, the League is on a mission to increase the monetary and political wellness and power of historically disenfranchised and economically excluded Black and other populations of color.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
HOUSING
The Greater Washington Urban League’s Housing Division builds financial bridges from rental housing to homeownership, creating stability and prosperity for families throughout the region. Programs on financial literacy help youth and adults understand resource investments and wealth accumulation. The Housing Division offers homebuyer education workshops teaching participants how to apply for a loan, prepare a budget, and resolve credit problems. These and other workshops are offered at the Greater Washington Urban League headquarters in Washington, D.C. and in our Prince George’s County, MD Office
EMERGENCY SERVICES
Even with the Great Recession officially ending, people are still in need as we continue dealing with the prolonged effects of an economic crisis. For vulnerable populations, the stakes are even higher: many must constantly choose between basic needs and paying their utilities. The Greater Washington Urban League services are free. We work with anyone who asks for our help. We gladly partner with key utility companies like PEPCO and the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) to assist clients who are unable to pay their water, electricity or other utilities to get back on their feet. The ultimate goal of this cadre of programs is to help people arrive towards self-sufficiency while providing short term crises intervention. The programs cover emergency assistance for water, gas and electricity bills – and, through that, more than 1,400 individuals on average benefit from utility assistance each year.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
The Greater Washington Urban League understands how urgent the economic situation is for our region’s most vulnerable residents – and that no one can be left behind as the region’s economy grows. We’ve created the Workforce Development division of the Greater Washington Urban League as a professional development sourcing mechanism for the residents we serve, as well as a career incubator driven by a mission is to support a strong economy and the ability of each person to achieve self-sufficiency.
SCHOLARSHIPS
n conjunction with numerous concerned corporate sponsors, GWUL has facilitated the distribution of more than $2 million in scholarships to more than 300 young adults. Recipients have gone on to a diverse and elite range of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, local institutions of higher education, Ivy League institutions and other colleges/universities, as well as the Job Corps or other special post-secondary education and trade schools.
Where we work
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
GWUL catalyzes community transformation and individual growth through economic development programs, crisis intervention, and policy advocacy. Our work serves as an antidote to psychological oppression, structural barriers, lost wealth, and community displacement. GWUL works to advance racial equity as a mechanism to achieve equality while also driving self-propulsion and political parity. Our duty is to employ a person-centered approach to maximize impact through:
Strengthening wellness and resilience
Nurturing hope and belief
Stimulating cooperative relationship-building
Cultivating community cohesion
Building capacity
Easing access to opportunities and resources
Providing systems navigation guidance
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
GWUL empowers communities and changes lives through social work, advocacy, emergency assistance, economic empowerment, and person-centered development. The League administers a wide variety of programs in the following areas:
HOUSING SERVICES
Our work stretches from preventing homelessness to making homeownership a reality by helping clients avoid the traumas of eviction and foreclosure while preparing others for the rigors and rewards of home ownership.
Closing Cost & Down Payment Funding
Housing Counseling & Education
Foreclosure & Loan Modification Support
Advocacy for Fair Credit Reporting
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
We provide channels of financial recovery by distributing emergency assistance to families at risk of eviction, food insecurity, utility disruptions, education delays, or medical neglect.
Payment of Rental Arrears and Past Due Utility Bills
Cash for Life's Emergencies
Eviction Diversion Support
Advocacy to End Poverty Policies
HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION
We distribute millions of dollars of aid and provide hours of supplemental counseling and prevent homelessness of individuals and families who are income-challenged.
Rent Subsidies
Housing Navigation
Financial Education
Advocacy for Affordable Housing
FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT
We develop resilient and financially astute life-long earners with the capacity and plan to accumulate generational wealth, putting participants in the driver's seat with the skills and mindfulness they need to make sound money choices.
Financial Therapy & Coaching
Expert Subject Knowledge Seminars
Empowerment Lab Cohorts
Credit & Debt Management Counseling
Advocacy for Fair Banking
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
We aim to assist participants in creating employment strategies and building resiliency leading to consistent life-long earnings, while also influencing equitable employment opportunities.
Workplace Navigation Workshops
Employment Readiness Therapy & Coaching
Personal Asset & Career Choice Matching
Job Search & Networking Support
Advocacy for Pay Equity
SMALL BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
We stimulate, sustain, and safeguard Black-business ownership by nurturing and elevating competent well-positioned Black entrepreneurs.
Industry Specific and Start-Up Development Cohorts
Professional Expert Consulting
Licensing & Certification Support
Capital & Contract Readiness
New Business Venture Acceleration
Advocacy to End Opportunity Disparities
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT & SCHOLARSHIP
We commit to addressing the academic and interpersonal needs of our youth to counter the traps of prison pipelining. The League leverages both of its auxiliary groups to remove financial and access barriers to education and to also mentor students into becoming astute leaders.
Scholarship & College Sustainability Fund
Back 2 School Health & Wellness Festival
Youth Leadership Summit
Empowerment Academy
Dreamer's Corp. Python Coding Academy
Future Leaders in Mobility Camp
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Greater Washington Urban League, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 12/19/2023
Dawn Hendricks
FM Talent Source, LLC
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/19/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.