Most Efficient Charities in District of Columbia
50 nonprofits ranked by Efficiency Score. 5 earn an A grade for excellent financial stewardship.
Below: District of Columbia's most efficient nonprofits, ranked by the NonprofitTruth nonprofit efficiency rubric. The rubric combines financial health / operating reserves (40%), revenue-growth consistency (35%), and officer compensation relative to revenue (25%).
Efficiency rankings do not necessarily favor large or small organizations — the rubric rewards organizations that hold healthy reserves, run on stable funding, and pay officers in line with sector norms regardless of scale. Efficiency scores are recomputed each time we ingest new Form 990 filings; small movements year-to-year are normal as filing data updates.
| # | Organization | Category | Score | Officer Pay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friendship Public Charter School Education | 87 | $1.3M | A | |
| 2 | Partnership Project Inc Environment & Animals | 85 | $540K | A | |
| 3 | National Association Of Conservation Districts Inc Environment & Animals | 84 | $497K | A | |
| 4 | Clasp Environment & Animals | 82 | $1.1M | A | |
| 5 | Open Technology Fund Arts, Culture & Humanities | 81 | $834K | A | |
| 6 | Kipp Dc Public Charter Schools Education | 79 | $1.3M | B | |
| 7 | Windward Fund Environment & Animals | 79 | $183K | B | |
| 8 | League Of Conservation Voters Education Fund Environment & Animals | 79 | $209K | B | |
| 9 | The Recycling Partnership Inc Environment & Animals | 78 | $487K | B | |
| 10 | Rfe Rl Inc Arts, Culture & Humanities | 77 | $1.3M | B | |
| 11 | Corporation For Public Broadcasting Arts, Culture & Humanities | 76 | $3.9M | B | |
| 12 | World Wildlife Fund Inc Environment & Animals | 76 | $5.0M | B | |
| 13 | Howard University Education | 74 | $10.8M | B | |
| 14 | Radio Free Asia Arts, Culture & Humanities | 74 | $959K | B | |
| 15 | U S Green Building Council Inc Environment & Animals | 74 | $873K | B | |
| 16 | Earthshare Environment & Animals | 74 | $288K | B | |
| 17 | National Public Radio Inc Arts, Culture & Humanities | 73 | $5.2M | B | |
| 18 | Paintcare Inc Environment & Animals | 73 | $983K | B | |
| 19 | Jane Goodall Institute For Wildlife Research Education & Conservation Environment & Animals | 73 | $1.4M | B | |
| 20 | American Forests Environment & Animals | 73 | $1.1M | B | |
| 21 | Great Barrier Reef Foundation Usa Inc Environment & Animals | 72 | — | B | |
| 22 | Catholic University Of America Education | 71 | $4.9M | B | |
| 23 | John F Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts Arts, Culture & Humanities | 71 | $5.3M | B | |
| 24 | Gallaudet University Education | 71 | $4.3M | B | |
| 25 | International Baccalaureate Organization Education | 71 | $4.1M | B | |
| 26 | American Humane Association Environment & Animals | 71 | $1.1M | B | |
| 27 | American University Education | 67 | $9.5M | B | |
| 28 | New Venture Fund Environment & Animals | 67 | $744K | B | |
| 29 | Oceana Inc Environment & Animals | 67 | $2.5M | B | |
| 30 | Urban Land Institute Environment & Animals | 66 | $5.7M | B | |
| 31 | Association Of American Medical Colleges Education | 65 | $11.9M | B | |
| 32 | Ocean Conservancy Inc Environment & Animals | 65 | $2.4M | B | |
| 33 | American Rivers Inc Environment & Animals | 65 | $1.4M | B | |
| 34 | Georgetown University Education | 63 | $6.3M | C | |
| 35 | Defenders Of Wildlife Environment & Animals | 63 | $2.9M | C | |
| 36 | National Fish And Wildlife Foundation Environment & Animals | 61 | $3.6M | C | |
| 37 | African Wildlife Foundation Environment & Animals | 61 | $2.4M | C | |
| 38 | Greenpeace Fund Inc Environment & Animals | 59 | $689K | C | |
| 39 | United Negro College Fund Inc Education | 58 | $3.4M | C | |
| 40 | Climate And Clean Energy Equity Fund Environment & Animals | 58 | — | C | |
| 41 | International Spy Museum Arts, Culture & Humanities | 57 | $544K | C | |
| 42 | American Journalism Project Inc Arts, Culture & Humanities | 57 | $2.0M | C | |
| 43 | National Society Of The Daughters Of The American Revolution Arts, Culture & Humanities | 56 | $372K | C | |
| 44 | Smithsonian Institute Arts, Culture & Humanities | 55 | $10.5M | C | |
| 45 | United States Holocaust Memorial Council Arts, Culture & Humanities | 55 | $2.5M | C | |
| 46 | National Geographic Society Education | 54 | $7.2M | C | |
| 47 | Verra Environment & Animals | 54 | $2.5M | C | |
| 48 | Washington Drama Society Inc Arts, Culture & Humanities | 54 | $1.0M | C | |
| 49 | National Trust For Historic Preservation In The United States Arts, Culture & Humanities | 51 | $2.6M | C | |
| 50 | American Battlefield Tr Arts, Culture & Humanities | 51 | $693K | C |
See highest paid CEOs in District of Columbia or browse all District of Columbia nonprofits.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most efficient charities in District of Columbia are ranked above by our Efficiency Score. The top-ranked organization scores 87/100.
The Efficiency Score weighs three factors from IRS Form 990 data: financial health / operating reserves (40%), revenue-growth consistency (35%), and current-officer compensation relative to revenue (25%). It does not include a program-spending ratio, which our data source does not provide. Scores range from 0 to 100.