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The Working World
Also known as Seed Commons
The Working World reported $10.1 million in revenue and $10.4 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $89.90 went to program services, $7.43 to management and general costs and $2.67 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 63.3% of the total. Government grants made up 7.7%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $160,564 (CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). 6 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 159% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $10MFor context, the median across 479 covered community improvement & capacity building charities: $90.45 programs, $9.31 management, $0.24 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $10MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 89.9% | 89.1% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 7.4% | 9.2% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 2.7% | 0.2% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.04 | $0.00 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 63.3% | 80.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 7.7% | 14.9% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 17.8% | 11.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $160,564 | $291,103 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.54% | 1.49% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 19.3 | 9.2 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 4 of 9 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseIn 2024, seed commons made 60 below-market rate loans to 46 democratic enterprises which benefited over 3,000 worker-owners. Of those 60 loans, 51 were made to cooperative businesses in the US and 9 were made in nicaragua. The organization continues to focus its work in communities whose populations are low-income, marginalized, and at-risk. The loan selection process involves a double bottom line, wherein we assess the business plan to measure the projected yield in financial benefit to the cooperative and also measure the social impact, which can include such quantifiable parameters as…
Highest reported compensation
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $131,386 | $0 | $29,178 | $160,564 |
| CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $132,071 | $0 | $26,530 | $158,601 |
| DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $114,005 | $0 | $12,053 | $126,058 |
| MANAGING DIRECTOR Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $112,620 | $0 | $12,029 | $124,649 |
| SECRETARY, ASSOC DIR OF CAPITAL STRATEGIES Director/trustee, officer, 42.00 hrs/week | $97,467 | $0 | $20,611 | $118,078 |
| DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $101,680 | $0 | $11,664 | $113,344 |
| DIRECTOR OF LENDING Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $105,152 | $0 | $3,347 | $108,499 |
| DIRECTOR, PROJECT OFFICER (BRED) Director/trustee, 34.00 hrs/week | $76,250 | $0 | $2,507 | $78,757 |
6 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Working World (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $984K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2024 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b9 · 4 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26Yes
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 553
- Volunteers Part I, line 69
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| CHICAGO COMMUNITY AND WORKERS RIGHTS Cooperative development | $182,757 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 1 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
13 private foundations reported grants to The Working World totaling $3.6M on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from The Working World's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for The Working World, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 The Working World spent in 2024, $89.90 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All community improvement & capacity building charities · Largest charities in New York
Questions people ask
How much of The Working World's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, The Working World reported that 89.9% of its $10.4 million in expenses went to program services, 7.4% to management and general and 2.7% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Working World pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Working World reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $160,564, for the role of CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Working World get its money?
Of $10.1 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 63.3% came from contributions and grants (including 7.7% from government grants) and 17.8% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Working World a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 20-2264584 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202543189349314064 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202442619349301124 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202313189349308386 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202203119349301775 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202113199349322496 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202002939349300245 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 20-2264584: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.