Urban Institute
500 Lenfant Plaza SW 2nd Floor, Washington, DC · IRS data through FY2024
Revenue, expenses and net assets
Revenue Expenses Net assets
| Tax year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | $129,592,450 | $148,463,835 | $235,464,023 |
| FY2023 | $124,658,351 | $137,744,133 | $245,910,152 |
| FY2022 | $156,278,518 | $128,373,639 | $245,992,846 |
| FY2021 | $169,926,666 | $115,493,821 | $261,021,308 |
| FY2020 | $114,189,696 | $104,861,534 | $212,923,646 |
| FY2019 | $126,697,654 | $99,287,627 | $190,662,281 |
| FY2018 | $89,044,700 | $91,224,579 | $146,801,321 |
| FY2017 | $86,101,007 | $93,208,019 | $158,046,241 |
| FY2016 | $91,433,639 | $86,656,466 | $151,161,267 |
| FY2015 | $107,701,014 | $87,855,636 | $141,848,849 |
| FY2014 | $95,144,338 | $86,177,167 | $140,411,956 |
| FY2013 | $77,049,113 | $77,587,409 | $133,809,513 |
| FY2012 | $85,862,039 | $75,477,336 | $119,870,534 |
| FY2011 | $74,761,380 | $73,270,106 | $102,234,466 |
Form 990 filings
The returns filed by Urban Institute (EIN 52-0880375), including Form 990 PDFs and e-file data by year, are available in ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer. The figures on this page come from IRS data files built from those returns.
Where the revenue came from
| Source | Amount | % of revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions & grants | $116,586,031 | 90% |
| Program service revenue | $0 | 0% |
| Other revenue | $13,006,419 | 10% |
Where the money was spent
| Category | Amount | % of expenses |
|---|---|---|
| Program services | $117,786,153 | 79% |
| Management & general | $24,868,748 | 17% |
| Fundraising | $5,808,934 | 4% |
What the numbers show
- Contributions & grants made up 90% of total revenue in FY2024.
- Program services accounted for 79% of functional expenses, management & general 17%, and fundraising 4%.
- 79% of functional expenses went to program services in FY2024. That is higher than 46.9% of 49 Social Science organizations nationwide (too few in DC for a state comparison).
- Net assets covered about 19 months of expenses at the end of the reporting year. That puts it in the 54th percentile among 67 Social Science organizations in DC.
- Total revenue was higher than 98.5% of 67 Social Science organizations in DC.
- Total revenue rose from $74,761,380 in FY2011 to $129,592,450 in FY2024. Revenue increased in 7 and decreased in 6 of 13 year-over-year comparisons.
- Expenses exceeded revenue in 5 of 14 reported years (FY2013, FY2017, FY2018, FY2023, FY2024).
- The highest revenue on record here is $169,926,666 in FY2021.
- Net assets grew from $102,234,466 to $235,464,023 between FY2011 and FY2024.
- Contributions and grants made up 95% of revenue in FY2011 and 90% in FY2024.
- Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity).
Figures compared against other organizations of the same NTEE program area in the same state. See the methodology page for how these are calculated and the guide to reading nonprofit financials for their limits.
About this organization
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization that applies a range of approaches to examine today's challenges and identify policy solutions that work for people, including research and data analysis, convening, data tools and modeling, strategic advising, program evaluation, and
IRS status
| Ruling year | 1968 |
| Subsection | 501(c)(3) |
| Classification | Public charity |
| Program area (NTEE) | V340 — Social Science |
| Donations | Listed in the IRS Publication 78 data as eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (public charity). |
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Source: Internal Revenue Service — Exempt Organizations Business Master File (downloaded November 4, 2026), Statistics of Income extracts, Form 990 e-file data, Publication 78 and the Automatic Revocation list. Figures are as reported by the organization; IRS processing may adjust them. This is not a charity rating and not tax advice. Confirm deductibility in IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
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