Form 990 for tax year 2025

Totals

Total revenue

$11,075,060

Total expenses

$11,026,617

Contributions and grants received

$9,769,463

Grants paid

$25,000

Program service revenue

$903,014

Investment income

$361,363

Other revenue

$41,220

Total assets, end of year

$22,152,555

Total liabilities, end of year

$7,645,781

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$14,506,774

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$8,469,946

Management and general expenses

$1,702,172

Fundraising expenses

$854,499

Program service expenses (Part III)

$8,469,946

Program services were 76.8% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2025

• Withheld by Nonprofiteer: this text may name a private individual.

  Expenses $2,694,182 · Grants $25,000

• CAPACITY BUILDING:IN 2025, INDEPENDENT SECTOR ESTABLISHED THE NATION'S FIRST CENTER OF EXCELLENCE ON THE NONPROFIT WORKFORCE TO STRENGTHEN THE EFFECTIVENESS, SUSTAINABILITY, AND EQUITY OF THE CHARITABLE SECTOR. THE CENTER WAS CREATED TO SUPPORT THE NATION'S 1.9 MILLION CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS AND APPROXIMATELY 13 MILLION NONPROFIT EMPLOYEES, RECOGNIZING THAT A STRONG WORKFORCE INCLUDING SALARIED STAFF, STIPEND-SUPPORTED LEADERS, AND VOLUNTEERS IS ESSENTIAL TO MISSION DELIVERY AND PUBLIC TRUST.THE CENTER WILL ADVANCE INDEPENDENT SECTOR'S MISSION BY BUILDING NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR WORKFORCE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, LEARNING, AND COLLABORATION ACROSS THE CHARITABLE SECTOR. ITS WORK WILL FOCUS ON IMPROVING WORKFORCE CAPACITY, LEADERSHIP READINESS, AND LONG-TERM SECTOR RESILIENCE.IN ITS INAUGURAL YEAR, THE CENTER LAUNCHED PILOT INITIATIVES ACROSS THREE WORKFORCE SEGMENTS SALARIED STAFF, STIPENDED LEADERS, AND VOLUNTEERS SERVING CURRENT AND EMERGING LEADERS AT MULTIPLE CAREER STAGES. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDED:- LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE THAT STRENGTHENED PEER LEARNING, LEADERSHIP SKILLS, AND CROSS-ORGANIZATIONAL COLLABORATION AMONG NONPROFIT PROFESSIONALS. - THE STUDENT LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, WHICH SUPPORTS STUDENTS PURSUING NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP CREDENTIALS WHILE STRENGTHENING THE SECTOR'S FUTURE TALENT PIPELINE. - THE FIRST NATIONAL STRATEGIC VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT ADVISORY BOARD, ELEVATING VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP AS A CORE WORKFORCE STRATEGY AND ADVANCING BEST PRACTICES FOR ENGAGING VOLUNTEERS NATIONWIDE. THROUGH THESE EFFORTS, INDEPENDENT SECTOR:- BUILT A COORDINATED NATIONAL PLATFORM FOR NONPROFIT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS PAID, STIPEND-SUPPORTED, AND VOLUNTEER ROLES. - STRENGTHENED LEADERSHIP PIPELINES AND PROFESSIONAL READINESS FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE NONPROFIT LEADERS. - ADVANCED SECTOR-WIDE LEARNING AND ALIGNMENT AROUND WORKFORCE PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT EQUITY, EFFECTIVENESS, AND SUSTAINABILITY. BY INVESTING IN WORKFORCE LEADERSHIP, VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT, AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT AT A NATIONAL SCALE, THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE ON THE NONPROFIT WORKFORCE ADVANCES INDEPENDENT SECTOR'S MISSION TO STRENGTHEN THE CHARITABLE SECTOR AS A RESILIENT ECOSYSTEM CAPABLE OF MEETING COMMUNITY NEEDS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.

  Expenses $2,178,101 · Revenue $352,014

• RESEARCH:INDEPENDENT SECTOR IDENTIFIES AND INFORMS SECTOR ISSUES THROUGH RESEARCH, ANALYSIS, CROSS-SECTOR DIALOGUE, AND COMMUNICATION. OUR RESEARCH IS THE FOUNDATION TO DRIVE STRUCTURAL CHANGE THROUGH THE FEDERAL POLICYMAKING PROCESS, AND TO DEVELOP STANDARDS OF PRACTICE, TOOLS AND TRAINING TO EMPOWER ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR LEADERS. INDEPENDENT SECTOR ANALYZES AND SHARES INSIGHTS ON FOUR CORE DIMENSIONS OF THE CHARITABLE SECTOR'S HEALTH: FINANCES, WORKFORCE, PUBLIC TRUST AND GOVERNANCE, AND POLICY ADVOCACY. THESE FINDINGS ARE COMPILED IN THE ANNUAL HEALTH OF THE U.S. NONPROFIT SECTOR REPORT, RELEASED IN DECEMBER 2025, AND USED TO INFORM POLICY AND PRACTICE INTERVENTIONS THAT STRENGTHEN THE SECTOR. IN 2025, INDEPENDENT SECTOR CONDUCTED ITS SIXTH ANNUAL SURVEY ON PUBLIC TRUST IN NONPROFITS AND PHILANTHROPY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EDELMAN DATA & INTELLIGENCE. THE SURVEY FOUND THAT NONPROFITS REMAIN THE MOST TRUSTED SECTOR IN AMERICAN SOCIETY, EVEN AS TRUST IN OTHER SECTORS HAS DECLINED.IN APRIL DURING NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK, INDEPENDENT SECTOR AND THE DO GOOD INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND ANNOUNCED THE ESTIMATED VALUE OF VOLUNTEER HOUR. THE 2025 VALUE OF VOLUNTEER TIME, BASED ON 2024 DATA, WAS $34.79 PER HOUR.WHILE THE ESTIMATED VALUE IN NO WAY REFLECTS THE MANY INTANGIBLE BENEFITS PROVIDED BY VOLUNTEERS, IT ILLUSTRATES THE VALUABLE AND SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS VOLUNTEERS MAKE 365 DAYS A YEAR TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITIES.

  Expenses $1,528,761

• COMMUNICATIONS:COMMUNICATIONS AT INDEPENDENT SECTOR FOCUSES ON INCREASING AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF OUR MISSION TO STRENGTHEN AND PRESERVE A CHARITABLE SECTOR THAT IS HEALTHY, TRUSTED, AND EQUITABLE, AND CAPABLE OF HELPING ALL PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES THRIVE. GUIDED BY DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS, OUR COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES ARE DESIGNED TO REACH BROAD AND DIVERSE AUDIENCES WHILE EXPANDING INDEPENDENT SECTOR'S VISIBILITY, INFLUENCE, MEDIA REACH, AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT. THROUGH STRATEGIC PROMOTION OF OUR PUBLIC POLICY, RESEARCH, PROGRAMS, AND MEMBERSHIP INITIATIVES, WE HELP MEMBERS, PARTNERS, AND POLICYMAKERS BETTER UNDERSTAND THE VALUE AND IMPACT OF THE NONPROFIT SECTOR. ANALYTICS AND AUDIENCE INSIGHTS INFORM OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS, ENABLING US TO COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY HOW INDEPENDENT SECTOR'S WORK SUPPORTS ORGANIZATIONS IN ADVANCING THEIR MISSIONS AND INCREASING THEIR IMPACT.

  Expenses $1,591,382

• MEMBERSHIP:MEMBERSHIP AT INDEPENDENT SECTOR PROVIDES FULL ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET, COLLABORATE WITH, AND LEARN FROM FELLOW CHANGEMAKERS AND THOUGHT LEADERS THROUGH INDEPENDENT SECTOR EVENTS AND CONVENINGS; VIRTUALLY AND IN-PERSON. MEMBERS HEAR DIRECTLY FROM POLICY AND OTHER CHARITABLE SECTOR EXPERTS ON ISSUES IMPACTING THE SECTOR AND INCREASE INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THROUGH WEBINARS AND WORKSHOPS. THE IS MASTERCLASS SERIES, MEMBER PORTAL, MEMBER HUDDLES, MONTHLY POLICY UPDATE, AND CURATED VIRTUAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES WERE DESIGNED TO AMPLIFY THE IMPACT OF INDIVIDUAL NONPROFITS AND FOUNDATIONS THROUGH SHARED CONCEPTS AND BEST PRACTICES. THIS "VITAL MEETING GROUND" PROPELLED THE COLLABORATIVE VALUE CREATION (CVC) FRAMEWORK HELPING ORGANIZATIONS MOVE BEYOND SIMPLE COOPERATION AND CONCEPT TO ACHIEVE SYSTEMIC, LARGE-SCALE IMPACT AS ACTIVE ADVOCATES WHO ARE TRUSTED AND WELL GOVERNED, FINANCIALLY ROBUST WITH A THRIVING WORKFORCE. UNDER THE REVISED ENGAGEMENT CONTINUUM 29% MORE IS MEMBERS HAVE MOVED FROM PROMOTING (VALIDATORS OF ASSOCIATION CONTENT AND MISSION) TO ACTIVELY CREATING (E.G. SESSION PROPOSALS AND SURVEYS) AND EVEN SERVING (AD-HOC, MICRO, COMMITTEE OR TASK FORCE ASSIGNMENTS) IN THE MEMBER JOURNEY AND THEIR IMPACT TO CIVIL SOCIETY.

  Expenses $477,520

As filed on the 2025 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here. A text marked withheld matched a screen for wording that may name a private individual, such as an honorific or "in memory of". Most of what it withholds names no one; it is withheld so that what does is never shown.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

• UNITED PHILANTHROPY FORUM

  $20,000

  FOUNDATIONS ON THE HILL CO LEAD AND SPONSOR

Taxable family on this return

Schedule R Parts I, III and IV, as filed. These record ownership and control, not shared board members or money moved.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2025

Filed

21 September 2026

IRS schema version

2025v4.2

Source object

202622659349300317

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