Skip to the page content
Your donations
Passes our checks

Dc Scores

EIN 52-2230721 · Washington, DC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong93 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

DC Scores goes where kids in need are and creates neighborhood teams that give kids the confidence and skills to succeed on the playing field, in the classroom, and in life.

Income
$5.8 million
Spending
$5.0 million
Spent on programs
68%
Reserves
10.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 79%
Employees
29
Volunteers
300
Highest pay
$135,684, executive director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 93 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 10.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 12% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 13% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 13% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    68% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 14 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    23 of 23 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (3)
  1. $2.0 million spent. Soccer Program - DC SCORES provides 24 weeks of soccer at schools and recreation centers across the district. Our soccer programming includes weekly practice sessions and gamedays. Each practice session focuses on skill development and team building. Weekly soccer games are part of a full league structure for boys and girls in elementary and middle school. Our weekly games provide an opportunity for families and school communities to support their poet-athletes on the playing field. All leagues culminate in playoffs, and we also offer two large-scale tournaments each year. The majority of soccer coaches are teachers from the students home school. Our coaches receive over 24 hours of training and support from DC SCORES staff in positive youth development practices and soccer-specific training.
  2. $806,658 spent. Writing: Poetry & Service Learning - DC SCORES provides 12 weeks of poetry/spoken word programming for our poet-athletes during the fall season. Each participant is led by writing coaches to find their voice through poetry. Our participants learn a variety of poetic devices throughout the season and then work with their teammates to create an original team spoken word performance. Each team performs their original work at our Annual Poetry Slam! - the largest such event in the district. In the spring, our teams work together to complete a service-learning project. Each team identifies an issue that they would like to impact in their community. By the end of the season, each team has made a documented impact on their community and showcases their work at our annual festival called the Jamboree! Each poet-athlete learns the importance of working together and how their voice/action can make a difference. Like with soccer, the majority of our writing coaches are teachers from the students home school and receive over 24 hours of training and support from DC SCORES staff in positive youth development and curriculum-specific training.
  3. $622,578 spent. Summer - DC SCORES provides several summer arts and soccer camps each year. Our camps focus on our values of teamwork, leadership, and commitment. The camps range from an introduction to soccer and various arts modalities to elite soccer training. All camps bring together poet-athletes from across the district to build relationships across cultural divides. Our camps provide gear, food, swimming, and numerous field trips. We hire camp staff that includes our high school and college aged alumni who have come back to help lead the program. We strive to give all of our campers the best camp experience possible, and partner with local agencies to secure the best fields and facilities available, and provide participants with a camp t-shirt and at least one meal served daily at each camp.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending August 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending August 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since December 2012.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.