One Fair Wage Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE MISSION OF ONE FAIR WAGE IS TO RAISE WAGES AND IMPROVE WORKING CONDITIONS IN THE SERVICE SECTOR, AND END ALL SUBMINIMUM WAGES IN THE UNITED STATES. WE ACCOMPLISH THAT MISSION THROUGH THREE MAIN PILLARS OF WORK: POLICY SHIFT, INDUSTRY SHIFT, AND NARRATIVE SHIFT.
- Income
- $7.4 million
- Spending
- $7.8 million
- Spent on programs
- 80%
- Reserves
- 1.4 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 96%
- Employees
- 44
- Volunteers
- 8
- Highest pay
- $157,301, president & board member
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 64 out of 100. Higher than 26% of charities in its peer group (civil rights, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.4 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 10% of what it owns.
Living within its means
4 of 15Spending exceeded income by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 47% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1580% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 92 out of 100. Higher than 46% of charities in its peer group (civil rights, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 258 of 9 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, 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 (4)
- $4.5 million spent. POLICY SHIFT: WORKER ORGANIZING - IN 2024, OUR ORGANIZING DEPARTMENT CONTINUED THE '25 BY 250' CAMPAIGN, ORGANIZING RESTAURANT, SERVICE AND OTHER LOW-WAGE WORKERS TO ADVANCE POLICY TO RAISE WAGES AND END THE SUBMINIMUM WAGES IN 25 STATES BY THE UNITED STATES' 250TH ANNIVERSARY. THIS YEAR WE WON OUR FIRST STATEWIDE VICTORY IN MICHIGAN WHEN THE SUPREME COURT RULED IN FAVOR OF WAGE INCREASE POLICY. IN ADDITION TO OUR WORK IN MI, IN 2024 WE WORKED EXTENSIVELY IN IL, MD, MA, AZ, AND OH, AND ALSO CONDUCTED ONE FAIR WAGE ORGANIZING ACTIVITIES IN MULTIPLE OTHER STATES INCLUDING NY, CT, CO, RI, PR, HI, CA, ID AND MS.OUR ORGANIZING WORK IS LED BY OUR NATIONAL TEAM WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL ORGANIZERS WE HIRED IN MANY OF THESE STATES IN 2024. ORGANIZING WORK INCLUDED CONDUCTING SURVEYS AND OUTREACH TO RESTAURANT WORKERS, ORGANIZING MEDIA EVENTS, EDUCATING VOTERS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND SHARING WORKER STORIES THROUGH PRINTED MATERIALS, MEDIA, AND EVENTS. OFW NATIONAL OFFICE ORGANIZES THESE EFFORTS IN STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, DEPLOYING OUR RESOURCES AND PEOPLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES AND MITIGATE CHALLENGES AS THEY ARISE. COSTS RELATED TO THESE ACTIVITIES INCLUDED STAFFING, CONTRACTORS, TRAVEL AND LODGING, OFFICE RENT AND EXPENSES, PRINTING AND MATERIALS, AND OTHER EXPENSES. VOTER ENGAGEMENT : WE ENGAGED LOW-WAGE WORKERS IN VOTER EDUCATION ACTIVITIES, PIONEERING NEW, SCALED-UP MODELS OF PEER-TO-PEER VOTER ENGAGEMENT AND GET OUT THE VOTE ACTIVITIES. WORKER LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: OUR STATE STEERING COMMITTEES AND THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP NETWORK (NLN) ARE CORE TO OUR WORK TO DEVELOP WORKER LEADERS. THE NLN MEETS MONTHLY ONLINE AND AT LEAST ANNUALLY IN PERSON TO PLAN AND STRATEGIZE CAMPAIGNS TO RAISE WAGES AND ELIMINATE SUBMINIMUM WAGES BOTH IN THEIR STATES AND NATIONWIDE, SHARING BEST PRACTICES IN WORKER ORGANIZING.
- $1.5 million spent. 3. NARRATIVE SHIFT: RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATIONS - IN 2024, WE CONTINUED WORK IN RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATIONS, SEEKING TO IMPROVE KNOWLEDGE AND COUNTER MISINFORMATION REGARDING THE NEED FOR AND IMPACT OF WAGE INCREASES.RESEARCH: IN 2024, OUR RESEARCH DEPARTMENT PUBLISHED OVER A DOZEN MAJOR REPORTS BASED ON GOVERNMENT DATA, PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE DATA, AND SURVEYS OF RESTAURANT AND SERVICE WORKERS. MUCH OF THE CONTENT OF THESE REPORTS ARE BASED ON POLLING WE DEVELOP THROUGH THIRD PARTY CONTRACTORS. WE ALSO PRODUCED PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES AND CONDUCTED PRESS EVENTS TO RELEASE REPORTS AND UPLIFT THE FINDINGS, WITH ACADEMICS, POLICY MAKERS, PRESS AND OTHER EXPERTS ON THE ISSUE.COMMUNICATIONS: OUR COMMUNICATIONS STAFF AND SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM DISSEMINATED REPORTS AND COMMUNICATED BROADLY ABOUT OFW WORK AND ISSUES VIA EARNED AND SOCIAL MEDIA. WE OBTAINED COVERAGE IN HUNDREDS OF PRESS OUTLETS, REACHING AN AUDIENCE OF MILLIONS. IN JUST ONE DAY IN MAY 2024, WE TRACKED OUR REACH TO AN AUDIENCE OF 850,000 LISTENERS THROUGH THESE MEDIA.WE ENGAGED STAFF AND COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANTS IN THESE EFFORTS. WE ALSO HELD NUMEROUS MEDIA-WORTHY EVENTS TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE ISSUES AND ORGANIZING EFFORTS RELATED TO FAIR WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS.
- $233,542 spent. INDUSTRY SHIFT: HIGH ROAD RESTAURANTS - IN 2024, OUR HIGH ROAD RESTAURANT DEPARTMENT CONTINUED WORK WITH RESTAURANT OWNERS WHO ARE COMMITTED TO INCREASED WAGES AND EQUITY IN THEIR WORKPLACES. ACTIVITIES WITH RESTAURANT OWNERS INCLUDED OUTREACH, TRAINING, EVENT PARTICIPATION, LEGISLATOR EDUCATION, AND MEDIA ACTIVITIES. THIS YEAR, WE ALSO CONTINUED TO GROW RAISE, WHICH IS OUR ASSOCIATION OF OVER 1,000 RESPONSIBLE RESTAURANT OWNERS. WE FACILITATE THIS NETWORK FOR RESTAURANT OWNERS TO SHARE BEST PRACTICES AND EXPERIENCES WITH RAISING WAGES AND INCREASING EQUITY.OUR HIGH ROAD RESTAURANT OWNERS WERE AGAIN CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR WORK. THIS YEAR THEY SERVED AS MODELS AND SHARED THEIR STORIES WITH PEER RESTAURANT OWNERS, BUT THEY ALSO WORKED AS VOCAL AND CREDIBLE ADVOCATES FOR CHANGE. OFW TRAINED RESTAURANT OWNERS AS SPOKESPEOPLE AND ELEVATED OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO SPEAK AT CONFERENCES, MEDIA, RALLIES, HEARINGS, IN ELECTED OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENT, AND OTHER PUBLIC VENUES. IN 2024, WE WORKED WITH RESPONSIBLE RESTAURANT OWNERS IN STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, BUT OUR FOCUS WAS WORK WITH RESTAURANT OWNERS IN KEY STATES WHERE WE RAN WORKER ORGANIZING CAMPAIGNS, INCLUDING IL, OH, MD, NY, AZ, AND CA. THIS DEPARTMENT'S PRIMARY COSTS INCLUDED STAFFING, TRAINERS / CONSULTANTS, TRAINING COSTS, EVENT COSTS, RESTAURANT STIPENDS, AND TRAVEL. HIGH ROAD KITCHENS (HRK): WE CONTINUED TO GROW THE HIGH ROAD KITCHENS PROGRAM, A PROJECT OF RAISE HIGH ROAD RESTAURANTS THIS YEAR. WE PROVIDED TRAINING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND IN SOME INSTANCES, FUNDING TO RESTAURANTS THAT COMMITTED TO RAISE WAGES AND INCREASE EQUITY FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES. WE EXPANDED THE PROGRAM AND THE ASSOCIATION INTO CLEVELAND, OHIO, JACKSON, MS, AND PRINCE GEORGES, MARYLAND, AND CONTINUED BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IN OTHER CITIES AND COUNTIES WHERE WE INTEND FUTURE HRK PROGRAMMING.
- $13,113 spent. CA COOP
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
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.
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.
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.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since April 2020.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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.