Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle (ULMS) is a Seattle-based public charity serving Seattle/King County and describes its broader service area as Greater Puget Sound. Its work includes advocacy, direct programming, community outreach, and coalition building to empower African Americans and other underserved communities.
Key facts about Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
In short: Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle gave $181K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in Washington. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 91-0575954
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $181,117
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- Average grant
- $12,937
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $50,637,519
- Primary geography
- Washington (94% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- For the Plate Fund, applicants must document King County residence and qualifying restaurant or food-service employment, meet the stated income limit, and provide identification, residence, and employment documentation. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$50.6M
+49.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$181K
+805.6% YoY
Grant Count
14
+1300.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$13K
-35.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
ULMS’s stated mission is to empower African Americans and other diverse underserved communities to thrive by securing educational and economic opportunities. Its website describes work across housing, education, workforce development, public health, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and financial empowerment.
The organization’s 2024 filing describes programs that include housing assistance, advocacy and community engagement, education, and employment pathways. Its entrepreneurship services include business coaching, planning, training, and help identifying funding opportunities.
Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. For example, Northwest Harvest EMM says its mission is to grow food justice through collective action and end hunger in Washington State. Baseball Beyond Borders says it expands youth access and opportunity through baseball, life skills, academic pathways, and leadership. The Foundation for Tacoma Students says it works to increase Tacoma students’ graduation and postsecondary completion rates, while Highline College Foundation says it raises funds to support quality education at Highline College.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, ULMS reported 14 grants totaling $181,117. Grants ranged from $5,500 to $50,000, with a median of $10,000. The largest listed awards were $50,000 to Island Soul LLC for Black Future Co-op Fund support for Island Soul Recovery; $20,000 to Northwest Harvest EMM for Soul of Seattle event sponsorship; and $15,000 to Seattle Economic Development Fund for sponsoring the Change Starts Here Partnership Exchange. Other listed awards included $12,000 to Baseball Beyond Borders and $10,104 to KD Hall Foundation.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
Black Business Prosperity (BBP) Grant
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
Amount
$1,000 - $5,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
The Plate Fund - Restaurant Worker Help
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
Amount
$500
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Youth Web Design Program
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ready to take the next step with Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
ULMS identifies Seattle/King County as its service area and also describes serving the Greater Puget Sound area. Its 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Washington (94%) and Texas (6%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $11K (2022) to $181K (2025). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $181K.
Hatched bars: grants paid as reported on the IRS filing, which lists no individual grants for that year.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Island Soul LLC ($50K). Together the top 10 received $157K.
Grant Size Distribution
19 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 18 grants of 19 (95%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Island Soul LLC Seattle, WA | Black future co-op fund support for island soul recovery | $50,000 |
| Northwest Harvest Emm Seattle, WA | Soul of Seattle Event Sponsorship | $20,000 |
| Seattle Economic Development Fund Tukwila, WA | Sponsoring Change Starts Here Partnership Exchange | $15,000 |
| Baseball Beyond Borders Kent, WA | Event Sponsorship | $12,000 |
| KD Hall Foundation Seattle, WA | Gala Sponsorship | $10,104 |
| Black Restaurant Week LLC Houston, TX | Pacific Northwest Black Restaurant Week | $10,000 |
| Foundation for Tacoma Students Tacoma, WA | Charting Our Futures Conference | $10,000 |
| Highline College Foundation Des Moines, WA | Young Educated Ladies Leading (Yell) Summit | $10,000 |
| Service Is a Lifestyle Seattle, WA | Event Sponsorship | $10,000 |
| Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc Rho Lambda Zeta Chapter Seattle, WA | Power of the She Series Event | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $50,637,519 | $34,426,127 | $25,646,493 | $181,117 (14) |
| 2024 | $33,922,437 | $15,900,558 | $18,089,238 | $20,000 (1) |
| 2023 | $22,478,813 | $19,208,104 | $13,703,920 | $71,390 (4) |
The organization’s 2024 filing states that it held $114,919 on behalf of local organizations as of June 30, 2025, included in accrued liabilities.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $50,637,519 | $33,922,437 | $22,478,813 |
| Revenue | $34,426,127 | $15,900,558 | $19,208,104 |
| Expenses | $25,646,493 | $18,089,238 | $13,703,920 |
| Net Investment Income | $205,477 | $215,978 | $152,781 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 11, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 12, 2023)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Blair Taylor as board chair; Paul Butler as vice chair; George Stewart as treasurer; and Karinda Harris as secretary. Other listed board leaders and members are Jon Bridge and Nate Miles, board chairs emeritus; Gina Hall, immediate past chair; and George Allen, Nicole Bascomb-Green, and Juan Cotto, board members.
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle is led by Michelle Merriweather, President & CEO since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 10 of 33 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michelle Merriweather
President & CEO
CEO → President & CEO, 2023
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$130K (2020) → $262K (2025)
Jon Bridge
Board Chair Emritus
Board Member → Board Chair Emeritus, 2024
Board Chair Emeritus → Board Chair Emritus, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nate Miles
Board Chair Emritus
Board Member → Board Chair Emritus, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Blair Taylor
Board Chair
Board Member → Board Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Maisha Houston
Hr Director
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$107K (2024) → $122K (2025)
Elatish Schmidt
Director & Asset Management
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$122K (2025)
Kisha-Marie J. Schnereger
Director, Data Management & It Devo
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$113K (2025)
Mansour Camara
Chief Financial Officer
CFO → Chief Financial Officer, 2025
On filings since 2022
40 hrs/week
$84K (2022) → $171K (2025)
Linda Taylor
Vice President, Housing & Finance Empowerment
Vice President of Housing & Finc. Empowerment → Vice President, Housing & Finance Empowerment, 2025
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$124K (2023) → $157K (2025)
Donna Moodie
Chief Impact Officer
Chief Impact Officer From → Chief Impact Officer, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$43K (2024) → $193K (2025)
Robert W. Jones
Vice President, Youth & Workforce Development
Vice President of Youth & Workforce Development → Vice President, Youth & Workforce Development, 2025
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$125K (2024) → $148K (2025)
Carmelle Marescot Palomino
Financial Controller
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$146K (2025)
Josalyn Ford
Chief Advancement Officer
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$128K (2025)
George Allen
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
George Stewart
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gina Hall
Immediate Past Chair
Chair → Board Chair, 2023
Board Chair → Immediate Past Chair, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Juan Cotto
Board Member
Board Member → Vice Chair, 2022
Vice Chair → Board Member, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kia Franklin
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rashelle Tanner
Board Member
Chair → Board Member, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sasha Rabkin
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Shomari Jones
Board Member
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ian Warner
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
James Williams
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karinda Harris
Secretary
Board Member → Secretary, 2022
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Bascomb-Green
Board Member
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Paul Butler
Vice Chair
Board Member → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Rachel Issaka
Board Member
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nicole Mazwi
Board Member
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alison Francis
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Andrew Habe
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bob Woods
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jason Rudman
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Latrice Lee
Board Member
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (20)
- Former: Leesa Manion (2020–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Midori Hobbs (2021–2024) — Board Member
- Former: Maya Manus (2023–2024) — Chief Impact Officer
- Former: Dabrian Jones (2024) — Board Member
- Former: Fawzi Bilal (2024) — People, Culture & Belonging Ombudsman
- Former: Qiana Tyeskey (2024) — Director of Housing
- Former: Kalila Griffin (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Tony Byers (2020–2023) — Board Member
- Former: Augustine Cita (2023) — Vice President of Operations
- Former: T'wina Nobles (2023) — Executive Director Black Future Coop
- Former: Marc Taylor (2021–2022) — CFO
- Former: Patrice Bell (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Travis McPhail (2020–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Jawan Harris (2021) — Board Member
- Former: Oti Peprah (2021) — Board Member
- Former: Aaron Johnson (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Cindi Bright (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Keely Brown (2020) — Secretary
- Former: Kwesi Peprah (2020) — Board Member
- Former: Shawntee Mitchell (2020) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $262K, to Michelle Merriweather (President & CEO). 10 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Contact
Mailing address: 105 14Th Avenue Ste 200, Seattle, WA 98122
Phone: (206) 461-3792
Website: https://urbanleague.org
Frequently asked questions about Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
How much does Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle give each year?
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle gave $181K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $20K across 1 grant.
What is Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's typical grant size?
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $12,937, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle give grants?
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle gives mostly in Washington: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was Texas (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Seattle, WA (6 grants).
Does Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 14 grants with a stated purpose on Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's largest grantees?
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's largest 2025 grantees include Island Soul LLC ($50,000), Northwest Harvest Emm ($20,000) and Seattle Economic Development Fund ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 47% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle?
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle reported $50.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $34.4M.
What does Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle fund?
ULMS’s stated mission is to empower African Americans and other diverse underserved communities to thrive by securing educational and economic opportunities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle?
For the Plate Fund, applicants must document King County residence and qualifying restaurant or food-service employment, meet the stated income limit, and provide identification, residence, and employment documentation. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's EIN?
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 91-0575954. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle by hand.
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