Maryland’s $6.1 million contract with We Our Us raises compliance and transparency questions
A major state-funded youth services contract draws scrutiny over reporting gaps
A Baltimore-based nonprofit that received a $6.1 million state contract to provide services to court-involved youth is facing renewed questions about financial transparency and basic governance disclosures, after specialists reviewing its public filings described the organization’s reporting as incomplete and its compliance posture as risky for an entity heavily reliant on public money.
The contract was approved as part of a state package advanced on Aug. 27, 2025, and is tied to programming coordinated through the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. The contract description indicates it is intended to support non-residential services and community-based programming for youth ordered by the juvenile court to receive services in Baltimore City.
What the public filings show
We Our Us Unity Engagement Men’s Movement Incorporated has held federal tax-exempt status since July 2021. Publicly available IRS Form 990 data for the organization shows a rapid increase in reported revenue over a short period, including approximately $1.50 million in total revenue in fiscal year 2023 and approximately $328,000 in fiscal year 2022.
In the organization’s 2023 filing data, contributions were reported as the dominant revenue source, while program service revenue was comparatively small. The same extracted filing data lists multiple officers and directors with reported compensation of $0 for the year shown.
Tax-exempt status: recognized since July 2021.
Scale of finances in filings: 2023 revenue of about $1.50 million, with expenses of about $936,000 and year-end net assets reported at about $837,000.
Revenue composition in filings: contributions represented the overwhelming share of reported revenue in 2023.
Why missing or incomplete reporting matters for public contracts
Nonprofits that solicit contributions in Maryland generally must register and provide periodic filings to state authorities, and federal rules require most tax-exempt organizations to file an annual information return (Form 990 series) based on their size. Separately, nonprofits are expected to make their most recent Form 990 available for public inspection upon request.
Transparency concerns intensify when a nonprofit depends substantially on government funding. Accounting specialists who reviewed the organization’s publicly available materials raised concerns that late or incomplete disclosures can obstruct meaningful oversight of how taxpayer-backed funding will be managed, including whether internal controls, conflict-of-interest safeguards, and governance documentation are sufficiently mature for large-scale contracting.
Claims of “sloppy” filings and questions about controls
Specialists examining the organization’s tax filings pointed to what they described as omissions and inconsistencies that, in their view, complicate efforts to trace decision-making, governance structure, and year-over-year financial continuity. Among the issues flagged were missing comparative figures, incomplete governance disclosures, and absent internal policies that are commonly documented by organizations operating at the scale implied by multi-million-dollar public contracts.
Concerns raised by outside reviewers centered on whether public-facing financial disclosures provide enough detail to evaluate readiness for administering large taxpayer-funded programs.
What comes next
The contract approval places added attention on routine compliance steps that can be verified through filings and disclosures: timely publication of Form 990 materials, clear governance reporting, and documented financial controls. For policymakers and the public, the central question is whether oversight mechanisms tied to the contract will provide visibility into spending, subcontracting, and program performance at a level consistent with the contract’s size and purpose.