Baltimore Nonprofit Scores $6M State Deal As Tax Filings Raise Eyebrows

Maryland quietly steered $6 million to a Baltimore nonprofit while the group’s public tax paperwork remained a work in progress, raising pointed questions from accounting experts about whether taxpayers are getting the transparency they are owed. We Our Us, a men’s unity and youth engagement organization, filed its 2023 federal return late and, according to public records, has not made a 2024 return publicly available. State records show the award was routed through the Department of Juvenile Services and approved through a non-competitive procurement process. The group says its audits are finished and its returns have been submitted, but it has not shared copies for independent review.

What the tax forms show

ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer indicates that We Our Us filed a Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 on Nov. 20, 2025, reporting roughly $1.5 million in revenue, with about 96% listed as contributions. The publicly posted return shows only modest program-service income and a sharp jump in assets compared with prior years. Those figures line up with reporting that a large share of the group’s revenue came from grants or other contributions, but the filing itself offers limited detail about governance practices and internal controls.

How the state approved the award

Documentation obtained by reporters shows the roughly $6 million agreement moved through the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services and was treated as a non-competitive procurement. As reported by Fox Baltimore, agency materials say DJS deemed We Our Us “responsive and responsible” during its review before issuing the award. The contract sits inside a larger violence-intervention funding package that state officials advanced last year.

Experts raise red flags

“There's potentially some money missing here,” Laurie Styron of CharityWatch told Fox Baltimore after examining the 2023 filing. Accounting academics cited in that reporting, including Ohio State's Brian Mittendorf and University of Alabama's Linda Parsons, said late or incomplete returns, the lack of a board list, and the absence of conflict-of-interest and whistleblower policies all point to gaps in governance. Maryland law also requires charities to provide their latest tax form to the public upon request within a set timeframe, and experts argue that nonprofits receiving taxpayer funds should have no trouble meeting that standard.

What the nonprofit says

We Our Us describes itself online as a community engagement and mentorship movement focused on men and young people in Baltimore. The organization’s director of operations has told reporters that audits are complete and overdue returns have been submitted, but declined to release copies while the filings move through state or federal processing. Publicly available tax records accessible via ProPublica show the 2023 return on file but do not yet list a processed 2024 filing.

What to watch next

Advocates and auditors say the episode highlights a bigger oversight question: how should state agencies vet smaller, local organizations before handing over large, multi-year awards. Lawmakers and nonprofit watchdogs have called for more standardized pre-award checks and clearer public reporting on how grant dollars get used. For now, watchdogs are likely to focus on whether DJS and other state offices secure the records and safeguards that experts say are routine expectations for publicly funded contracts.