About
Norwegian Refugee Council USA (NRC USA) is the Washington, D.C. office of the Norwegian Refugee Council, a global humanitarian organization helping people forced to flee. Opened in 2016, NRC USA connects American donors, policymakers, and institutions to NRC's field operations around the world, raising money for NRC's overseas programs that meet the needs of conflict-affected refugees and internally displaced people and providing humanitarian policy and technical advice.
Mission
NRC describes itself as "a global humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee." The organization provides emergency relief in crises and advocates for the rights of displaced people, whether the crisis is new or long-running. NRC USA advances that mission from the United States through fundraising, policy advocacy, and technical expertise.
What they do
NRC's field programs specialize in six core areas:
- Food security and livelihoods
- Shelter and settlements
- Legal assistance and information services (counselling on documentation, housing, and rights)
- Education for displaced children and youth
- Protection from violence
- Water, sanitation, and hygiene
The Washington office itself focuses on three thematic areas: humanitarian access to vulnerable populations in hard-to-reach environments, community-based protection, and cash assistance for refugees and displaced people. Staff engage in policy advocacy with the U.S. government, build partnerships with U.S. foundations and corporations, and collaborate with universities.
History
The Norwegian Refugee Council traces its work to relief efforts launched after World War Two and is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, led by Secretary General Jan Egeland. NRC USA opened in Washington, D.C. in 2016 as one of NRC's seven global offices, alongside Oslo, Brussels, Berlin, Geneva, Stockholm, and London.
Scale and impact
According to NRC's published 2025 figures, the organization assisted 10.6 million people across 39 countries with a workforce of approximately 14,000 aid workers, most of them hired locally. Within that total, over 1.2 million people received education support, 4.3 million accessed water and sanitation services, and 1.7 million received cash assistance. NRC states that over 90 per cent of its global revenue goes directly to fulfilling its purpose.
Financials
Per NRC USA's Form 990 data on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer for the fiscal year ending December 2024, the U.S. entity reported total revenue of 6,639,823 dollars (all from contributions), total functional expenses of 7,773,265 dollars, and net assets of 4,031,745 dollars at year end. NRC USA is a tax-exempt organization and donations are 100% tax deductible; it receives support from the U.S. Department of State, private foundations, corporations, and individual donors.
Governance
NRC USA's board is chaired by Brian Komar, with members including Ambassador Mark C. Storella (retired), John Kluge, and Camilla Waszink. Jochen Riegg, NRC's Global Lead for Humanitarian Access, serves as acting director of the Washington office.
