Abundance Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

Global Health InitiativesUnder the leadership of Dr. Stephen Kahn, President and emergency medicine physician, the Abundance Project for Global Health marked its 14th year in collaboration with Partners In Health (PIH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS). The Project has supported epidemic responses (cholera, Ebola, COVID-19), cholera vaccine research in Haiti that led to GAVIs annual deployment of millions of doses, and health system strengthening in Haiti and Rwanda through the Human Resources for Health program. It also helped launch HMSs Master of Medical Science in Global Health Delivery (MMSc-GHD), that in 2024 is in its 12th year of training medical professionals to improve care in underserved regions.Evidence-Based Medicine and AI in Health CareIn partnership with Better Evidence, Abundance supported free global distribution of UpToDate to clinicians in low-resource settingsover 300,000 subscriptions in 185 countries, influencing more than 28 million clinical decisions. The Better Evidence for Training Program reached 95,000 medical students, residents, and faculty across 156 facilities in 17 countries, expanding access to evidence-based tools at 65 African medical schools through 106 Champions. In 2024, Abundance also supported Better Evidences work as a liaison between AI developers and clinicians, providing rigorous monitoring, contextual adaptation, and exploration of AIs potential to improve decision support, outcomes, and cost-efficiency in limited environments settings.Global Health LeadershipDr. Kahn chaired HMSs Global Health and Service Advisory Council, advancing the Department of Global Health and Social Medicines (DGHSM) work on TB/MDR-TB eradication and global mental health. Through the Paul Farmer Collaborative, DGHSM partnered with the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) in Rwanda for research, clinical training, faculty exchange, and social medicine education. Dr. Kahn also led the Global Health Affinity Group within the Network of Engaged International Donors, hosting sessions on philanthropic resilience and featuring Dr. Sriram Shamasunder, founder of the HEAL Initiative at UCSF.Regional and Community Health GrantsIn Costa Rica, Abundance grants supported Hands For Health in strengthening governance and succession planning to improve Indigenous and vulnerable community health. In Kenya, Abundance supported Nyanam Widows Risings health, justice, and education programs. In Haiti, grants went to Haiti Clinic (care in Port-au-Prince, eight schools, three orphanages) and Equal Health (social medicine education and community programs). Additional Abundance grants supported Boston Health Care for the Homeless and Youth Villages Foundation, which provides evidence-based services to children and families.Storytelling, Education, and Cultural ExchangeSince 2012, Abundance has supported Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist and National Geographic Society explorer Paul Salopeks Out of Eden Walk (OOEW), a 24,000-mile on-foot journey tracing human migration. In 2024, Paul completed his China leg, crossed Korea, published in National Geographic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times, and co-curated a Seoul exhibition nominated for the Seoul Arts Jury Prize. Dr. Kahn walked with Paul in Japan and contributed to OOEWs legacy planning to preserve its multimedia archive and expand educational programming.Abundance was the founding strategic partner for The Open Canopy (TOC, formerly Out of Eden Learn), a Project Zero initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education offering free learning journeys to students in 70 countries. TOC connects peers across diverse settings to share experiences, guided by three principles: slowing down to observe and listen attentively to others; sharing stories and perspectives; and making connections between everyday life and broader global forces and systems. By 2024, over 75,000 students had participated. That year, TOC published The Open Canopy Handbook, secured a major U.S.MENA gr

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 73%; rating input score 73
• Fundraising efficiency: $15.78 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Fail
  • Conducts field audits: Fail
  • May suspend future funding: Fail
  • Requires financial reports: Pass
  • Conducts site visits: Fail
  • Requires grant agreements: Fail
  • May require repayment: Fail
• Grant itemization coverage: 93.6%; rating input score 94; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 75%; rating input score 75; 24th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -1,167.8%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 12.25; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 37.3%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -13.8% per year; rating input score 0; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 23.2% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 52.6% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings