Africa Schoolhouse Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
208955367
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2022
Location
Portland, ME, USA
Phone
3104770450
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Relief

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$608,222
Expenses
$452,801
Assets
$164,896
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CAROL ANN BLINKEN (CHAIR, CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • DR AIMEE BESSIRE (FOUNDER, CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

People named in this filing

  • CAROL ANN BLINKEN (CHAIR, CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • JANE OPPENHEIMER (SECRETARY, BOARD MEMBER)
  • MARK BESSIRE (BOARD MEMBER, TREASURER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Africa schoolhouse is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing quality schools, medical care, job training and clean water to rural villages in northern tanzania. Every project is a collaboration that involves taking direction from community liaisons and local government representatives so that we can build the most effective facilities possible. Africa schoolhouse cares deeply about the environmental, structural and social sustainability of all our projects.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2023, asf entered into a joint project with the girls foundation of tanzania (tgft), a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt under irc 170 (b)(1)(a)(vi) (EIN: 27-2910138). The purpose of the joint project is to construct a new girls center in arusha, a hub of empowerment and education for 35 young women. The project was completed in december 2024.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 55
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 63
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.6%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 98.9%; rating input score 99
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 25.6%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.36; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 26.1% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.9% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.6% of revenue deployed · 98.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $448K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 12 of 12 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.