African Peoples Education and Defense Fund Inc

What it reported doing in 2025

Community and housing programs: apedf operates uhuru freedom house community centers along with programs for economic development, health, community engagement and cultural fulfillment in historically underserved areas of st. Petersburg, fl, st. Louis, mo, oakland, ca and philadelphia, pa. Our work improves the lives and living conditions of black people by building resilient communities that engage in grass-roots decision making, promote community-based leadership and actively engage in collective solutions. Apedfs programming is a template for community transformation and intended to be replicated nationwide. In 2025, apedfs keystone community transformation and anti-gentrification program, the black power blueprint of st. Louis, continued development and revitalization in one of the most impoverished neighborhoods of st. Louis, a 98% black community where 60% of residents live at or below the poverty line and one third live in deep poverty. St. Louis ranks eighth in the nation for racial disparities in poverty. The black power blueprint has built a series of interconnected community-based programs and spaces. Its economic impact has inspired and enabled current and previous residents to stay or move back to the historically black northside, reversing the trend where st. Louis has the 8th most severe population decrease among major cities in the last decade. Our st. Louis black power vanguards community basketball court, previously the site of a condemned building, continues to provide recreation, fitness and youth programing to improve physical and mental health, teamwork, social skills and community cohesion for youth and adults. We held our 6th annual st. Louis childrens halloween festival in 2025 to strengthen community ties and provide a safe celebration space for children. In 2025, the apedfs black power blueprint completed two residential properties for affordable housing rentals for northside residents of st. Louis and began renovation on a commercial property for retail sales. This continues our commitment to community-based development in a city with an estimated 25,000 vacant homes, where one in every three in north st. Louis is abandoned due to discriminatory housing policies, suburban flight and industrial collapse. After an ef3 tornado destroyed thousands of homes and devastated areas of north st. Louis on 5/18/25, apedf quickly engaged our n2u volunteer brigade, hosting 35 volunteer workdays in 24 weeks. We recruited and coordinated over 450 volunteers who prepared meals. They solicited, received and distributed emergency food and supplies to residents, provided an electric charging station, and cleared over 2,000 pounds of brick debris, 6,000 pounds of roof debris and 300,000 pounds of tree debris. Apedf provided tornado recovery information and resources for home repairs, power restoration and emergency support. Apedf representatives also attended nine public meetings advocating for public funds to support disaster relief and the overall revitalization of north st. Louis. In total, apedfs volunteer program engaged more than 700 volunteers to help improve conditions in north st. Louis. These individual and corporate volunteers participated in more than 50 community workdays assisting with gardening, grant writing, food service, educational presentations, program promotions, community outreach, research and logistics. Apedfs volunteer internship programs provided 3 participants with on-the-job training in leadership and building soft skills. In december 2025 apedf hosted our 4th annual n2u heart and soul volunteer appreciation national event, recognizing 56 award nominees from all over the country. The n2u volunteer brigade offers people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to reduce the disparities faced by the black community. Vounteers bring their resources and skills to participate in making progress toward a positive future where north st. Louis has sustainable self-determination, economic developmen

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 78.6%; rating input score 79
• Fundraising efficiency: $6.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 18th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -45.8%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.45; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 3.8%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -15.7% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -25.3% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings