Creating Opportunities for All
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 873873008
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2021–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Takoma Park, MD, USA
- Phone
- 3012703055
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- International Relief
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $251,505
- Expenses
- $236,050
- Assets
- $31,365
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- HELLEN GELBAND (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- HELLEN GELBAND (PRESIDENT)
- GEORGE TYLER (TREASURER)
- MYRA GELBAND (SECRETARY)
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
Cofa makes grants for community building efforts in sub-saharan africa, both to local organizations registered in sub-saharan african countries and to united states based 501(c)(3) organizations.
What it reported doing in 2024
Growing family prosperitynow in its third year, this 12-month agricultural program aims to provide basic farming supplies and guidance to households in rural communities, to enable families to grow crops and thereby provide food for themselves and sell the surplus to produce income. All supplies and salaries for the project manager, a trained agronomist, and extension workers are funded by cofa. Participants receive field training from the project staff to grow rice, groundnuts, cucumbers, peppers, okra, cassava, and potatoes. In addition, each family receives a pair of goats and chickens. Harvests and seed banking, for future crops, take place over the course of the year. The first two classes of 30 and 25 families completed their first and second years and are on the path to self-sufficiency. They are not being supported financially by cofa, but are still receiving regular visits from staff and advice. All 30 families were able to improve their lives by sending children to school, purchasing more land to farm, paying off debts, improving their homes, etc. A pilot program to process cassava root was established in 3 villages, with cofa providing the a machine to grind and dry the cassava.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 84
- Transparency & Controls: 67
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 45
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 91.5%; rating input score 92
- Program expense ratio: 98.2%; rating input score 98
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Fail
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Fail
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 50%; rating input score 50; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- 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: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 6.1%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.13; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 62.2% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 45.8% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -40.4% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 91.5% of revenue deployed · 98.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 9 filed program accomplishments · $232K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 17 of 17 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 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: 7 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 50/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.