Education for Peace in Iraq Center

What it reported doing in 2025

FIELD-BASED PROJECTS: Supporting Iraqi-Led Environmental Action, Public Health Monitoring, and Youth Healing In 2025, EPIC advanced locally led field work in Iraq through partnerships with trusted Iraqi civil society organizations addressing urgent environmental, public health, and humanitarian needs. EPICs field-based work focused on practical, evidence-based initiatives that helped Iraqi partners document harms, raise public awareness, engage officials, and offer solutions. With the Iraq Health Access Organization (IHAO) in Baghdad, EPIC helped restore public access to real-time air quality information after the citys only public monitor went offline. EPIC assisted IHAO in procuring and installing an open-source air quality monitor in central Baghdad and launching the public website Baghdadi Breeze, giving residents, researchers, advocates, and officials renewed access to live pollution data in a city of nearly 9 million people. IHAO also began using the project to engage international organizations and seek cooperation with Iraqi environmental authorities. With Waterkeepers Iraq in Sulaymaniyah, EPIC supported work documenting Iraqs water crisis and advancing locally grounded river protection. Waterkeepers Iraq completed five field trips to photograph the rapid decline of rivers near Sulaymaniyah, pairing 24 archival images with 24 current images to create the Vanishing Rivers exhibition. The exhibition opened at the Culture Factory, expanded to a second venue at Paia Studio, distributed more than 100 photobooks, and engaged students, academics, environmental advocates, officials, diplomats, and the public. Waterkeepers Iraq also helped document toxic oil spills, contributing to public pressure and official action, while EPIC supported practical water solutions including a mobile wastewater treatment demonstration unit and advocacy for expanded wastewater treatment. With Humat Dijlah in Nasiriyah, EPIC supported the Environmental Duties campaign on river pollution. Humat Dijlah published an evidence-based policy paper on pollution affecting the Euphrates and Gharraf rivers, met with Dhi-Qar environmental officials, trained 13 journalists and bloggers in environmental advocacy, produced 10 environmental radio messages for a 60-day public awareness campaign, and released a short companion video that received more than 27,000 views. EPIC also continued supporting vulnerable children through the Summer of Hope program, in partnership with the Iraqi Children Foundation and the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. The eight-week program provided 27 orphaned and conflict-affected children with a safe space for English, art, STEM, yoga, life skills, mentorship, and healing. These field-based activities demonstrated EPICs core approach: support trusted Iraqi partners, combine evidence with storytelling, and help communities move from urgent problems to practical action.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 80.1%; rating input score 80
• Program expense ratio: 93.7%; rating input score 94
• Fundraising efficiency: $43.23 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Limited
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Pass
  • Conducts site visits: Limited
  • Requires grant agreements: Pass
  • May require repayment: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 74.5%; rating input score 74; 50th 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; 64th 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: 14.5%; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.19; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 37.2%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -7% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings