Equipping Farmers International

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
640895381
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2023
Location
Chattanooga, TN, USA
Phone
5402739928
Rating
62
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Development
Affiliation
Christianity

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,091,056
Expenses
$733,532
Assets
$463,727
Liabilities
$971

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Andrew Lamb (Chairman and President)
  • Frank Sindler (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Frank Sindler (Executive Director): $107,400 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

EFI's mission is to cultivate agricultural discipleship worldwide for enhanced food security and livelihoods, envisioning a network of churches eradicating hunger and insecurity globally.

What it reported doing in 2025

Equipping Farmers International (EFI) has established conservation agricultural training operations and initiatives in parts of Central and South America, South and East Asia, and East, South, Central and West Africa. In partnership with Dordt University's Agriculture Department. EFI developed a trainer certification program. Through that program, EFI certified 1,311 new trainers in 2025. It also trained 7,780 farmers, and directly impacted an estimated 54,000 lives of family members in 50 countries, with improved food security in 2025.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% 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 - Most voting board members are independent and program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 55
  • Transparency & Controls: 55
  • Accountability: 78
  • Sustainability: 59
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 49.8%; rating input score 50
  • Program expense ratio: 73.6%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.95 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

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: 90%; rating input score 90; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 32.8%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.63; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.6%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 31.7% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 34.5% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 29.8% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 49.8% of revenue deployed · 73.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 10 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $540K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $107K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2024 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 50/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 25/100.