Friends of the American University of Afghanistan

What it reported doing in 2024

Direct funding and academic continuity at auaf during the fiscal year, fauaf granted 345,000 in unrestricted funds to auaf, enabling the university to sustain academic operations during a period of substantial external funding disruption. Auaf enrolled over 1,100 students during the fiscal year. Demand continues to far exceed capacity: in early 2025, auaf received approximately 21,000 applications for 200 first-year seats in the two days following the opening of admissions. The fiscal year was marked by significant changes in external funding to auaf. Auaf's spring semester was temporarily postponed due to the suspension and subsequent restoration of its federal grant support, with administration of the relevant federal grant transferred from USAID to u.s. Department of state. Fauaf's unrestricted grants served as bridge support during this period of disrupted federal funding, allowing auaf to maintain instruction, retain faculty and staff, and re-open programming when permitted. Unrestricted grants were approved by the fauaf board, and auaf reports on the use of unrestricted funds at semi-annual intervals. Funding deployed during this period aligned with auaf's strategic plan to expand instructional capacity, strengthen technology infrastructure, and maintain academic quality as enrollment grows. Fauaf's "dare to learn" initiative, launched in early 2024, raises unrestricted funds toward those purposes. During the fiscal year, fauaf also concluded direct funding of student, faculty, and staff relocation and evacuation activities undertaken following the august 2021 collapse. Relocation support, which constituted a significant share of fauaf programming in fiscal years 2021-2023, in no longer an active program area; fauaf has refocused its programmatic support on educational opportunities serving afghan students. Direct student wellness, skill-building, alumni programming, and career placement fauaf operates direct programs supporting auaf students and graduates, focused on mental wellness, leadership and communications skill-building, alumni community engagement, and career placement. Programs are designed and operated by fauaf staff in coordination with auaf personnel and academic partners. During the fiscal year, fauaf allocated approximately 90% of its program manager's professional time to direct student and alumni programming. Let's connect: fauaf operates let's connect, a monthly virtual convening for auaf female students focused on mental wellness, peer support, and structured mentorship. Sessions are co-facilitated by fauaf and with pro- bono service from clinical psychiatrists, and feature guest practitioners across journalism, entrepreneurship, mediation, and counseling. During the fiscal year, fauaf held 12 let's connect sessions with an attendance ranging from 30 to 130 students per session. The program has been operating monthly since 2023. Student storytelling: in partnership with george Washington university, fauaf operates a structured 12-week storytelling and narrative-development program for auaf female students, delivered as a small-cohort model with weekly workshops. The program builds writing, communication, and personal- advocacy skills for students. This fiscal year featured eight students in the inaugural cohort, with an additional cohort planned for the next fiscal year. Career placement for auaf graduates: fauaf directly pursues employment pathways for auaf graduates residing in afghanistan, working with employers operating in-country and in the region. Program activities include candidate identification, resume review, interview preparation, employer correspondence, job posting, and placement support. During the fiscal year, fauaf's partnership with ghazanfar bank placed 2 auaf graduates in roles in the bank's audit department, with more candidates under consideration for later hiring cycles. The career placement program is being extended to other financial sectors and institutional employers. Alumn

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 98.4%; rating input score 98
• Program expense ratio: 85.9%; rating input score 86
• Fundraising efficiency: $14.13 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 49; 49th 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: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Limited
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Limited
  • Conducts site visits: Limited
  • Requires grant agreements: Limited
  • May require repayment: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 50%; rating input score 50; 29th 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • 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 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.68; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 12.3%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -9.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -10.6% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings