Grassroots Business Partners Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
262108051
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
5712621459
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Economic Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,482,490
Expenses
$2,642,615
Assets
$13,865,719
Liabilities
$11,132,329

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HAROLD ROSEN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • LILIAN MRAMBA (CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER/COO): $149,032 total reported compensation
  • HAROLD ROSEN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $140,298 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Grassroots business partners, inc. Does business as grassroots business fund. Grassroots business fund strives to create a world where economic opportunity reaches everyone. Our mission is to grow viable businesses that generate sustainable earnings or savings for people with low incomes in africa, asia, and latin america.

What it reported doing in 2024

Grassroots business fund (gbf) works with high-impact businesses (hibs) that are typically small or mid-sized by international standards, but economically engage large numbers of the poor. Gbp manages an investment fund, grassroots business investors fund i, lp (gbi-i). Over its life, gbi-i committed united states dollars forty-one point nine million (usd 41.9m) across thirty-three (33) high impact businesses through sixty-five (65) transactions (including multiple rounds with certain investees). These investments targeted high impact but high-risk opportunities that were unlikely to attract commercial funding in the near term. Against this, the fund has recovered from investees united states dollars thirty-fife million eight hundred thousand (usd 35.8m). Under the jinue growth program, gbf has partnered with the mastercard foundation for a 5-year program that commenced in november 2022. The program aims to reach 225,000 micros, 4,500 small enterprises and employ 500,000 youths.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 89% 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 - A large share of total spending goes to programs and most voting board members are independent. 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: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 51
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 67
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 56.3%; rating input score 56
  • Program expense ratio: 71.8%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $79.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 84.6%; rating input score 85; 1st 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: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 24.1%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.25; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.8; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.9%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 0.9% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 56.3% of revenue deployed · 71.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $149K · 8 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $8.3M reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 31 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 56/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 10/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.