Heartland International Ministries

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
311798748
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Shawnee Mission, KS, USA
Phone
9134321446
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$468,071
Expenses
$702,800
Assets
$511,122
Liabilities
$16,608

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Byron Whetstone (President)

People named in this filing

  • Byron Whetstone (President)
  • Lance Hart (Treasurer)
  • Brian Seregi (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

Heartland International Ministries prevents child exploitation, prostitution, and abuse by providing humanitarian aid, business funding, and education opportunities as solutions to the underlying cause of global impoverishment.

What it reported doing in 2024

Heartland International Ministries (HIM) continues to expand its global impact through long-term partnerships and sustainable, transformative initiatives in underserved regions. Over the past 24 years, the positive influence of HIM has steadily increased, driven by enduring relationships and strategic investments that continue to bear fruit across generations and communities. HIM supports a global network of partners in countries including India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Nepal, Brazil, Philippines, and others. Through these partnerships, more than 2,000 children in over 50 schools and orphanages receive direct support in the form of education, food, shelter, and spiritual care. To address poverty and empower vulnerable populations, HIM funds and supports a variety of livelihood and development programs. HIM launched sewing and tailoring schools in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Ghana to provide vocational training and economic independence for women and families. A new chicken farming enterprise was also started in Zambia to help sustain a local orphanage and school with both nutrition and income. In Nigeria, HIM funded the creation of a Theological and Technological College and Seminary to equip leaders with both spiritual and practical skills for ministry and community development. In the same region, HIM has dug 11 water wells to provide clean, life-saving water to thousands of people in rural areas. Our programs also provide critical resources-including scooters, bicycles, laptops, and motorcycles-to help partners reach isolated communities. These tools allow indigenous leaders and missionaries to extend education, healthcare, and spiritual outreach to thousands more. In total, more than 180,000 people are positively impacted each year through HIM's education initiatives, livelihood programs, church planting efforts, and humanitarian assistance. Despite facing challenges such as poverty and religious persecution, HIM and its partners continue to grow networks of home churches, ministries, and mission programs that serve those most in need. Through practical aid and compassionate outreach, HIM is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty by meeting physical needs, expanding access to education, and equipping individuals to transform their own communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 49% for direct work, and 51% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 82.6%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • 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: Pass
    • May require repayment: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 88.7%; rating input score 89; 51st 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: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: -50.1%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.73; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.5% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 82.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $581K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 32 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 5/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 50/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 33/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.