Heifer International
Legal name: Heifer Project International
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 351019477
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Little Rock, AR, USA
- Phone
- 855.9HUNGER (855.948.6437)
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- International Relief
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $162,027,025
- Expenses
- $178,902,483
- Assets
- $313,297,854
- Liabilities
- $53,725,451
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
41 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SURITA SANDOSHAM (PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
Highest reported compensation
- SURITA SANDOSHAM (PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $506,044 total reported compensation
- HILARY HADDIGAN (CHIEF OF MISSION EFFECTIVENESS): $278,891 total reported compensation
- OSCAR CASTANEDA SAMAYOA (SENIOR VP FOR THE AMERICAS): $277,705 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
We’re on a mission to end global hunger and poverty by supporting and investing in farmers and their communities.
What it reported doing in 2024
International development: agro-ecology: heifer project international (heifer) provides gifts of seeds, grains and trees and teaches farmers and families geographically appropriate and resource-sound agricultural practices that enhance and increase crop productivity and are good for the environment. Heifer works with local organizations to increase farmer's access to markets to improve economic benefit and increase personal gain from what they grow. This allows farmers to enhance food security and sovereignty, increase local food options and availability and provide safe and affordable locally grown foods. Heifer's work is guided in its approach by its 12 cornerstones, including passing on the gift, accountability, sharing and caring, gender and family focus, genuine need and justice and full participation. (see schedule o)all contribute to heifer's values-based and holistic approach to giving people a hand up, not a hand out to a better, richer life.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 62% of its reported program spending out as grants.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 69
- Transparency & Controls: 77
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 35
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77.1%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 72.9%; rating input score 73
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Pass
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 55.5%; rating input score 55; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -10.4%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.75; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 77.1% of revenue deployed · 72.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $130.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $506K · 41 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $19.1M reported
- Consistency: 42 of 43 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 26 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 4 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 17/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 55/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 59/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.