Hope Springs Water

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
271613317
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2011
Location
Athens, TX, USA
Phone
9032921781
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Private Grantmaking Foundations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$397,544
Expenses
$420,522
Assets
$162,647
Liabilities
$3,040

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

People named in this filing

  • JAMES MELVIN PALMER JR (EXECUTIVE DI)
  • STEPHEN AKIN (TREASURER /)
  • BO JACKSON (CHAIRMAN)

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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of hope springs water is to provide sources of pure water, provide water distribution systems, sanitation systems and / or public health education programs in the developing world.

What it reported doing in 2025

Part iii - program service accomplishments program overview hope springs water operates integrated wash (water, sanitation, and hygiene) programs in 4 specific regions designed to create long-term, sustainable impact in vulnerable communities. Our four wash zones are: 1.southwestern shewa, ethiopia 2.western bungoma region, kenya 3.the atlantic indigenous region, nicaragua and honduras 4.izabal department, guatemala hope springs water program we empower rural villages to secure and maintain reliable sources of clean water through well drilling, water system installation, and local maintenance training. Impact metric: provided access to clean water for 3,786 individuals across 14 communities. Hope springs sanitation program we partner with schools and communities to construct and rehabilitate safe, sanitary toilet facilities and handwashing stations. Impact metric: constructed 2 renewable, gender specific, sanitary toilets facilities with handwashing stations benefiting 3,511 school children and teachers hope springs hygiene education program we deliver interactive hygiene education to schoolchildren and communities, promoting behavior change that reduces waterborne illness. Impact metric: provided hygiene education to 2048 children in 15 school to promoting better hygiene practices. Hope springs girls health and feminine hygiene education and mhm kits program we empower adolescent girls with reproductive health and feminine hygiene education and provide mhm (menstruation hygiene management) kits to each girl and female teacher. Impact metric: provided health and hygiene education to 960 girls and female teacher and distributed mhm kits to each girl and teacher empowering them with knowledge and supplies to ensure better health and allow for better school attendance.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% 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 available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 43
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.4%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 76%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 81.2%; rating input score 81; 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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -5.8%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.39; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 80.4% of revenue deployed · 76% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $320K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 28 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes foreign activity
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.