Middle East Bible Outreach (MEBO)

Legal name: Middle East Bible Outreach

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
233067813
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Brookline, MA, USA
Phone
+1 404-395-2696
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support
Affiliation
Christianity

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,147,771
Expenses
$4,754,300
Assets
$16,931,541
Liabilities
$17,491

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

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

People named in this filing

  • CAROLYN BISHOP (CHAIRPERSON)
  • BRENDA BROWN (SECRETARY)
  • KAMAL CONSTANTINE (CFO, BOARD M)

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

We empower the church in the Middle East to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ through outreach, education and love of neighbor. A Bridge of Support for the Global Church MEBO exists to serve as the USA fiscal sponsor and a bridge of support from global believers to the Thimar-LSESD family of ministries serving the Middle East. Beginning in the 1950s, the vision and efforts of American missionaries led to the creation of Beirut Baptist School (BBS), the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS), and the Christian publishing house, Dar Manhal al-Hayat (DMAH). After transitioning to Lebanese leadership in the 1990s, the family of ministries grew even larger with the creation of ministries focused on an aid and relief, Middle East Revive and Thrive (MERATH); church discipleship, Salt & Light; and special needs education a.

What it reported doing in 2024

Lsesd (lebanese society for educational and social development) and its ministry initiatives include arab baptist theological seminary (abts), middle east revive and thrive (merath), beirut baptist school (bbs), dar manhal al hayat (dmah), baptist childrens and youth ministry (bcym), salt and light, and smart kids with individual learning differences(skild). Each initiative includes a specific focus on identification of and care for vulnerable and marginalized populations, including refugees, stateless persons, women, children, and the poor. Individual donors, churches, and private foundations comprise a healthy, diversified funding stream.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. 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: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 75
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 87
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.4%; rating input score 57
  • Program expense ratio: 92.8%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $111.41 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 88; 88th 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: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 41.6%; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.56; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 26.7% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 57.4% of revenue deployed · 92.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.