Operation Shanti

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
201490817
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2011
Location
San Francisco, CA, USA
Phone
6282760958
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
International Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$175,312
Expenses
$158,419
Assets
$494,799
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TRACY KUNICHIKA (PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR)

People named in this filing

  • TRACY KUNICHIKA (PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR)
  • DAVID NIENHUIS (TREASURER)
  • JACK RAINES (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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To directly improve the lives of exploited, at-risk, destitute children and the forgotten, suffering elderly, enabling them to become beacons of light and share the same gifts of peace, goodwill, and generosity with others for the rest of their lifetimes. We help the poorest and neediest children and elderly, and the forgotten destitute, with the basic human needs of food, shelter, medical services and educational assistance, as we believe that every human can and should stand on his/her own. We are there to help the destitute begin to help themselves.

What it reported doing in 2025

Operation shanti's "project home" is a standalone children's home that provides long-term living, in a family-like setting, for between 40 and 50 street and slum children (from all regions, castes and backgrounds), ranging in age from three to eighteen. Currently, 50% are male and 50% are female, and two are HIV+. Project home provides excellent education, medical assistance, food and nutrition, extracurricular activities, social services and love and care to its children, all in an environment supporting the family structure. Our goal is to see these children through school/professional training so they can be productive and thoughtful adults, and contribute to their communities and families. "project street" provides regular assistance to destitute women and men living on the streets of mysore. "project food & more" provides financial and other regular assistance related to medical care for children, men, and women living with HIV/AIDS.

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 81% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 92
  • Transparency & Controls: 72
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 64
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 90.2%; rating input score 90
  • Program expense ratio: 92.6%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $782.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • 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: 50%; rating input score 50; 45th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9.6%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.12; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.1% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 90.2% of revenue deployed · 92.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $147K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 50/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 56/100.