Research Initiatives for Development Education
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 850833860
- IRS 990-EZ coverage
- 2022–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990-EZ 2024
- Location
- Denver, CO, USA
- Phone
- 7143961800
- Rating
- 90
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Educational Services and Schools - Other
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $22,063
- Expenses
- $22,444
- Assets
- $2,003
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Riley Jon Blackwell (Executive Director)
People named in this filing
- Riley Jon Blackwell (Executive Director)
- Robert Uttaro (Chairman of the Board)
- Tom Iacona (Treasurer)
Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.
Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
RIDE International advances education, community development, and environmental stewardship by providing experiential learning programs, research opportunities, and cross-cultural engagement in East Africa. The organization partners with local communities, schools, and conservation initiatives to support student field programs, community-led environmental projects, and capacity-building efforts. Through these activities, RIDE promotes global learning, cultural exchange, and sustainable development while supporting locally driven solutions to social and environmental challenges.
What it reported doing in 2024
Field Education & Student Programs RIDE International delivered field-based educational programs for U.S. university students conducting research and experiential learning in Kenya. During the fiscal year, RIDE facilitated logistics, local instruction, and academic support for students participating in the Partners in Scholarship (PinS) summer program. Activities included research mentorship, local transportation, field excursions, lodging coordination, and engagement with Kenyan experts. A total of 2 students directly benefited from these programs, gaining field experience in conservation, culture, and community-based development. Program costs included salaries for Kenyan coordinators, transportation, lodging, and research facilitation expenses.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 86% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 92% 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 95
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Sustainability: 37
- Growth: 20
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 95.2%; rating input score 95
- Program expense ratio: 93.6%; rating input score 94
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -1.7%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.09; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -58.9% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -48% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 62.6% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 95.2% of revenue deployed · 93.6% of spending went to programs
- Governance: Filed governance answers
- Accomplishments: 3 filed program accomplishments · $21K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
- 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 — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 41/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 11/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.