Roots Ethiopia Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
461527090
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2013
Location
Madison, WI, USA
Phone
6083472960
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Relief

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$523,900
Expenses
$754,153
Assets
$339,419
Liabilities
$620

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

People named in this filing

  • MEGHAN WALSH (BOARD CHAIR)
  • JEANNE M OLSON (STRATEGY CHAIR)
  • ASCHELAW CHAMISO (BOARD MEMBER)

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

Roots ethiopia is a non-profit that exists because we believe access to work and education are the foundations for building a poverty-free world. We believe there should be no barriers to ethiopian families succeeding in work and school. We assist families to send their children to school, we support women to create valuable local market work, and we join with communities to improve their schools, so everyone has a chance to learn.

What it reported doing in 2024

Roots ethiopia's learning resource projects (lrps) are designed to strengthen under-resourced rural schools by providing essential materials, capacity-building opportunities, and infrastructural improvements. The overarching objective is to enhance the quality of education available to children and communities across central and southern ethiopia.in 2024, roots ethiopia supported 30 rural schools that collectively serve more than 10,000 students and their communities. Core interventions included the provision of teaching materials, science and laboratory equipment, library resources, and targeted tutorial programs for grade 8 students in 30 lrp schools. Additional initiatives advanced holistic student development through youth sports and leadership programs, while also ensuring improved access to safe and functional learning environments through the repair of substandard facilities.specific achievements in 2024 included: equipping 7 pre-primary classrooms with age-appropriate teaching materials and furniture. Supporting 4 schools with tailored literacy improvement initiatives. Delivering professional development programs to over 210 educators and school staff, including pre-primary facilitators and science teachers. Establishing 4 youth sports leadership development programs that promote physical well-being, teamwork, and leadership skills. Strengthening school libraries to expand access to reading materials and foster a culture of learning. Launching a new initiative to establish a center for children with disabilities, addressing an urgent gap in inclusive education.together, these investments demonstrate roots ethiopia's commitment to advancing equitable, high-quality education in rural communities and to empowering both students and educators with the resources, skills, and opportunities needed for long-term success.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 99% of its reported program spending out as grants.

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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 82.4%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.09 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Pass
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: -43.9%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.45; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 11.4% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 82.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $621K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 27/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.