So Others May Learn

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
271413388
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards

Reported finances

Revenue
$305,249
Expenses
$262,982
Assets
$74,483
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Kristina Chien (Executive Director)

People named in this filing

  • Kristina Chien (Executive Director)
  • Mary Goetz (Board member)
  • Peter Tester (Board Chair)

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

So Others May Learn a 501-C3 nonprofit organization is dedicated to providing academic scholarships to deserving students in Uganda Zambia and Zimbabwe and support the communities in which these students learn and live. These scholarships are specifically targeted at students in rural areas who lack the financial resources to pursue their education. In addition to financial support the organization also ensures ongoing monitoring of academic progress and offers additional assistance such as healthcare and infrastructure improvements for the communities where these students reside. Through these efforts So Others May Learn aims to empower underserved students in their communities by breaking down barriers to education and fostering sustainable development.

What it reported doing in 2024

So Others May Learn believes that students thrive when their communities thrive and they can focus on their education when they dont have to worry that their families friends or leaders are struggling. Every year the communities in which our students learn and live submit funding proposals for infrastructure projects that will benefit their community. We evaluate these projects based on their direct impact they will have on our students and families they connection to education and input from our community advisory boards. In order for So Others May Learn to fund a project the community must partner fiscally or through labor investment period weve vetted 13 community proposals this year and selected 4 for sponsorship: 2 medical clinics supports in Kapane and Ngamo villages a tree nursery and Ziga village that is part of the primary school curriculum and an eco- club project for three primary schools where we have students. In addition in quarter three and four we selected the building of classroom blocks at the Lupinyu primary school in Zimbabwe we created a borehole for Lupani secondary school and we helped to fund agricultural equipment for a community farm that serves our Ziga and Ngamo scholars. These projects are ongoing into fiscal year 25 but the commitment to the communities and tangible impact for our students is already present.

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 89% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 82
  • Sustainability: 53
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 99.9%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 81.8%; rating input score 82; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Pass
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 90.5%; rating input score 91; 52nd 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: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 13.8%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.28; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 94.7% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 99.4% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86% of revenue deployed · 99.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $263K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 26 of 29 current checks pass · 3 findings to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.