Sustainable Sciences Institute

What it reported doing in 2024

Research on infectious disease in nicaraguassi carries out research on infectious diseases in nicaragua with committed research funding of approximately $7 million over the next three years from government sources (national institutes of health, centers for disease control and prevention, us agency for international development) via direct awards and subcontracts from large research universities (university of California, Colorado state university, university of Michigan, mt. Sinai school of medicine, stanford university). Ssi also receives funding from private foundations (ibrahim el-hefni technical training foundation, bill and melinda gates foundation, instituto slim para la salud, ubs optimus foundation) and contracts from smaller private organizations (sevident, paxvax).in 2016, the zika pandemic hit latin america, including our site in nicaragua, revealing zika's relationship to devastating congenital birth defects.in collaboration with nicaraguan colleagues, ssi refocused its existing dengue and chikungunya research to address urgent questions about zika; efforts to develop and evaluate new diagnostic and research techniques were incorporated into existing hospital and cohort studies. Ssi also launched studies of zika's incidence and household transmission patterns, a longitudinal study of zika in pregnant women and infants, and an innovative community-based intervention for zika prevention. This integrated approach enables study of zika's clinical aspects, epidemiological and immunological responses, modeling of the interactions between immune responses, and expansion of community-based efforts to prevent zika as well as dengue. This research continues to showcase our collaborating site in nicaragua which has become internationally renowned for arbovirus diagnosis, research and epidemiology.in nicaragua, ssi's studies have received favorable national press, strong government support, and high regard within the communities where work is conducted.for the last ten years, ssi has been working towards understanding the epidemiology and clinical presentation of influenza and other respiratory virus infections in nicaragua. In late 2015, ssi-nicaragua was selected as one of four sites to conduct a cdc-funded study examining influenza prevention among infants through vaccination. This study, and another examining influenza transmission within households, are conducted in close collaboration with the nicaraguan ministry of health and the university of Michigan. Ssi receives continued support of its influenza cohort study from the nih center of excellence for influenza research and surveillance at the st. Jude children's research hospital.ssi, in collaboration with the nicaraguan ministry of health and the univ. Of California at berkeley, continues to operate the pediatric dengue cohort study (now in its 14th year) and the hospital-based study (now in its 20th year) in managua. These cohort studies supply the infrastructure and biorepository that allows ssi and its partners to be leaders in global arbovirus research. Each year approximately 3,600 children participate providing invaluable biological samples used to study determinants of protection from, and risk of, dengue, zika and chikungunya disease. In 2017, our research resulted in a number of high-impact publications and scientific presentations. Ssi is adapting its denguechat tool for community-based research on zika. The denguechat tool, developed at univ. Of California at berkeley, is a free technology that supports community-level mosquito control efforts. The platform allows a health team - brigadistas de salud y vida - to capture entomological data, visualize high-risk areas, and measure impact over time. Denguechat empowers the community to produce and systematize local, real-time data to make decisions about mosquito control to prevent dengue, chikungunya and zika. The platform's blog allows community brigades to connect, compete, and share information encouraging

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 74.8%; rating input score 75
• Program expense ratio: 75.8%; rating input score 76
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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; 44th 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 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Fail
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 1.3%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.5; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.46; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 1.7%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings