TCF - USA | The Citizens Foundation

Legal name: The Citizens Foundation USA

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
412046295
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Houston, TX, USA
Phone
(888) 729-3022 or (346) 554-8883
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and Fund Distribution

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$21,703,144
Expenses
$20,041,260
Assets
$9,144,565
Liabilities
$380,372

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ARIF GAFUR (PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR)
  • SYED SALMAN HASAN (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • SYED SALMAN HASAN (CEO): $153,600 total reported compensation
  • FAKHIA RASHID (COO/DIRECTOR DEVELOPMENT): $119,620 total reported compensation
  • DANIAL NOORANI (DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT (THRU 06/24) "DIRECTOR" FO): $40,808 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Citizens Foundation USA (TCF-USA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality education to underprivileged children in Pakistan. It supports the operations of The Citizens Foundation (TCF) by raising funds and awareness in the United States. TCF-USA focuses on building and operating schools in underserved communities, offering educational programs, community outreach, and vocational training to empower individuals and break the cycle of poverty.

What it reported doing in 2024

Endowments for future operation of schools: in 2024, tcf-USA contributed $396,968 toward the endowment of tcf-built schools in pakistan. These funds ensure the long-term financial sustainability of school operations, helping maintain quality education for underprivileged children year after year. Endowment income supports recurring operational expenses, reducing reliance on future fundraising.in addition to school operations, tcf-USA has also established endowments for scholarships to support the higher education of tcf alumni. These scholarship endowments help deserving graduates pursue university and professional degrees, extending the organization's impact beyond secondary education.tcf-USA supports strategic projects and programs that enhance the learning environment and improve community well-being. These include public-private partnership initiatives, installation of solar panels to reduce energy costs and environmental impact, and the development of water filtration plants at school sites. Notably, in the case of water plants, both students and surrounding community members benefit from access to clean drinking water.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% 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.
  • 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 53
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.9%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 88.4%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.61 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.7%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.46; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.6%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.6% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.9% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.1% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 81.9% of revenue deployed · 88.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $17.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $154K · 17 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 42/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 14/100.