The Dignitas Project
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 261837729
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2022
- Location
- Santa Ana, CA, USA
- Phone
- 5105757799
- Rating
- 49
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Economic Development
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $182,554
- Expenses
- $18,695
- Assets
- $730,434
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
4 people listed
People named in this filing
- Robert S Lee (Director)
- Tiffany Cheng-Nyaggah (Chairman)
- Min Tak (Secretary)
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
Dignitas empowers educators and school leaders to transform opportunities for the next generation. Dignitas school partnerships are designed to transform leadership and classroom practices in ways that improve children's learning and well-being. Our training and coaching partnerships strengthen leadership and improve instructional quality and in some cases, provide infrastructural support to help schools create an environment where all children fulfill their potential, especially in underserved communities.
What it reported doing in 2024
In 2024, Dignitas deepened its mission to empower educators and transform schools into vibrant places of learning. The organization partnered with 445 schools across 5 counties in Kenya, directly impacting learning for more than 123,000 students. Dignitas strengthened the instructional and site leadership capacities of 1,343 school leaders, equipping them to foster inclusive, child-centered learning environments.Through programs such as Ongoza, Transformin Schooling into Learning (TSIL), Effective Leadership for Early Years Learning (ELEYL), and Leading Learning for Gender Equality (LL4GE), Dignitis supported teachers and leaders to implement effective instructional practices, advance gender equality, and drive measurable gains in literacy, numeracy, and 21st-centruy skills. The LeadNow digital platform further expanded access to quality professional development, enabling educators to enhance classroom engagement and leadership at scale.In line with its 2023-2028 direction, Dignitas continued to co-create solutions with educators, communities, and system-level partners to embed evidence-based practices in education systems. The organization engaged in county education offices, school owners, and teacher networks to align local leadership and policy with classroom realities. As Dignitas strengthened its collective impact, it remained anchored in its vision of vibrant schools and thriving children, advancing Kenya's education transformation through innovation, collaboration, and a steadfast belief that every educator-when supported-can unlock the potential of every learner.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 47% for direct work, and 53% for grants.
The verdict
MIXED - Revenue comfortably covers expenses. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 39
- Transparency & Controls: 55
- Accountability: 56
- Sustainability: 93
- Growth: 20
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 10.2%; rating input score 10
- Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 75%; rating input score 75; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- 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: 89.8%; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 39.07; rating input score 98; 98th 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: -59.6% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -9.2% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 21.8% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 10.2% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 4 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $19K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
- Consistency: 12 of 12 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2020 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 10/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
- High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.