The Mikes Bikes Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
263338639
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2008
Location
Novato, CA, USA
Phone
4155784008
Rating
56
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Development

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$69,215
Expenses
$108,179
Assets
$32,555
Liabilities
$385

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Justin Lamb (President)

People named in this filing

  • Mitchell Todd (Treasurer)
  • Whitney Tabaian (Secretary)
  • Justin Lamb (President)

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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To assist in the development of an affordable and equitable bicycle infrastructure and support in developing nations where the bicycle can make an improvement in the general quality of life; To provide financing and mentoring to start-up bike dealers in an effort to strengthen and broaden the bicycle industry in nations of the developing world; To sponsor bike drives and facilitate the transportation of donated bikes to small retailers in developing countries; to educate local bicycle dealers in developing nations to improve the availability of bicycles and quality of service that local shops provide; To support local cycling culture, events and initiatives that bring people together and onto bikes.

What it reported doing in 2025

Like many nonprofits in Africa, we believe that the bicycle provides a path towards solving many economic, social and health problems in Africa. Lack of transportation outside the main cities makes it difficult for children to get to school, for adults to find work and for AIDS patients to get the medical attention they need. Bicycles make remote villages much more accessible, thereby improving the conditions of the inhabitants. In the interest of creating a long-term and self-sufficient improvement in the lives of these impoverished individuals, we endeavor to create a sustainable network of bicycle infrastructure, including the availability and affordability of bikes, widely available technical and repair know-how, and the availability of tools and necessary parts. Mikes Bikes Foundation has been working closely with local shop owners in Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and Kenya to provide the tools and capital necessary to start local bike shops. Of note, 1st female mechanic and shop owner has been successfully running her own business since 2021 in Lesotho.

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 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

MIXED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 12
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 74%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 22nd 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: 86.5%; rating input score 87; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 10th 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: -56.3%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.3; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -15.5% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -14.1% per year; rating input score 0; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 74% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 3 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $80K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 16 of 17 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes foreign activity
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2013 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 22/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.