Tripura Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
251670693
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Phone
(888) 241-7337
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Religion Related N.E.C.
Affiliation
Religious (unspecified)

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$813,029
Expenses
$337,540
Assets
$3,785,624
Liabilities
$9,001

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ELAINE KUEPER (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • DR BASKARAN PILLAI (CHAIRMAN)
  • ELAINE KUEPER (PRESIDENT)
  • SONJA BENKOVICH (SECRETARY/TREASURER)

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

Tripura Foundation is dedicated to uplifting children through transformative education and providing Food for All, bringing hope and relief to those enduring extreme poverty. Tripura Foundation was founded in 1989 and is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit, public benefit corporation. The founder of the organization, Dr. Baskaran Pillai, felt the need to create a service organization that would alleviate the suffering of people living in abject poverty; those who experience the most severe forms of limitation. Tripura Foundation programs started in India and have since spread to the United States, Mexico and Canada. Our goal is to continue expanding to places where there are people in need. 4. Why should I support projects in India and other developing countries? We believe that helping people who are suffering transcends race or nationality. India and other developi.

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, tripura foundation continued to transform lives by providing education, nourishment, and empowerment to marginalized communities through its core initiatives: hope learning stations, phonemic intelligence (pi) programs, food for all, and hope for the elderly.phonemic intelligence (pi) programs (global)dr. Pillai's pi technology continues to expand its global reach, transforming how children learn and think. In 2024, more than 1,500 children in south africa practiced pi daily, showing improved focus, emotional balance, and classroom engagement. Building on this success, plans are underway to introduce pi across africa in 2025, beginning in ghanareaching 35,000 students and equipping teachers with tools to transform classrooms.key pi initiatives: hope learning centers: after-school programs for marginalized children in india. Pi school program: expanding pi in schools globally, including south africa and soon ghana. Do pi with me: a free online community offering guided pi sessions in multiple languages.hope learning centers (india)designed for marginalized children facing poverty and trauma in rural india, hope learning centers offer transformative education that integrates academic, emotional, and personal development. Hope centers support students' cognitive, emotional, and behavioral growth. Dr. Pillai's pi technology offers every child an equal opportunity to learn and thrive. We're not just improving academic outcomes but transforming how children learnoffering a powerful solution to learning poverty. In 2024: 1,768 children attended 48 hope stations across 4 states (goa, maharashtra, karnataka, and tamil nadu). Students received 1,060,688 hours of educationa holistic blend of learning, life skills, and self-empowerment.food for all (global)rooted in dr. Pillai's mission to alleviate hunger, food for all provides nourishment, dignity, and hope through freshly prepared meals. In 2024: 561,644 meals were served in india and the USA, with the launch of a new full-time kitchen in southern California serving nearly 20,000 meals since may. In india, meals were distributed across six food for all centers, serving slum dwellers, elders, and families facing hunger.hope for the elderly (india)through the hope for the elderly initiative, tripura foundation continues to support india's most vulnerable elders across, providing care, food, and dignity. In 2024: 107 elders received monthly food and hygiene kits, delivered with compassion by our hope children and volunteers.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 81% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 65% for direct work, and 35% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 53
  • Sustainability: 90
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 46.5%; rating input score 47
  • Program expense ratio: 81.8%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $33.11 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 16th 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: 97.8%; rating input score 98; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 40%; rating input score 40; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • 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: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 58.5%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.22; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.5% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 46.5% of revenue deployed · 81.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $276K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 22 of 23 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 47/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 40/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.