U-go Initiative

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
872788480
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Solano Beach, CA, USA
Phone
6199954222
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,397,495
Expenses
$3,153,298
Assets
$8,813,561
Liabilities
$56,311

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN WOOD (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • TOM MONROE (CHIEF PROGRAMS OFFICER): $59,356 total reported compensation
  • JOHN WOOD (CEO): $31,950 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

U-go helps ambitious and promising young women in low-income countries to pursue tertiary education by providing financial scholarships funded by individuals and companies in high-income countries.

What it reported doing in 2025

Grants & scholarships: u-go works with partner organizations in southeast asia, the indian sub-continent, and africa to help ambitious young women attain a university education. We partner with ngos in each local geography to identify, screen, and support scholarship recipients throughout their tertiary education. The vast majority of funds we provide to these ngos are directly passed on to pay for university tuition for scholarship applicants, with a small portion for NGO overhead and other support activities for the scholarship recipients.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 81% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 93% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. 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: 56
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 42.8%; rating input score 43
  • Program expense ratio: 82.2%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.66 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • 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: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 50.7%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.8; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.9%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 39.1% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 31.7% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 46.4% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 42.8% of revenue deployed · 82.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 8 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $59K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2022 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 4 filed related-organization links
  • 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 43/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 41/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.