World Bicycle Relief Nfp

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
205080679
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3126643604
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Disaster Preparedness and Relief Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$14,546,297
Expenses
$14,667,882
Assets
$10,281,250
Liabilities
$2,982,982

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DAVID NEISWANDER (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAVID NEISWANDER (CEO): $432,657 total reported compensation
  • ANDREW SAMWAYS (VP OF PRODUCT DEV. (THRU 12/24)): $378,015 total reported compensation
  • DAWN MOEN - ED DEVELOPMENT (MKT. & COMMS. (THRU 10/25)): $321,381 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

World bicycle relief mobilizes communities in rural regions around the world to thrive with life changing bicycles. (cont'd in schedule o)

What it reported doing in 2025

Monitoring and evaluationworld bicycle relief consistently measures the impact of bicycles in both wbr-led and partner-led mobility solutions. We apply a rigorous monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure that our interventions are evidence-based, adaptive, and responsive to the needs of the communities in which we work. Key metrics include changes in participant access to healthcare, education, and economic opportunities and over the long term, improvements in income, empowerment, and household resilience.in 2024, wbr and research partner idinsight completed the organization's first randomized controlled trial (rct), focused specifically on the impact of bicycles on adult livelihoods. Conducted in mumbwa district, zambia, the study found that access to a buffalo bicycle led to significant improvements in income-generating activity, time savings, and access to markets and essential services particularly for women. This landmark evaluation validates bicycles as a high-impact, scalable approach to addressing mobility poverty in rural regions.by leveraging insights from both quantitative research and ongoing community feedback, wbr continuously improves its approach, product design, and implementation strategies to maximize long-term impact and sustainability.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 77% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 61% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.6%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 63.8%; rating input score 64
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • 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: Pass
    • 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: 99.7%; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 72.7%; rating input score 73; 11th 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: -0.8%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.7; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.1%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.4% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.5% per year; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 64.6% of revenue deployed · 63.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $9.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $433K · 20 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $478K reported
  • Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • 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: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 19/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.