Zonta Foundation for Women

What it reported doing in 2024

Zonta international is passionate about providing life-changing opportunities for women and girls through international service. By partnering with agencies of the united nations and other recognized non-governmental organizations, zonta has improved women's health, provided better economic opportunities and prevented gender-based violence in over 87 countries. Since the first service project, zonta has contributed more than $39.7 million to international service projects. The fiscal year ending may 31, 2025, is the first year of the zonta foundation for women 2024-2026 biennium. Zonta foundation for women funded the following international service projects the first year of the 2024-2026 biennium. Climate empower: community empowerment and innovation for gender-transformative climate action: evidence shows the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on women and girls in disportiate ways. Climate challenges are fueled by persistent and deeply rooted discriminatory sociocultural norms that justify or tolerate gender-based violence. Through the climate empower program, unfpa and zonta international are advancing innovation, education, and community-led solutions to reduce gender-based violence and strengthen resilience in madagascar, mozambique, and south sudan. The program directly benefits over 500,000 women, girls, and youth, while also reaching broader communities with awareness and tools to address and prevent climate-induced gender-based violence. (us$1,000,000).laaha: a virtual safe space for women and girls: one in three women experience violence in their lifetime, and 12 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18. Safe spaces are essential for providing women and girls with access to information, support services, and opportunities for empowerment- especially in humanitarian crises. Laaha, unicef's first digital platform co-created with women and girls from crisis-affected regions, extends this vital support online. Zonta international and unicef support this program which provides resources on health, rights, safety and financial literacy in 13 languages, ensuring accessibility and safety for all users. By replicating the protection, connection, and empowerment of physical safe spaces, laaha helps women and girls most in need access life-changing information and build supportive communities in a secure virtual environment. (us$750,000)global programme to end child marriage: a programme to accelerate global action: the foundation has committed additional funding to unicef USA to support the unfpa-unicef global programme to end child marriage in 12 focus countries: bangladesh, burkina faso, ethiopia, ghana, india, mozambique, nepal, niger, sierra leone, uganda, yemen and zambia. Zonta international's continued support will help advance the global programme's realization of its vision in which girls everywhere experience healthier, safer and more empowered life transitions while they maintain control of their own destiny by making informed choices and decisions about their education, sexuality, marriage and childbearing. Having already transformed the lives of millions of girls through the first two phases of the program, zonta international's continued support will strengthen government capacity and ownership to sustain progress long term - creating lasting change for millions more girls worldwide. (us$1,500,000)

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 85.7%; rating input score 86
• Program expense ratio: 84.1%; rating input score 84
• Fundraising efficiency: $8.38 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Limited
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Limited
  • Conducts site visits: Limited
  • Requires grant agreements: Limited
  • May require repayment: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -3.6%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.87; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 1.2%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 1.9% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.2% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings