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PO BOX 473
Hampton NH 03843-0473
Hampton NH | IRS ruling year: 2003 | EIN: 16-1644867
KUPENDA FOR THE CHILDREN IS A CHRISTIAN-BASED, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS THE WORK OF KUHENZA (A NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION LOCATED IN KENYA) BY RAISING FUND ... (More)
KUPENDA FOR THE CHILDREN IS A CHRISTIAN-BASED, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT SUPPORTS THE WORK OF KUHENZA (A NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION LOCATED IN KENYA) BY RAISING FUNDS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HANDICAPPED CHILDREN IN KENYA. ULTIMATELY, THE GOAL IS THAT THESE CHILDREN WILL FEEL THAT THEY ARE LOVED AND ACCEPTED. THIS MISSION IS MET THROUGH ADVOCACY, SPONSORSHIP OF SCHOOL FEES, CHILD ASSISTANCE, MEDICAL INTERVENTION, CONSTRUCTION OF SPECIAL NEEDS FACILITIES, AND THE COORDINATION OF VOLUNTEER ASSISTANCE. KUPENDA SERVES APPROXIMATELY 600 CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES SUCH AS CEREBAL PALSY, DEAFNESS, DEFORMED OR MISSING LIMBS, SPINA BIFIDA, THE EFFECTS OF POLIO, VISUAL IMPAIRMENT, DOWNS' SYNDROME, AUTISM, EPILEPSY, AND OTHER PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DISABILITIES. (Less)
Good
This charity's score is 79%, earning it a Three-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 80% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, 10% Culture & Community. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Kupenda for the Children is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
Kupenda for the Children has earned a 74% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
Learn more
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Not ApplicableBoard Composition - 7/7 - 25/25 ptsBoard Composition - 7/7 - 25/25 pts
Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review - undefined - 0/20 ptsIndependent Audit or Financial Review - undefined - 0/20 pts
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
| Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
|---|---|
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 ptsConflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Board Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 ptsBoard Meeting Minutes - Documented - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction - Missing - 0/3 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Missing - 0/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy - Missing - 0/3 ptsWhistleblower Policy - Missing - 0/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Website - Listed - 3/3 ptsWebsite - Listed - 3/3 pts
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 7.00% - 15/15 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 7.00% - 15/15 pts
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
| Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| Less than 50% | Full Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
| 60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Ratio - 78.32% - 25/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 78.32% - 25/25 pts
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
| Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| 70% or higher | Full Credit |
| 60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
| Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Activity data not reported from the IRS
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (Kupenda for the Children) or EIN (161644867) in the 'Search Term' field.
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Kupenda for the Children reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
Staffing
Administrative Capacity
Grants Received
Balance Sheet
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
Covid-19 gathering restrictions limited our donor cultivation and retention activities as well as fundraising events. Fortunately, we leveraged virtual solutions to overcome these challenges. For example, we engaged our donors and supported fundraising efforts through virtual meetings, documentary watch parties, and a documentary screening with Gordon College that attracted more than 800 attendees.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
Covid-19 threatened the lives of the vulnerable children we serve, pushed our families deeper into poverty, and kept children from the services they needed. Because of these urgent needs, throughout the pandemic we found ourselves increasingly moving into a direct service model. Since our model is meant to focus on community engagement, we often found ourselves pressed to stay true to that mission when we wanted and needed to deliver food, medication‘s and care to children with urgent needs. Fortunately, as the months went on, we found new ways to engage community leaders, program alumni, and former staff to deliver food and medications and provide counseling, support and referrals the families in their respective wards. This enabled us to return to more of the community empowerment model, which is a more effective and sustainable approach and aligned with our mission.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Kenya’s Covid-19 gathering restrictions made it challenging for us to train our field team to use our Child Case Management mobile application, facilitate the planned disability trainings for local leaders, and conduct the in-person family counseling sessions which are central to our community outreach strategy. These restrictions also limited our donor cultivation and retention activities as well as fundraising events. Fortunately, we leveraged virtual solutions to overcome these challenges. For example, we developed 10 training videos and set up virtual training sessions. We also engaged our donors and supported fundraising efforts through virtual meetings and documentary watch parties.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
School closures due to Covid-19 forced our children with disabilities to remain at home with their families – most of whom were impoverished and struggling even more due to the pandemic curfews and economic strains. This meant the children were no longer able to access their doctors, teachers or therapists. In response, we developing a mobile app which our staff uses to call families and conduct Covid-19 screening, service referrals and counseling. This enabled us to ensure families were receiving the care they need during this time. In addition, by mobilizing our local leaders, program alumni and volunteers in and beyond Kenya we were able to provide phone-based counseling for thousands of children and their caregivers and connect them to services to sustain and support their mental and physical health. We continued to provide this phone-based counseling after the pandemic, which has enabled us to reach more children and especially those in remote and under-resourced communities.
Not Currently Scored
Kupenda for the Children cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Kupenda for the Children reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
ADVOCACY - INCORRECT BELIEFS ABOUT THE CAUSES OF AND TREATMENTS FORDISABILITY ARE OFTEN A LARGER OBSTACLE FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES THANPHYSICAL BARRIERS. KUPENDA REMOVES STIGMAS RELATED TO DISAB ... (More)
ADVOCACY - INCORRECT BELIEFS ABOUT THE CAUSES OF AND TREATMENTS FORDISABILITY ARE OFTEN A LARGER OBSTACLE FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES THANPHYSICAL BARRIERS. KUPENDA REMOVES STIGMAS RELATED TO DISABILITY BYEDUCATING LEADERS AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH TRAININGS, PUBLIC EVENTS, FAMILYCOUNSELING, AND INFORMATIVE RESOURCES. (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
EDUCATION - CONSISTENT ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION GIVES CHILDREN WITHDISABILITIES LIFE AND CAREER CHOICES THAT OTHERWISE WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLETO THEM. KUPENDA SUPPORTS THIS GOAL BY PROVIDING SP ... (More)
EDUCATION - CONSISTENT ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION GIVES CHILDREN WITHDISABILITIES LIFE AND CAREER CHOICES THAT OTHERWISE WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLETO THEM. KUPENDA SUPPORTS THIS GOAL BY PROVIDING SPECIAL EDUCATIONTEACHERS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, TEACHER TRAINI (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
MEDICAL - MANY PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES AREUNAWARE OF AND/OR UNABLE TO AFFORD THE MEDICAL CARE THESE CHILDREN NEED. INRESPONSE, KUPENDA PROVIDES FUNDING, REFERRALS, AND TRA ... (More)
MEDICAL - MANY PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES AREUNAWARE OF AND/OR UNABLE TO AFFORD THE MEDICAL CARE THESE CHILDREN NEED. INRESPONSE, KUPENDA PROVIDES FUNDING, REFERRALS, AND TRANSPORTATION TO HELPCHILDREN ACCESS MEDICAL SERVICES SUCH (Less)
Kupenda for the Children has earned a 100% for the Culture & Community beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableConstituent Feedback - Data Available - UnscoredConstituent Feedback - Data Available - Unscored
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. However, it did not respond to one or more survey questions, and therefore is not eligible for a score on this metric. (View our beacon methodology.) Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Paper surveys, Case management notes, Community meetings or town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
Note: The organization did not respond to this question.
Equity Practices - Data Available - 100/100 ptsEquity Practices - Data Available - 100/100 pts
100% of beacon score
This organization's score of 100 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 14 Equity Practices. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective equity policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Equity Practices (7/7) | |
|---|---|
We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. | |
We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and/or portfolios. | |
We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization/'s programs, portfolios, and the populations served. | |
We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support. | |
We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders. | |
We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured | |
We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Equity Policies and Procedures (7/7) | |
|---|---|
We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity. | |
We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. | |
We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization. | |
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board. | |
We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. | |
We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team. | |
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
Kupenda for the Children has earned a 100% for the Leadership & Adaptability beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Learn more
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableMission - 10/10 ptsMission - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
Kupenda for the Children is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that transforms harmful beliefs surrounding disability to those that improve children's lives. Many in low-income countries hold superstitious beliefs about the causes and interventions for children with disabilities leading to their abuse and murder. To change this situation, we collaborate with influential community leaders and families to reduce stigma associated with disability and ensure these children can access the education, medical intervention, and the inclusive love everyone deserves. Hence calling ourselves "Kupenda," the Swahili word for "love."
Vision - 10/10 ptsVision - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Kupenda's vision is for a fully integrated society where people of all abilities have access to health, education, and a loving community.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals - 20/20 ptsGoals - 20/20 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Advocacy Program - Educating communities about the rights of children with disabilities and how to support them by advocating for their medical care, education, legal rights and social inclusion.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Goal Two: Education Program - Supporting children with disabilities to access appropriate, high-quality education while supporting the staff and infrastructure of their schools.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Goal Three: Medical Care Program - Connecting children with disabilities to appropriate medical services including surgeries, medications, and therapy.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Leadership Development - 15/15 ptsLeadership Development - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
In 2021, we completed 4-day training for 9 U.S. and Kenyan staff. This course taught us peer support techniques and skills for healthy communication, resilience building, practical care in crisis and self-care. All of these skills are critical components in strengthening our management, assessment, leadership development, team building, and stakeholder engagement capacity. This training also helped Kupenda develop and implement foundational personnel care and resilience language to support donor relations and shape management conversations around organizational policy and procedures. The facilitators provided individual and team resilience assessments and a post-training survey to capture participants’ impact statements and commitments to growth and change. Staff also received a Spiritual and Psychological First Aid textbook to help the participants continue practicing the strategies they’d learned and share these with others.
Mobilizing for Mission - 15/15 ptsMobilizing for Mission - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Policy Advocacy
Each year, Kupenda networks hundreds of NGOs and government entities by participating in conferences, technical working groups and private meetings. Some of the technical working groups we participate in include: - The United Nations’ International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) - Food for the Hungry’s Caregivers Mental Health groups - Core Group Disability Technical Advisors Group - SPARK Kenya - The Accord Network - Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH) - The Journey Towards Equity - The Lausanne Movement - Disability NGO Collaboration Group - Vista Hermosa’s East Africa working group Some of the conferences, churches and schools where we present about our work include: - The University of Virginia - IDDC General Assembly - John Hopkins Knowledge Success - American Public Health Association Conference - Boston University - Hampton Falls First Baptist Church - Gordon College - Global Digital Health Forum - Global Health & Innovation Conference
Adaptability Story - 30/30 ptsAdaptability Story - 30/30 pts
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Last year, we needed to make some modifications to our work due to the Kenyan government's gathering restrictions that limited our ability to conduct in-person trainings. Instead, we facilitated virtual disability trainings in and beyond Kenya. We also developed and delivered remote counseling and mental health training content in order to help pastors, parents, teachers, and NGO staff provide effective support to children with disabilities, many of whom were struggling during the pandemic due to school and facility closures, caregiver unemployment, and a lack of access to their doctors, therapists, and teachers.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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