Mission: Not Available
Sidekick Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 2012, and donations are tax-deductible.
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Contact Information
URL not available
4000 WEST 106TH ST STE 125-238
Carmel IN 46032-7720
Encompass Rating System by Charity Navigator
Overall Score
Not Currently Scored
Encompass Scores are calculated from one or more Beacon Scores. Currently, we require either a Finance & Accountability Beacon, or an Impact & Results Beacon, to be eligible for an Encompass Score. See below to learn why this organization is not eligible.
This organization is ineligible for a Finance & Accountability score. Find out why.
This organization is ineligible for a Impact & Results score. Find out why.
Learn about the Encompass Rating System: Overview | FAQ | Release Notes
Finance & Accountability
This score provides an assessment of a nonprofit's financial health (stability, efficiency and sustainability) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
Finance & Accountability Score
Not currently scored
This organization cannot be evaluated by our Encompass Rating methodology because it does not e-file IRS Form 990
To ensure year-to-year consistency, the Encompass Rating System's Finance & Accountability beacon analyzes the three-year average of some data provided through the IRS Form 990.
Charity Navigator does not currently have the data required from e-filed IRS Forms 990 for Sidekick Foundation Inc. under the EIN: 45-3996413.
This indicates that Sidekick Foundation Inc. may still be filing paper Forms 990.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated this organization.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
No Data Available
Revenue and expense data is not available for this organization. This data is only available if this charity has at least one year of electronically-filed Form 990 data filed within the last six years.
Salary of Key Persons
No Data Available
Key Persons data is currently unavailable for this organization. This data is only available if this charity has at least one year of electronically-filed Form 990 data filed within the last six years.
Business Master File Data
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)
Data Sources: IRS Forms 990
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 view this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available).
Pandemic Response
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. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Sidekick Foundation Inc. reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Financially we were not affected, but we saw an increase in bushmeat poaching and habitat destruction activities in our are of operation. It created more work for our rangers to combat this illegal activities.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
It did not affect any financial aspect of our organization.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
We were still able to complete our mission and continue our work on the ground. We had a surplus of funds to supply our staff with PPE, hand sanitizer and face masks. They continued their critical work despite the pandemic.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
We had to adapt by initiating a protocol for ranger teams that were quarantined before being deployed into their area of operation. They also had to stay together as a team longer than a normal rotation. Additionally, we trained rangers and staff on best practices for hygiene and interacting with the community.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We continue our efforts to combat habitat destruction and bushmeat poaching to increase protection in the Greater Mara Ecosystem.
Previous: Finance & Accountability / Next: Leadership & Adaptability
Impact & Results
This score estimates the actual impact a nonprofit has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
Impact & Results Score
Not Currently Scored
Sidekick Foundation Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Encompass Rating 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.
Do you work at Sidekick Foundation Inc.? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Previous: Impact & Results / Next: Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
This score 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.
Leadership & Adaptability Score
100
out of 100
The score earned by Sidekick Foundation Inc. is a passing score.
Encompass Rating V4 provides an evaluation of the organization's Leadership & Adaptability through the nonprofit organization submitting a survey response directly to Charity Navigator.
Leadership & Adaptability Report
100
of 100 points
Mission
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s mission
Protect elephants and their habitats across the Greater Mara Ecosystem
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Our vision is to see a stable and healthy elephant population co-existing with people across the Greater Mara Ecosystem.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Strategic Goals
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Increase the protection for elephants and their habitats in the Greater Mara Ecosystem by expanding our boots on the ground operations.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Two: Expand our research program to find long-term solutions to the co-existence crisis.
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
Goal Three: Expand our Kenyan workforce to educate, train and employ more Kenyans in conservation.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Leadership Development
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
We recently trained 16 MEP rangers and researchers to operate drones for conservation. They all completed the training and received their remote pilots' licenses. MEP's Conservation Officer Wilson Sairowua is joining the Smithsonian to receive a GIS training in Washington, DC this summer. Over three days in December, Focused Conservation conducted a Human Rights in Law Enforcement training for 43 MEP rangers and field researchers. All of MEP’s rangers receive human rights training during their initial training course; however, this was an important refresher course for all of the participants to ensure best human rights practices are followed during any law enforcement activities or when they are engaging with the community. MEP rangers also receive regular training with other organizations dealing in a variety of wildlife. MEP's Assistant Senior Warden recently received training from The Pangolin Project on how to properly relay sensitive information about this endangered species.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Mobilizing for Mission
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
Mara Elephant Project counts Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forest Service and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute as our key government partners in Kenya. We all collaborate on operational and research projects. In addition, MEP counts over 50 other nonprofits as partners, highlights includes Save The Elephants, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Oak Foundation, WildAid, The Maa Trust and Seedballs Kenya. MEP has a school fees program where any staff members can have school fees paid for up to two of their children. In 2022, we will be providing for the education of over 100 MEP staff member's children. We partnered with many different communities in the Mara during the pandemic to distribute PPE and build tippy taps (clean water for washing hands). Our research department attends many conferences both in person and virtually (EarthRanger, government gatherings). We are also leading the collaboration of many orgs in the Mara to develop the framework for the Greater Mara Ecosystem.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Story of Adaptability
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
At the beginning of 2022, Mara Elephant Project built and diversified our donor base enough to graduate from our largest funder. Co-founder Suzie Fehsenfeld supported Mara Elephant Project over the last decade and since 2016, we've managed to build and diversify our donor base by committing to communications and relationship building, which has allowed Suzie's support to slowly reduce over the last five years. This has been a big shift for the organization, as we have grown from a $500K a year budget to now $1.5 million a year. Ensuring we have the systems in place over the last year to continue with our fundraising success without Suzie's core support has been crucial. We've expanded our communications capacity and continue to focus on the great story that is the mission and people of MEP. In 2019, we added a research department in order to use data and technology to find solutions to promote co-existence and increase connectivity and biodiversity in the Greater Mara Ecosystem. Since beginning with Dr. Jake Wall, we now count a long-term monitoring team, GIS specialists, a full-time developer and an experimental farm as our cutting edge research department. We've employed over 15 Kenyans for the research department alone over the last three years and during a pandemic! Our growth has meant we've needed to be adaptive to the demands on our small staff. Adding additional capacity for Dr. Wall, CEO Marc Goss and Executive Director Claire Bolles has been key to successfully expanding our mission.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Previous: Leadership & Adaptability
Culture & Community
This score provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves. Learn more about how and why we rate Culture & Community.
Culture & Community Score
85
out of 100
Sidekick Foundation Inc. has earned a passing score. The organization provided data about its Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) practices (see report below).
The Culture & Community Beacon is comprised of the following metrics:
Constituent Feedback: Not Scored
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: 85/100 (100% of beacon score)
Culture & Community Report
85
of 100 points
This beta feature is currently viewable only on desktop or tablet screens. Check back later for updates.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
85/100 points
100% of beacon score
This organization's score of 85 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 5 diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective DEI policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
View this organization's DEI Strategies
Methodology
We are utilizing data collected by Candid to document and assess the DEI practices implemented by the organization. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the Equity Strategies section of their Candid profiles to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Constituent Feedback
Not Scored
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.
View this organization's Constituent Feedback Practices
Methodology
We've partnered with Candid to survey organizations about their feedback practices. Nonprofit organizations can fill out the How We Listen section of their Candid profile to receive a rating.
Learn more about the methodology.
Analysis and Research
Like the overall Encompass Rating System, the Culture & Community Beacon is designed to evolve as metrics are developed and ready for integration. Below you can find more information about the metrics we currently evaluate in this beacon and their relevance to nonprofit performance.
