Mission: The BOMA Project empowers women in the drylands of Africa to establish sustainable livelihoods, build resilient families, graduate from extreme poverty, and catalyze ... (More)
The BOMA Project is a 501(c)(3) organization, with an IRS ruling year of 2006, and donations are tax-deductible.
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Contact Information
2200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 400, East Tower
Washington DC 20037
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Star Rating System by Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator evaluates a nonprofit organization’s financial health including measures of stability, efficiency and sustainability. We also track accountability and transparency policies to ensure the good governance and integrity of the organization.
Exceptional
This charity's score is 93.83, earning it a 4-Star rating. Donors can "Give with Confidence" to this charity.
This score is calculated from two sub-scores:
Finance: 94.80 View details
Accountability & Transparency: 93.00 View details
This score represents Form 990 data from 2020, the latest year published by the IRS.
View this organization’s historical ratings.
Star Rated Report
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Program Expense Ratio
84.3%
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. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Administrative Expenses
8.5%
As reported by charities on their IRS Form 990, this measure reflects what percent of its total budget a charity spends on overhead, administrative staff and associated costs, and organizational meetings. Dividing a charity's average administrative expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Expenses
7.1%
This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Fundraising expenses can include campaign printing, publicity, mailing, and staffing and costs incurred in soliciting donations, memberships, and grants. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Liabilities to Assets Ratio
5.8%
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990).
Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and or long term sustainability. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage.
Source: IRS Form 990
Fundraising Efficiency
$0.06
The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Working Capital Ratio
0.72 years
Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. We include in a charity's working capital unrestricted and temporarily restricted net assets, and exclude permanently restricted net assets. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. We calculate the charity's average total expenses over its three most recent fiscal years.
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Growth
16.12%
We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn.
Source: IRS Form 990
Governance
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has these governance practices in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990
| Governance: | |
|---|---|
| Independent Voting Board Members ... (More) | |
| No Material Diversion of Assets ... (More) A diversion of assets – any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft – can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories:
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| Audited Financials Prepared by Independent Accountant ... (More) Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. (It is not necessary that the audit committee be a separate committee. Often at smaller charities, it falls within the responsibilities of the finance committee or the executive committee.) The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria.
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| Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties ... (More) | |
| Documents Board Meeting Minutes ... (More) | |
| Distributes 990 to Board Before Filing ... (More) | |
| Compensates Board ... (More) |
Policies
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Policies: | |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest ... (More) | |
| Whistleblower ... (More) | |
| Records Retention and Destruction ... (More) | |
| CEO Compensation Process ... (More) | |
| Donor Privacy ... (More) Donors can be reluctant to contribute to a charity when their name, address, or other basic information may become part of donor lists that are exchanged or sold, resulting in an influx of charitable solicitations from other organizations. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories:
The privacy policy must be specific to donor information. A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. (Less) |
Transparency
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible.
Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website
| Transparency: | |
|---|---|
| CEO Salary Listed on 990 ... (More) | |
| Board of Directors Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Key Staff Listed on Website ... (More) | |
| Audited Financial Statements on Website ... (More) | |
| Form 990 Available on Website ... (More) |
Additional Information
Unscored
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Total Revenue and Expenses
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Salary of Key Persons
Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. 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
John T. Stephens, Executive Director
$150,000 (4.61% of Total Expenses)
Current CEO and Board Chair can be found in the Leadership & Adaptability report below.
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2020
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.
The BOMA Project reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
While the COVID-19 pandemic impacted fundraising throughout the nonprofit sector, BOMA was able to remain innovative in attracting revenue from donors, foundations, and other supporters. In a year when many businesses closed around the world, 99% of BOMA’s women entrepreneurs grew their income and profits. Their businesses diversified and evolved, while the women learned the power of their own resilience.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
The pandemic also forced BOMA to remodel its adaptability as organization. Much of BOMA’s direct implementation – such as mentoring and business support services - had been carried out person-to-person. In response to the challenges of the pandemic, BOMA launched a pilot scheme using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to deliver remote training and mentorship. IVR allows participants to receive recorded trainings on their “non-smart” mobile phones. Complementing this, BOMA tested solar/crank radios that can also play custom audio content from a USB stick to serve participants in areas without mobile coverage. While in-person mentoring resumed in October 2020, IVR technology is here to stay and will now be used to supplement — but not replace — mentoring. The same technology will also be integrated in BOMA’s Performance Insights platform, which provides real-time information on programme activities for faster feedback loops and data-driven decision making.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
BOMA embraced new technologies like Interactive Voice Response (IVR) throughout the pandemic, and further bolstered our Performance Insights platform for seamless program delivery and monitoring. BOMA is a global pioneer in the use of technology to inform data-driven decision making in the implementation and monitoring of our gender-focused program. Our proprietary innovative data management and visualization platform, Performance Insights, provides real-time information on both program participants’ and field staff’s progress: how have our participants’ lives changed? What are their challenges and what can we do better?
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
BOMA and UC Davis are piloting and researching the effectiveness of BOMA's poverty graduation program and a specific type of livestock insurance to improve the resilience of participants to economic shocks like drought or the COVID pandemic. The results midway through the study hold promise for the Samburu and other impoverished populations around the world that stand to suffer most from climate change. Women enrolled in the insurance program and BOMA fared better during the 2019 drought. For women participating in the research the longest, household income has increased 30 percent, business assets have increased 250 percent and savings that get them through drought increased sixfold.
Historical Ratings
| Date Published | Form 990 FYE | Overall Score | Overall Rating |
| Rating Version: 2.1 | |||
| 6/1/2022 | 2020 | 93.83 | |
| 2/1/2021 | 2019 | 90.56 | |
| 3/1/2020 | 2018 | 93.74 | |
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
The BOMA Project 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 The BOMA Project? Join the waitlist for an updated Impact & Results score.
Additional Information
Unscored
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Largest Programs
The BOMA Project reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as:
$2,283,992
Spent in most recent FY
86%
Percent of program expenses
Rural Entrepreneur Access Project
$188,367
Spent in most recent FY
7%
Percent of program expenses
Education and Advocacy
$175,463
Spent in most recent FY
6%
Percent of program expenses
Technical Advisory
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 The BOMA Project is a passing score. This score has no effect on the organization's Star Rating.
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
BOMA’s mission is to provide the people and governments of Africa’s drylands with economic inclusion programs that increase resilience to multiple crises. Ultimately, our goal is to end extreme poverty in Africa’s drylands.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Vision
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Now more than ever, there is an urgent need for solutions that build resilience among the most vulnerable. The COVID-19 pandemic has plunged an additional 70 to 100 million people into extreme poverty and climate change threatens millions more. The drylands of Africa are at the nexus of this crisis, facing the compounding impacts of youth unemployment, refugee migration, gender inequality, and climate change. In response, BOMA is ambitiously expanding our proven poverty graduation approach to 9 countries and 3 million women, youth and refugees by 2027.
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: BOMA’s focus is evolving to emphasize resilience-building programs for vulnerable populations including women, youth, populations impacted by climate change & COVID, and refugees.
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
Goal Two: BOMA is expanding to new countries through Direct Implementation, Government Adoption & Strategic Partnerships. BOMA’s model will be optimized for adaptability and affordability.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: BOMA will place a new emphasis on Government Policy Influence, outline a structure for Multi- Country Expansion, and develop a Center for Poverty Graduation and Resiliency Excellence in Kenya.
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
2021 was a breakthrough year for BOMA as our organization grew immensely in scope and scale. After receiving a $10 million investment and vote of confidence from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, BOMA expanded our impact goal to reach 3 million by 2027. Our leadership team is growing accordingly with new staff being added at all levels in 2022 and beyond. Already, our staff in Kenya has grown to more than 200.
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
Policy Advocacy
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
Commitment to local leadership, inclusion, equality and diversity are part of BOMA’s DNA and at the heart of our founding principles. It’s also at the core of how we recruit and develop our organizational leadership. We walk the walk on local leadership. 99% of our Kenya Country Leadership & Management team is Kenyan. Of the current more than 140 staff in Kenya, 138 are Kenyan, 2 are non-Kenyan (one at the Director, and the other at a Program Officer level). 100% of the field leadership, management and staff are recruited locally from the communities they work in. This requires deliberate and thoughtful hiring practices and huge ongoing investment in staff training and professional development. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Various sectors of our staff have participated in training recently, from the executive leadership level to the country management team. This has included leadership training, security training, and entrepreneurship skills training.
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.
BOMA is ambitiously expanding our programming to reach 9 countries and 3 million women, youth, and refugees by 2027. BOMA’s expansion throughout the drylands of Africa will be driven by strategic partnerships, government adoption, and direct implementation. BOMA’s mission is to provide the people & governments of Africa’s drylands with economic inclusion programs that increase resilience to multiple crises. Ultimately, our goal is to end extreme poverty in Africa’s drylands.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Additional Information
Unscored
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Organization Leadership
John Stephens
CEO
H. Perry Boyle Jr.
Board Chair
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
Not Currently Scored
The BOMA Project is currently not eligible for a Culture & Community score because we have not received its Constituent Feedback or Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion data. Nonprofit organizations are encouraged to fill out the How We Listen and Equity Practices sections of their Candid profile.
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.
Culture & Community Report
Unscored
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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
This organization has not provided information regarding the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices it is presently implementing. As such, the organization has not earned a score on this metric. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective DEI policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
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
Constituent Feedback and Listening Practice data are not available for this organization. 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.
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.
Constituent Feedback
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
