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Tucson AZ | IRS ruling year: 2021 | EIN: 87-2915088
Founders Initiative has a mission to support women and girls in extreme poverty, domestic and sexual abuse. Our 4 “Initiatives” Provide Faith-Christian Outreach and ... (More)
Founders Initiative has a mission to support women and girls in extreme poverty, domestic and sexual abuse. Our 4 “Initiatives” Provide Faith-Christian Outreach and Supply Missions, Offer Education-Open Ghana's First All-Girls Primary School, Empower- Provide Jobs and Opportunities for Women's Equity, and Develop-Leaders who will impact their families and communities. (Less)
Needs Improvement
This charity's score is 71%, earning it a Two-Star rating.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 80% Impact & Results, 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!
Founders Initiative cannot currently be evaluated by our Accountability & Finance methodology due to only having one year of electronically-filed IRS Form 990 data. But please note, that the IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofit's annual tax filings. That may mean that this entity has electronically filed additional Forms 990 but they have yet to be processed and made public by the IRS.
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 990.
Charity Navigator currently only has one year of consecutive e-filed Forms 990 from the IRS for Founders Initiative under the EIN: 87-2915088.
Before Charity Navigator can evaluate Founders Initiative, Founders Initiative will need to e-file for additional fiscal years.
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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.
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.
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 (Founders Initiative) or EIN (872915088) 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.
Founders Initiative reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Revenue
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
We started slow in fundraising, but are picking up speed this Spring.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
We didn't have any issues with our programs.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
We were created during Covid so it was a mixed blessing to be able to start from scratch.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We intend to use Zoom and other video platforms for meetings.
Founders Initiative has earned a 65% for the Impact & Results beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon estimates the actual impact a charity has on the lives of those it serves, and determines whether it is making good use of donor resources to achieve that impact.
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Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Not Applicable
Program
Christian Outreach and Supply Missions
Activities
The program directly distributes goods that fulfill the basic needs of its beneficiaries.
Program Type
Goods Provision
Beneficiaries Served
Program Geography
Time Period of Data
6/1/21 to 6/6/22
Outcomes: Changes in the lives of those served by a nonprofit. They can be caused by the nonprofit.
Costs: The money spent by a nonprofit and its partners and beneficiaries.
Impact: Outcome caused by a nonprofit relative to its cost.
Cost-effectiveness: A judgment as to whether the cost was a good use of resources to cause the outcome.
Outcome Metric
market value of goods distributed
Outcome Data Source
Ratings are based on data the nonprofit itself collects on its work. We use the most recent year with sufficient data. Typically, this data allows us to calculate direct changes in participants' lives, such as increased income.
The nonprofit submitted data on the composition and market value of the goods it distributed.
Method for Attributing Outcomes
We don't know if the observed changes were caused by the nonprofit's program or something else happening at the same time (e.g., a participant got a raise). To determine causation, we take the outcomes we observe and subtract an estimate of the outcomes that would have happened even without the program (i.e., counterfactual outcomes).
We assume that the distribution of goods from one nonprofit's goods distribution program does not diminish the amount of goods distributed by any other (neighboring) goods distribution program. This “counterfactual” assumption about the amount of goods distributed in the absence of the nonprofit’s goods distribution program implies that the benefit of goods to a beneficiary in need constitutes a net gain; the gain is not offset by reductions in good provided to other beneficiaries in need. We therefore set the counterfactual to zero.
Cost Data Source
After estimating the program's outcomes, we need to determine how much it cost to achieve those outcomes. All monetary costs are counted, whether they are borne by a nonprofit service deliverer or by the nonprofit’s public and private partners.
Program cost data reported by the nonprofit. Partner and beneficiary costs reported by the nonprofit or estimated by Charity Navigator.
Cost Calculation
$23,600 program costs + $35 partner costs + $0 beneficiary costs = $23,635 total costs
We calculate impact, defined as the change in outcomes attributable to a program divided by the cost to achieve those outcomes.
Impact Calculation
$23,635 total costs / $3,500 worth of goods distributed = roughly $7 provides a dollar's worth of essential goods to someone in need.
Benchmark for Rating
Impact & Results scores of goods provision programs are based on comparing the cost to distribute a goods against the market value of those goods. Programs receive an Impact & Results score of 100 if the cost to distribute goods is less than 75% the value of those goods and a score of 80 if it is less than 125%. If a nonprofit reports impact but doesn't meet the benchmark for cost-effectiveness, it earns a score of 65.
Determination
Not cost-effective
No 990 Program Data Found
Founders Initiative has earned a 90% 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.
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Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 ptsConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 pts
30% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. 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.
Who are the people you serve with your mission? Describe briefly.
We serve women and girls in Ghana.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person)
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
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
How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship with them or shifted power - over decisions, resources, rules or in other ways - to them?
It is has influenced our initiatives and how we can best serve the women and girls of Ghana; and helped us to start programs like dress making which will immediately impact women's income. Additionally, we have decided our board should reflect the women we serve, so we hope to add more Ghanaian Women to the board in the near future to help influence decisions.
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don't have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is difficult to get honest feedback from our clients, Other means
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
We originally were focusing on the needs of all Ghanaian's in poverty but as we found women working in the market selling goods who had no formal English language skills, we asked them questions and researched their issues to find out, a majority of women who work in the market did not finish school. Additionally, as we researched and found 52% of girls in Ghana experience sexual violence, we knew that Women and Girls need our focus to ensure equity.
Equity Practices - Data Available - 85/100 ptsEquity Practices - Data Available - 85/100 pts
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 85 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 5 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 (1/7) | |
|---|---|
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 (4/7) | |
|---|---|
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. | |
Founders Initiative 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
Our Core Values: Faith. Educate. Develop. Empower. We believe Education is at the heart of better economic opportunities, healthier families, individual freedom, community empowerment, and the overall development of Ghana. We seek to empower those families face generational poverty, multiple barriers to education and deserve a basic quality of life that all people deserve – food, shelter, healthcare, affordable education, clean water, and basic quality of life needs. Thus we hope to provide a low-cost affordable Christ-Centered education to every young person but especially those who a disabled, special needs, and vulnerable children.
Vision - 10/10 ptsVision - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
We aspire to open a school in Kumasi, Ghana serving at-youth risk who face generational poverty, and those who have physical and intellectual disabilities. Our goal is to serve ages 4-11 (primary school) upon opening, with our Foundation on Christ-Centered, creative teaching. We believe it's more important what we bring out in children, rather than what we put in.
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: Our initial goal is to invest $250,000 in opening a low-cost Christ-Centered Charter Model School in Ghana serving ages 4-12. We hope that through this we will improve development in Ghana.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Two: Our motto: STEAM Scripture. Teach. Train. Equip. Empower. Arts-Centered. and Motivate. Mentor are part of our overall vision to see Ghanian children grow as learns and value education.
Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core.
Goal Three: We hope to increase from opening a school to offer community empowerment through: language learning, housing, healthcare, and other basic life needs programs.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Leadership Development - 15/15 ptsLeadership Development - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Our President, Christyn Ryan was just accepted to Liberty University to pursue her Doctorate in Strategic Christian Leadership.
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.
Raising Awareness
We need help in this area to grow our exposure across the US.
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.
Covid allowed us to focus on our growth and create our online presence. Since most of us were not working, we had more to time to build the business as a brand.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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