Form 990 for tax year 2023

Filed by SPARK MICROGRANTS.

Totals

Total revenue: $10,336,960
Total expenses: $7,702,239
Contributions and grants received: $10,183,963
Grants paid: $1,935,293
Program service revenue: $0
Investment income: $153,044
Other revenue: -$47
Total assets, end of year: $19,394,935
Total liabilities, end of year: $1,804,076
Net assets or fund balances, end of year: $17,590,859
Program services expenses (Part IX): $5,975,696
Management and general expenses: $1,142,437
Fundraising expenses: $584,106
Program service expenses (Part III): $5,975,696

Program services were 77.6% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

$10,183,963
3 · Investment income

total $96,757 · excluded $96,757
7a · Gross sales of assets other than inventory

securities $56,287
7b · Less cost or other basis and sales expenses

securities $0
7c · Gain or loss

securities $56,287
7d · Net gain or loss

total $56,287 · excluded $56,287
11a · Other revenue: MISCELLANEOUS

total $239 · excluded $239
11b · Other revenue: LOSS ON CURRENCY EXCHANGE

total -$286 · excluded -$286
11e · Other revenue, total

-$47

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

total $1,935,293 · program services $1,935,293
5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

total $199,002 · management and general $199,002
7 · Other salaries and wages

total $1,920,866 · program services $1,188,295 · management and general $420,532 · fundraising $312,039
9 · Other employee benefits

total $279,191 · program services $161,306 · management and general $78,700 · fundraising $39,185
10 · Payroll taxes

total $58,360 · program services $6,148 · management and general $22,725 · fundraising $29,487
11b · Fees: legal

total $6,706 · program services $6,706
11c · Fees: accounting

total $70,562 · management and general $70,562
11e · Fees: professional fundraising services

total $16,000 · fundraising $16,000
11g · Fees: other

total $371,093 · program services $124,785 · management and general $122,580 · fundraising $123,728
13 · Office expenses

total $142,769 · program services $41,900 · management and general $58,786 · fundraising $42,083
14 · Information technology

total $16,518 · program services $15,458 · management and general $1,060
16 · Occupancy

total $77,288 · program services $60,100 · management and general $16,118 · fundraising $1,070
17 · Travel

total $426,039 · program services $296,075 · management and general $114,609 · fundraising $15,355
19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

total $52,178 · program services $44,037 · management and general $7,985 · fundraising $156
22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

total $4,106 · management and general $4,106
23 · Insurance

total $6,348 · program services $1,863 · management and general $2,614 · fundraising $1,871
24a · Other expenses: PROGRAM TRAIN.& PART.

total $1,337,719 · program services $1,336,332 · management and general $1,387
24b · Other expenses: EVALUATION COSTS

total $751,669 · program services $751,669
24c · Other expenses: LOCAL & REGISTAION FEES

total $20,707 · program services $4,069 · management and general $13,506 · fundraising $3,132
24d · Other expenses: EQUIPMENT & MAINTEN.

total $9,825 · program services $1,660 · management and general $8,165

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

beginning of year $5,830,275 · end of year $6,699,061
2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

beginning of year $17,958 · end of year $1,490,520
3 · Pledges and grants receivable

beginning of year $9,709,853 · end of year $9,094,882
9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

beginning of year $33,181 · end of year $34,265
10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

$52,689
10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

$25,736
10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

beginning of year $29,946 · end of year $26,953
11 · Investments: publicly traded securities

beginning of year $0 · end of year $2,019,655
15 · Other assets

beginning of year $21,550 · end of year $29,599
17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

beginning of year $890,106 · end of year $1,804,076
27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

beginning of year $4,351,013 · end of year $17,590,859
28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

beginning of year $10,401,644 · end of year $0

Mission and programs · 2023

Mission

SPARK MICROGRANTS EMPOWERS COMMUNITIES TO WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A WORLD WHERE EVERYONE LIVES WITH DIGNITY AND DETERMINES THEIR OWN POSITIVE FUTURE.

Activities or mission (Part I)

SEE PART III, LINE 1.

SPARK BELIEVES IN THE COLLECTIVE POWER OF PEOPLE. YET TOO OFTEN, COMMUNITIES FACING POVERTY ARE SIDELINED BY THE VERY PROGRAMS MEANT TO UPLIFT THEM. SPARK UPDATES THE DEVELOPMENT MODEL, FROM PRESCRIPTIVE TO COMMUNITY-LED, SO THAT EVERY VILLAGE CAN DEFINE THEIR OWN FUTURE. SPARK'S KEY INNOVATION THE FACILITATED COLLECTIVE ACTION PROCESS, OR FCAP PAIRS A VILLAGE PLANNING PROCESS WITH A SEED GRANT TO FACILITATE COOPERATIVE SOLUTIONS TO POVERTY. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THE FCAP RESULTS IN FAMILIES DOUBLING THE MEALS THEY EAT AND A SEVENFOLD INCREASE IN WOMEN ENGAGING IN LEADERSHIP ROLES. MORE THAN 80 PERCENT OF COMMUNITIES CREATE INCLUSIVE VILLAGE COUNCILS THAT LAST. SINCE 2010, SPARK HAS REACHED MORE THAN 500,000 PEOPLE IN EIGHT COUNTRIES, INCLUDING THROUGH ITS FLAGSHIP PROGRAM WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF RWANDA. OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS, SPARK WILL ACCELERATE ITS IMPACT BY SCALING THE NATIONAL PROGRAM IN RWANDA AND EXPANDING TO TWO NEW COUNTRIES, PRODUCING NEW RESEARCH ON COMMUNITY-LED DEVELOPMENT, AND CURATING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE. TODAY, SPARK TRAINS PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS AND WORKS WITH GOVERNMENTS TO SCALE THE FCAP AS THE SYSTEM OF CHOICE TO ADVANCE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IMPROVE LIVES, AND SECURE LASTING CHANGE. SPARK HAS OFFICES IN KIGALI, KAMPALA, AND NEW YORK AND OPERATES IN SIX COUNTRIES IN EAST AND WEST AFRICA.

Expenses $5,975,696 · Grants $1,935,293

As filed on the 2023 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

ALEXANDRA FISHER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER

Total calculated

$199,002

From this org

$187,265

From related orgs

$0

Other

$11,737

Hours/week

50

Schedule J breakdown matched by us

Base

$187,190

Bonus

$75

Other

$0

Deferred

$0

Nontaxable benefits

$11,737

Filer's total

$199,002
KATHERINE REYNOLDS DIRECTOR

OF LEARNING & SECTOR BUILDING

Total calculated

$137,044

From this org

$125,307

From related orgs

$0

Other

$11,737

Hours/week

40
MICHELLE LEE

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Total calculated

$119,697

From this org

$119,697

From related orgs

$0

Other

$0

Hours/week

40
LISA JACKSON

CHAIR - UNTIL 06/2023

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

2
SAM BONSEY

VICE CHAIR

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

2
JONATHAN JACKSON

FINANCIAL CHAIR

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

2
STACEY FAELLA

BOARD CO-CHAIR

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

2
ANGELA RUGAMBWA

BOARD CO-CHAIR

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

2
KARA WEISS

GOVERNANCE CHAIR

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

2
AMOL JAIN

BOARD MEMBER

Total calculated

$0

Hours/week

2

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee
7 · Other non-fixed payments

Answered no

4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

The filer's explanations (Part III)

PART I, LINE 7: THE BONUS PAYMENTS MADE DURING THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023, ARE BASED ON PERFORMANCE.

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type: form_990
Tax year: 2023
Filed: 13 November 2024
IRS schema version: 2023v5.1
Source object: 202443199349301744

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