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ActionAid USA

CharityWatch report issued
September 2019

 
NOT
RATABLE
CharityWatch Grade
 

Contact Information

ActionAid USA
1220 L Street NW
Suite 725
Washington , DC 20005

Other Names

ActionAid International USA

Tax Status

501(c)3

Stated Mission

An international agency that works with poor and marginalized people to eradicate poverty by overcoming the injustice and inequality that cause it.

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Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 12/31/2018

*Why Not Ratable?

CharityWatch is unable to rate this organization due to how it is structured. This does not imply a negative or positive evaluation.

Some charities engage in significant financial transactions with a related organization outside of the U.S. for which sufficient audited financial information is either not available, is not presented in combined form, and/or is not based on U.S. reporting standards. CharityWatch's methodology is not designed to measure how efficiently one entity of a charity grants funds to its affiliates, partners, or related organization(s) outside of the U.S. In many of these cases, the charity is essentially functioning as a U.S. based fundraising arm. Therefore, when applicable, CharityWatch has calculated a Cost to Raise $100 fundraising ratio for such charities.

Please see the Analysts' Notes section for a more detailed explanation and for this organization's Cost to Raise $100, if applicable.


Governance & Transparency

CharityWatch evaluates certain criteria related to a charity's Governance and Transparency. Donors may want to consider a charity's willingness to be open and transparent with CharityWatch to be a good litmus test for determining its commitment to public accountability.
ActionAid USA
meets governance benchmarks.
 
ActionAid USA
meets transparency benchmarks.
Transparency
Provides Financial Information
Audit Accessibility
Governance: Policies
Reports regularly & consistently monitoring & enforcing compliance with a written Conflict of Interest Policy
Reports required, annual disclosure by officers, directors, and key staff of interests that could give rise to conflicts
Reports having a written Whistleblower Policy
Reports having a written Document Retention and Destruction Policy
Governance: Financials
Reports providing copy of tax form to all board members prior to filing it with IRS
Reports that financial statements were audited by an independent accountant
Governance: Board of Directors
Reports at least 5 voting board members
51% or more of voting board members reported as independent
Reports documenting minutes of board and board committee meetings
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy No Sharing  

  Name Title Compensation
1 Ann Marie Clarke Executive Director $174,432
2 Richard Payling-Wright Director of Finance & Administration $115,239
1
Name: Ann Marie Clarke
Title: Executive Director
Compensation: $174,432
2
Name: Richard Payling-Wright
Title: Director of Finance & Administration
Compensation: $115,239

CharityWatch Analysts perform an in-depth analysis of charities' audited financial statements and IRS tax filings, and often review other documents such as state filings, annual reports, and fundraising contracts during their evaluations. Below are select notes that CharityWatch believes may be of interest to donors.

CharityWatch is unable to provide a complete rating of ActionAid USA, or of its parent organization, ActionAid International, due to how the aggregated organization is structured.

ActionAid USA is the United States affiliate of ActionAid International (AAI), an international non-profit antipoverty agency comprised of a federation of Affiliate and Associate Members working in more than 45 countries. AAI's headquarters is located in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the organization's aggregated financial statements (which include the financial activities of the headquarters and its Affiliates and Associates) are presented in Euros, and are based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). For this reason, AAI's financial statements are not comparable to those of U.S. based organizations whose financial statements are based on U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). In addition, in the Auditor's Report accompanying AAI's 2018 aggregated financial statements, the auditors note that they "have not audited the individual financial reporting packages of any of the aggregated affiliates/associates..." For these reasons, CharityWatch is unable to provide a rating of ActionAid International.

ActionAid USA essentially functions as a fundraising arm for ActionAid International (AAI). During the year ended December 31, 2018, ActionAid USA made grant awards to AAI of $865,330 to support international development projects in the countries where the partner affiliates work, according to ActionAid USA's 2018 financial audit (Note 9). The $865,330 in grant awards to AAI represented 100% of ActionAid USA's grants and subgrants made in 2018, and 41% of its total spending on program services.

ActionAid USA's 2018 tax filing (IRS Form 990) reports that approximately $2.11 million, or 73%, of its $2.90 million budget was spent on programs in 2018. Approximately $0.87 million, or 41%, of that program spending consisted of the grant awards to ActionAid International (described above).

Because ActionAid USA functions as a fundraising arm of ActionAid International, CharityWatch is unable to provide a Program % for ActionAid USA. However, CharityWatch is able to provide a Cost to Raise $100 fundraising ratio:

ActionAid USA spent a reasonable $19 to raise each $100 in public support in 2018.


CharityWatch's methodology is not designed to measure how efficiently a charity grants funds to one of its related organizations. For this reason, CharityWatch does not believe it is fair to publish a Program % for ActionAid USA alongside those of other charities that conduct their own programs and/or primarily make grants to other, independent charities.

CharityWatch's inability to provide a complete rating of ActionAid USA is strictly due to how the organization is structured, and not due to an unwillingness to provide information or answer our questions.

In order for CharityWatch to be able to rate ActionAid International in the future, we would require consolidated or combined audited financial statements, expressed in U.S. dollars and based on U.S. GAAP, that include all of ActionAid International's related entities. Such statements would eliminate inter-organizational transactions, as well as provide a comprehensive view of how the organization both raises and spends public dollars on the whole. This information may not currently be practicable for ActionAid International to provide given that its national headquarters is based in South Africa, and its financial statements are based on IFRS and expressed in Euros.


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