Celebrating 30 years of helping you give wisely
America's most independent,
assertive charity watchdog
Top Rated

FINCA International

CharityWatch rating issued
April 2026

Top-Rated Charity
A-
CharityWatch Rating
Our independent rating based
on a number of factors.
 
96%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$26
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

FINCA International
1301 K Street, NW
STE 300W
Washington, DC 20005

Other Names

Foundation for International Community Assistance

Tax Status

501(c)3

Website

www.finca.org

Stated Mission

To alleviate poverty through lasting solutions that help people build assets, create jobs, and raise their standard of living.

View similar charities
Charity  
Accion International  
ActionAid USA  
Africare (DISSOLVED)  
Aid for Starving Children  
Alight  
All Hands and Hearts  
American Friends Service Committee  
American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA)  
Americares  
Archewell Philanthropies  
Brother's Brother Foundation  
CARE  
Catholic Medical Mission Board  
Catholic Relief Services  
Central Asia Institute  
charity: water  
Church World Service (CWS)  
Comic Relief  
Convoy of Hope  
CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort)  
David Livingstone Missionary Foundation  
Direct Relief & Direct Relief Foundation  
Doctors Without Borders USA  
Engineers Without Borders - USA  
Episcopal Relief & Development  
Fistula Foundation  
GiveDirectly  
Global Communities  
GlobalGiving Foundation  
Grameen Foundation USA  
HealthRight International  
Heifer International  
HIAS  
Humanity & Inclusion  
International Justice Mission  
International Medical Corps  
International Rescue Committee  
Islamic Relief-USA  
Lutheran World Relief & IMA World Health  
MAP International  
Medical Teams International  
Mennonite Central Committee U.S.  
Mercy Corps  
Muslim Aid USA  
New Incentives  
One Acre Fund  
Operation USA  
Opportunity International  
Oxfam-America  
Partners In Health  
Planet Aid  
Project HOPE  
Refugees International  
ReSurge International  
Rotary Foundation of Rotary International  
Salesian Missions  
Samaritan's Purse  
Sudan Relief Fund  
Team Rubicon  
Tearfund USA  
TechnoServe  
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)  
United States Association for UNHCR  
United States Fund for UNICEF  
United to End Genocide (DISSOLVED)  
White Stork  
World Central Kitchen  
World Concern  
World Emergency Relief  
World Neighbors  
World Villages for Children  
Zakat Foundation of America  
Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 12/31/2024

Program Percentage: 96%

The percentage of FINCA International's cash budget it spends on programs relative to overhead (fundraising, management, and general expenses).

$232,000,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $26

How many dollars FINCA International spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$21,000,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
FINCA International, Inc. and Subsidiaries Consolidated Audited Financial Statements Multiple
FINCA International, Inc. IRS Form 990 13-3240109
Entity: FINCA International, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Document Type: Consolidated Audited Financial Statements
Tax ID: Multiple
Entity: FINCA International, Inc.
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 13-3240109

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.
This charity is Top-Rated
What does it mean to be Top-Rated?
 
FINCA International
meets governance benchmarks.
 
FINCA International
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

  Name Title Compensation
1 P. Daniel Smith General Counsel $451,107
2 Andree Simon President / CEO $434,533
3 Colleen Zakrewsky SVP, Development & External Relations $321,720
1
Name: P. Daniel Smith
Title: General Counsel
Compensation: $451,107
2
Name: Andree Simon
Title: President / CEO
Compensation: $434,533
3
Name: Colleen Zakrewsky
Title: SVP, Development & External Relations
Compensation: $321,720

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's rating of FINCA International also includes the financial activities of the entities controlled by FINCA and its subsidiaries, which are consolidated in the FINCA International audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024. All intragroup balances and transactions, and any unrealized income and expenses arising from intragroup transactions, have been eliminated in the consolidated audit, according to Note 2 to the audited consolidated financial statements.


According to the FINCA International consolidated audit of December 31, 2024 (Note 1, Nature of Activities):

"...As of December 31, 2024, FINCA Microfinance Holding Company LLC (FMH), as the intermediate holding company, has microfinance operations in 14 developing countries in Latin America (Guatemala), Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia), Eurasia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan), and the Middle East and South Asia (Jordan and Pakistan). FMH operates through local entities (Subsidiaries) that are owned and/or controlled by it, including corporations and, in some cases, nongovernmental organizations. The Subsidiaries principally provide loans to individuals and to groups of individuals that lack access to traditional financial institutions. In most cases, these loans are made to either groups, individuals, or small- and medium-sized enterprises. Loans consist of agriculture loans, education loans, short-term digital lending solutions in partnership with mobile network operators, and other microfinance loans...In addition to loans, FMH, through its Subsidiaries, provides other financial services needed by the working poor, including savings deposits, remittances, and microinsurance..."


Whenever practicable, CharityWatch obtains consolidated or combined audited financial statements that include all of the entities of a charity. Such an audit eliminates inter-organizational transactions among related entities and allows us to determine how efficiently an organization is operating on the whole. For more information on this topic, please see our section on Treatment of Related Organizations, which can be found on the Our Process page.

According to the FINCA International consolidated audit of December 31, 2024 (Note 14, Discontinued Operations and Assets Held for Sale):

"The assets and liabilities of FINCA Pakistan and FINCA Nicaragua were classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively...No impairment loss was recognized upon reclassification of FINCA Pakistan; however, an impairment loss of $0.1 million was recognized on the assets of FINCA Nicaragua. 

The disposal group includes FINCA Microfinance Coöperatief U.A.'s (COOP) 94.9% equity interest in FINCA Pakistan, which operates in Pakistan. The decision to sell forms part of the Company's strategic exit from the market. A sale agreement was signed in September 2024, and the transaction closed in January 2025..."

According to the FINCA International consolidated audit of December 31, 2024 (Note 25, Notes Payable):

"The highest fixed interest rate paid by Subsidiaries was Malawi with 27.50% and the highest floating interest rate paid by Subsidiaries was Zambia with 20.30% in local currencies for commercial loans in countries with high perceived risk or with depreciating currencies.

As of the reporting date, some Subsidiaries have breached covenants contained in financing agreements underlying these obligations. Management believes that these breaches are primarily due to recent global economic conditions that have affected the microfinance industry, or in some cases due to political and economic developments...As of December 31, 2024, Subsidiaries in Guatemala, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Uganda, and FMH were in breach of financial covenants involving loans from international financial institutions amounting to $42.6 million. After December 31, 2024, Subsidiaries had not obtained formal waivers for these breaches of covenants as of the consolidated financial statement issuance date. All loans for which no formal waivers were obtained are classified as current...No accelerated repayment is being enforced."

According to the FINCA International consolidated audit of December 31, 2024 (Note 31, Subsequent Events - Non-Adjusting):

"On September 20, 2024, COOP entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with TPL Corp Limited (TPL) and Abhi (Private) Limited (Abhi) whereby TPL and Abhi agreed to jointly acquire all shares held by the COOP in FINCA Pakistan. The transaction for the sale of the shares to TPL and Abhi closed in January 2025 and resulted in a loss on disposal of $12 million...

...In December 2024, FINCA Jordan Specialized Micro Loans Company (FINCA Jordan) initiated insolvency proceedings due to financial and operational difficulties...FINCA Jordan has not been classified as a discontinued operation and remains part of continuing operations."


According to the FINCA International 2024 tax filing, FINCA reports re: Business Transactions Involving Interested Persons, a transaction in the amount of $100,000 involving Lorraine O'Hara, "Wife (beneficiary) of the former President & CEO." The transaction is described as "Senior Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) Benefit" (IRS Form 990, Schedule L, Part IV).