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Top Rated

One Acre Fund

CharityWatch rating issued
September 2025

Top-Rated Charity
A
CharityWatch Rating
Our independent rating based
on a number of factors.
 
86%
Program Percentage
Amount spent on programs
relative to overhead.
 
$8
Cost to Raise $100
Amount spent to raise
$100 of contributions.

Contact Information

One Acre Fund
2070 Green Bay Road
Suite 183
Highland Park, IL 60035

Other Names

None

Tax Status

501(c)3

Stated Mission

To empower chronically hungry farm families in East Africa to lift themselves out of hunger and poverty; method is to work through self-help groups in rural villages to deliberately reach the most severely hunger-affected.

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Data based on Fiscal Year Ended 12/31/2024

Program Percentage: 86%

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

$134,000,000

Calculated Total Expenses

(rounded)

 

Cost to Raise $100: $8

How many dollars One Acre Fund spends on fundraising to raise each $100 of contributions.

$119,000,000

Calculated Total Contributions

(rounded)

Government Funding

0% to 24%

Percentage of cash revenue
coming from government sources

 

Financial Documents

Entity Document Type Tax ID
One Ace Fund and Subsidiaries Consolidated Audited Financial Statements Multiple
One Ace Fund IRS Form 990 20-3668110
Entity: One Ace Fund and Subsidiaries
Document Type: Consolidated Audited Financial Statements
Tax ID: Multiple
Entity: One Ace Fund
Document Type: IRS Form 990
Tax ID: 20-3668110

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?
 
One Acre Fund
meets governance benchmarks.
 
One Acre Fund
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 Matthew Forti Managing Director, OAF USA $261,273
2 Anna Carson Business Development Senior Director $255,164
3 Gideon Maina Chief Financial Officer $232,682
1
Name: Matthew Forti
Title: Managing Director, OAF USA
Compensation: $261,273
2
Name: Anna Carson
Title: Business Development Senior Director
Compensation: $255,164
3
Name: Gideon Maina
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Compensation: $232,682

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 One Acre Fund also includes the financial activities of the organizations included in the One Acre Fund audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024. In addition to the U.S.-based One Acre Fund, the accounts of 11 related entities are included in the One Acre Fund 2024 audited consolidated financial statements, according to Note 2, Principles of Consolidation.

These include:

Democratic Republic of the Congo Nongovernment Organization

One Acre Stichting (Netherlands)

One Acre UK Limited (United Kingdom)

One Acre Fund Limited (Malawi)

One Acre Farmers Organization (Nigeria)

Smallholder Resilience Ventures, LLC (U.S.)

Smallholder Resilience Ventures (Rwanda)

One Acre Tanzania Limited

One Acre Fund Tubura (Rwanda)

One Acre Impact Limited (Zambia)

One Acre Impact Fund Limited (Nigeria)

All significant intercompany transactions were eliminated in audit consolidation. 

According to the One Acre Fund consolidated audit of December 31, 2024 (Note 6, Related Party Transactions):

"The Organization grants permanent staff and staff members on fixed-term contracts of more than 12 months in good standing the ability to take out a cash loan, salary advance, or non-cash loans of input or equipment. Management believes these transactions are conducted at arm's length."

According to the One Acre Fund consolidated audit of December 31, 2024 (Note 14, Concentration of Foreign Operations Risk):

"Contributions are raised globally, with a majority within the United States. The Organization's program activities involve providing agricultural inputs, training, and other services on credit in various foreign countries. While foreign operations risk is somewhat diversified across countries, and is actively managed by the Organization, it remains reasonably possible that operations outside the U.S. could be disrupted due to political economic, or natural events, impacting the normal functioning of these programs.

As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Organization held assets outside the U.S. with carrying values of $175,841,863 and $124,319,270, respectively. These assets are primarily concentrated across four countries in East Africa, with the largest share located in Rwanda and Kenya, which had a carrying value of $54,294,076 and $52,394,426, respectively. In 2023, Rwanda and Kenya held assets which had a carrying value of $39,598,202 and $42,257,938, respectively."

According to the One Acre Fund 2024 tax filing, One Acre Fund reports re: Compensation, Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, and Highest Compensated Employees (IRS Form 990, Schedule J, Part II):

One Acre Fund reports providing "bonus & incentive compensation" to 11 individuals during 2024. Gideon Maina, Chief Financial Officer, received $60,677 of bonus and incentive compensation with total reported compensation of $232,682. The remaining 10 individuals received $1,410 to $52,083 with total reported compensation ranging from $184,759 to $261,273.