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Acumen Fund Inc

EIN 13-4166228 · New York, NY

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong90 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

SEE SCHEDULE O

Income
$46.4 million
Spending
$34.2 million
Spent on programs
77%
Reserves
51.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 87%
Employees
140
Volunteers
12
Highest pay
$432,513, ceo & director

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 84% of charities in its peer group (international, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 51.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 6% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 26% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 13% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    77% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 35% of charities in its peer group (international, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    11 of 12 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (3)
  1. $17.8 million spent. INVESTING AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT:WE INVEST ACROSS THE CAPITAL CONTINUUM TO HELP TRANSFORMATIONAL COMPANIES GROW FROM SEED TO SCALE. ACUMEN INVESTS PATIENT CAPITAL IN BUSINESS MODELS THAT DELIVER CRITICAL, AFFORDABLE GOODS AND SERVICES TO THE WORLD'S POOR, IMPROVING THE LIVES OF MILLIONS. SINCE 2001, ACUMEN HAS INVESTED IN BUSINESSES THAT PROVIDE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE, ENERGY, EDUCATION, WATER & SANITATION, HOUSING, FINANCIAL SERVICES, AND AGRICULTURAL SERVICES TO LOW-INCOME CUSTOMERS. OUR INVESTMENTS ARE ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS OF POVERTY IN EAST AND WEST AFRICA, SOUTH ASIA, LATIN AMERICA, AND THE UNITED STATES. [SEE CONTINUATION ON SCHEDULE O]ACUMEN MADE 32 NEW AND FOLLOW-ON INVESTMENTS IN 2024, REACHING A CUMULATIVE $185 MILLION INVESTED IN 201 BUSINESSES SERVING PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY. WE ALSO POOL CAPITAL TO SCALE STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS OF POVERTY IN SPECIFIC SECTORS AND GEOGRAPHIES, USING BLENDED FINANCE. OUR FOUR SPONSORED FUNDS, CURRENTLY MANAGED UNDER ACUMEN CAPITAL PARTNERS INCLUDE: KAWISAFI ($67M AUM), FOCUSES ON CLEAN ENERGY AND CLIMATE MITIGATION IN EAST AFRICA; ACUMEN RESILIENT AGRICULTURE FUND ($58M AUM), FOCUSES ON CLIMATE RESILIENCE FOR SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN EAST AND WEST AFRICA; AND ACUMEN LATIN AMERICA EARLY GROWTH FUNDS I AND II ($73M AUM), MANAGED BY ACUMEN LATAM IMPACT VENTURES, A TEAM OWNED MANAGER, FOCUSED ON ENERGY ACCESS, WORKFORCE, AGRICULTURE, AND TECH.
  2. $4.5 million spent. INSIGHTS & IMPACT:THE GOAL OF THE INSIGHTS AND IMPACT TEAMS AT ACUMEN IS TO SUPPORT THE MISSION OF SOLVING PROBLEMS POVERTY THROUGH DATA-DRIVEN STRATEGIES. WE DO THIS BY BUILDING MODELS, SHARING THE INSIGHTS FROM OUR WORK AND HOLDING OURSELVES AND OUR PEERS ACCOUNTABLE. OUR IMPACT MEASUREMENT AND MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK HELPS US DEFINE AND MEASURE OUR IMPACT, INCLUDING BREADTH AND DEPTH OF IMPACT. THROUGH 2024, ACUMEN HAS REACHED OVER 719 MILLION LIVES IMPACTED THROUGH OUR PATIENT CAPITAL AND FOR-PROFIT INVESTMENTS.
  3. $4.2 million spent. FELLOWS & LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS:WE PREPARE LEADERS WITH THE TOOLS, CAPITAL AND COMMUNITY THEY NEED TO BUILD SCALABLE SOLUTIONS TO POVERTY. OUR RECENTLY LAUNCHED-LEARNING ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM OFFERS A FULL-SERVICE SPACE FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND FELLOWS TO ENGAGE WITH EACH OTHER. ACUMEN ACADEMY'S HAS GROWN TO MORE THAN 1800 FELLOWS, HAS AWARDED 99 EARLY-STAGE GRANTS TO FOUNDRY MEMBERS AND FACILITATED OVER 1.3 MILLION ONLINE COURSE SIGN-UPS. THROUGH ACADEMY ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES, WE HAVE REACHED 71 MILLION LIVES IMPACTED.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since July 2001.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.