Refushe Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
RefuSHE specializes in identifying, protecting and providing resources for long-term support to unaccompanied and separated refugee children and youth, especially girls, young women, and their children living in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Income
- $1.2 million
- Spending
- $2.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 67%
- Reserves
- 1.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 98%
- Employees
- 4
- Volunteers
- 14
- Highest pay
- $159,252, chief executive officer (part year)
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
Weak: 41 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.5 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 18% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 70% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 42% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1567% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 16 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 64% of charities in its peer group (international, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2512 of 12 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports 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 (11)
- $621,199 spent. Girls Empowerment Program (GEP) - Multi-phase accelerated education and empowerment program that allows participants to access basic education and vocational opportunities, learn about their human rights, and cultivate their leadership skills. GEP is a community that provides safety, healing, and skill-enhancement for girls and young women on their journey to self-reliance. Participants engage in alternative education, life skills, vocational training, and income-generating projects.
- $241,832 spent. Safe House (SH) - Provides protection and transitional shelter for unaccompanied and separated refugee girls under 18 years old and their children who lack adequate or safe living conditions. On occasion, we also shelter refugee women over 18 and young refugee boys under the age of 9 on a short-term basis with extremely vulnerable security cases. All residents receive intensive case management and psychosocial counseling in addition to shelter, nutritious meals, and material supplies to address their basic needs.
- $147,760 spent. Case Management Program (CM) - RefuSHE's Case Management Program provides girls with access to psychosocial counselling, medical care, legal aid, and resettlement assistance. The program is designed to build girls' capacity to access services independently so that they know how to access them in the future, understand what to expect, and know how they should be treated. Girls in need also receive care packages with basic necessities, including clothes, hygiene kits, food, and diapers and enriched nutrition formula for new mothers.
- $142,244 spent. Sexual and Gender Based Violence - Trainings on health, human rights and peace building, leadership, and community resources are structured in a way so girls gain self-confidence and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. Topics include sexual and reproductive health, sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response, HIV/AIDS prevention, peacebuilding, leadership and human rights, and community collaboration.
- $119,716 spent. Livelihoods / Artisan Collective - The Artisan Collective is RefuSHE's social enterprise and income-generating component. Young women design, create, and manage a line of unique, hand-dyed fabrics, and other textiles while gaining production, manufacturing, and marketing knowledge. The Artisan Collective's business skills and financial literacy training curriculum serves as a foundation to their future success as entrepreneurs. Participants earn a stipend and are required to save $10 each month in a savings account. Through monthly earnings, members of the Collective can pay their rent, feed their families, and cover household expenses, while their savings help them to eventually launch their own businesses. Products from the Artisan Collective are sold in local and international markets and the revenue generated is invested back into our programs.
- $35,766 spent. Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) - The ECDC program intervention responds to the needs of young mothers with children below 5 years. The children are attended to while their mothers are engaged in the GEP learning or production in the artisan collective. Learning, development of motor skills through play, meals provision, provision of diapers, medical intervention and exposure trips- outdoor activities are some of the key activities.
- $24,713 spent. Community Outreach Program - Educates men and women in refugee-hosting communities about sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) prevention and response, women's rights, and refugee rights to reduce the protection risks our target population faces in Nairobi. The program's Women Ambassador Groups (WAGS) empower refugee women in the community to become community mobilizers and peer educators on these topics and provides them with business skills training and seed grants to grow their businesses. They in turn serve as protection advocates and foster care parents to refugee girls living in their community, as well as business mentors to girls transitioning out of RefuSHE's GEP and Artisan Collective.
- (Expenses $ 142,244 including grants of $) Sexual and Gender Based Violence - Trainings on health, human rights and peace building, leadership, and community resources are structured in a way so girls gain self-confidence and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. Topics include sexual and reproductive health, sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response, HIV/AIDS prevention, peacebuilding, leadership and human rights, and community collaboration.
- (Expenses $ 119,716 including grants of $)(Revenue $ 5,261) Livelihoods / Artisan Collective - The Artisan Collective is RefuSHE's social enterprise and income-generating component. Young women design, create, and manage a line of unique, hand-dyed fabrics, and other textiles while gaining production, manufacturing, and marketing knowledge. The Artisan Collective's business skills and financial literacy training curriculum serves as a foundation to their future success as entrepreneurs. Participants earn a stipend and are required to save $10 each month in a savings account. Through monthly earnings, members of the Collective can pay their rent, feed their families, and cover household expenses, while their savings help them to eventually launch their own businesses. Products from the Artisan Collective are sold in local and international markets and the revenue generated is invested back into our programs.
- (Expenses $ 35,766 including grants of $) Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) - The ECDC program intervention responds to the needs of young mothers with children below 5 years. The children are attended to while their mothers are engaged in the GEP learning or production in the artisan collective. Learning, development of motor skills through play, meals provision, provision of diapers, medical intervention and exposure trips- outdoor activities are some of the key activities.
- (Expenses $ 24,713 including grants of $) Community Outreach Program - Educates men and women in refugee-hosting communities about sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) prevention and response, women's rights, and refugee rights to reduce the protection risks our target population faces in Nairobi. The program's Women Ambassador Groups (WAGS) empower refugee women in the community to become community mobilizers and peer educators on these topics and provides them with business skills training and seed grants to grow their businesses. They in turn serve as protection advocates and foster care parents to refugee girls living in their community, as well as business mentors to girls transitioning out of RefuSHE's GEP and Artisan Collective.
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
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 October 13, 2026.
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 October 13, 2026.
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 October 13, 2026.
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 October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since November 2007.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
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 21, 2026.
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