Empower Tanzania
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
EMPOWER TANZANIA, INC. WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TANZANIANS TO IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE AND RESILIENCE THROUGH COMMUNITY-LED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES IN HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS, EDUCATION, AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT.
- Income
- $324,554
- Spending
- $276,111
- Spent on programs
- 87%
- Reserves
- 5.7 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 25
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
Good: 85 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (international, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
20 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 5.7 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 15% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 3% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1587% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 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: 93 out of 100. Higher than 89% of charities in its peer group (international, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 2511 of 11 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
0 of 7Reports no 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.
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 (1)
- $240,661 spent. EMPOWER TANZANIA HAS HELPED FURTHER ITS MISSION THROUGH A WIDE VARIETY OF PROGRAMS, INCLUDING INTEGRATED FARMING, WATER PROJECTS, EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROGRAMS, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RELATIONS PROGRAMS, A GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE PROGRAM, AND A FAIR TRADE PROGRAM. PLEASE SEE SCHEDULE O FOR FURTHER DETAILS. The Kirinjiko demonstration farm and 1-acre fenced in area provide space for intensive agriculture methods, demonstrating to farmers and urban dwellers how to grow nutritious vegetables and fruits in various ways. A new shade net structure provides protection for seedlings and young plants before they are transferred to garden plot areas. A group of 30 youth were trained and began a pilot program to grow various crops at the Kirinjiko site.The integrated farmer project which began with trainings on intensive crop growing continues at Lambo village, Mwanga District. The 33 farmers now are successful in raising milk goats, amaranth (nutritious grain) growing, and other vegetable and fruit growing, and are spreading their knowledge to the community around them.Water projects: we provided support to our four main water projects by meeting with the community leaders and water committee at each location, accompanied by the district water engineer. The water projects are: Pangaro, Njiro, Nadururu, and Ruvu Darajani.Education programs: The Same Learning Center (SLC) continues to impact the community and the vulnerable kids in and around Same town. Students of the SLC attended twice-weekly after school tutoring sessions and Saturday group activities, receiving support in English and Swahili, along with nutritious meals, snacks, school lunch food, hygiene materials such as soap, oil, toothpaste and menstrual pads. Each student received a school uniform and stationeries. The Saturday sessions focus on life skills such as gardening, cooking, computers, phone skills, personal hygiene, balanced diet, self defense and mathematics.The Vudee Kids club met every Saturday, supporting 50 kids in life skills. Nutrition and gardening are the focus of this group.Improving Womens Health Program (IWHP). The goal of IWHP is improving the health and health equity of the 269,807 people living in the Same District of the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania. Thirty-four women, one from each ward of the District were trained to provide public health education, using curricula developed by US and Tanzanian clinicians focused on major health issues that could be facilitated by the general public. These 34 Community Health Workers (CHWs) scheduled programs for the public in their respective wards. Using battery-powered projectors and speakers, the CHWs presented programs on such topics as hand washing, making safe water, cholera, personal hygiene, HIV/AIDS prevention gender-based violence, money management and family planning. With the relaxation of Covid caused reduction of personal meetings, the IWHP resumed its schedule, attracting over 2,000 participants monthly. Challenges: The Covid 19 epidemic reduced personal education meetings and the annual retraining of CHWs was cancelled. This program is geared toward behavior change based on specific training and education. Such behavior change happens slowly. We continue to monitor health data for the district.Community Hospital-Alliance Program (CHAP). This program was phased out in 2023 and Empower now provides support for the 21 villages and two grain mills, as well as the Masai chiefs in their self-supporting effort to provide public health education which has had remarkable results in decreasing cases of cholera and other preventable diseases.RHRP (Reproductive Health Relations Program). This program was phased out in 2023. The teachers in every primary and secondary school in Same district, representing over 65,000 students, have been trained in topics of physical development, sexuality, and childrens rights. Relationships have improved between teachers and students.Gender-Based Violence and Vumwe Designs. Each member of the 10 support groups of victims of domestic violence in Same district were represented in a meeting to form a new Community Based Organization (CBO) to self determine their goals and activities. Empower supported this move of sustainability and officers were elected. Members of the 10 support groups have gone through training in income generating activities such as sewing reuseable menstrual pads and batik tie-dye making and have been verified as a Fair Trade social enterprise called Vumwe Designs.Improving Community Health Program (ICHP). Empower Tanzania initiated a new public health education program in Babati Town Council, a rural area with a population of 130,000 people in 33,600 households. Each of these households sent one household representative to receive 32 contact hours of vital information on nutrition, safe water and sanitation, menstrual periods, reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, healthy pregnancy, perinatal health, and vaccination. The health education is presented by 35 Community Health Workers who underwent an intensive course of training by Empower Tanzania. They use videos and PowerPoint presentations to teach the household representatives and will complete training of all 33,600 households in October 2025. Amazingly, there has been over 99% attendance by the household representatives.The household representative then shares the information with other household members using a 42-page illustrated booklet prepared specifically for the program. Pre- and post-surveys of knowledge are performed for the attendees and the community as a whole to document what knowledge gain and change in attitudes was achieved. Babati Town Council health data will also be used to assess the impact of the program on health measures such as infant mortality, HIV, underage pregnancy, and others.
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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since May 2009.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 7, 2026.
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