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Shining Hope for Communities Inc

EIN 27-1493201 · New York, NY

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood78 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

SHINING HOPE FOR COMMUNITIES IS A GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT THAT CATALYZES LARGE-SCALE TRANSFORMATION IN URBAN SLUMS BY PROVIDING CRITICAL SERVICES FOR ALL, COMMUNITY ADVOCACY PLATFORMS, AND EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS.

Income
$24.6 million
Spending
$26.2 million
Spent on programs
81%
Reserves
7.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 94%
Employees
8
Volunteers
16
Highest pay
$251,574, president & ceo

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: 78 out of 100. Higher than 72% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 7.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 23% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 7% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 28% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    81% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 11 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 50% of charities in its peer group (education, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    14 of 16 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 (4)
  1. $12.4 million spent. SHINING HOPE COMMUNITY CENTERS: SHOFCO'S COMMUNITY PROGRAMS IN KENYA'S URBAN SLUMS INCLUDE 22 LIBRARIES & COMMUNITY CENTERS (105,838 ), EMPLOYABILITY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING & JOB PLACEMENTS (53,202 BENEFICIARIES), SHOFCO WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT PROJECT (SWEP) (35,360 BENEFICIARIES), GROUPS SAVINGS & LOANS (20,174 BENEFICIARIES), GENDER BASED VIOLENCE RESPONSE (16,238 BENEFICIARIES), AND THE SHOFCO URBAN NETWORK (2,152,800 BENEFICIARIES AND DEPENDENTS). IN TOTAL, SHOFCO SERVED 3,250,049 BENEFICIARIES IN 2024.
  2. $4.7 million spent. OTHER PROGRAMS:KENYA PROGRAM OPERATIONS RELATE TO THE COORDINATION OF ALL GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT WORK ACROSS THE VARIOUS MAJOR PROGRAM DELIVERY AREAS. SHOFCO ENSURES COMPLETE INTEGRATIONS OF THE PROGRAMS AND THIS IS CLOSELY COORDINATED BY A COMPETENT MANAGEMENT TEAM AND SHARED INFRASTRUCTURE WHICH IS RUN AND MAINTAINED TO ENSURE NO DISRUPTION TO SERVICES. SHOFCO SENIOR MANAGEMENT SHARED TIME AND COSTS TO KEEP SHARED INFRASTRUCTURE RUNNING AND MAINTAINED. THERE ARE ALSO COSTS RELATED TO MONITORING AND EVALUATION AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS AREAS.
  3. $2.2 million spent. SHOFCO CONTINUED TO OPERATE THE JOHANNA JUSTIN-JINICH COMMUNITY CLINIC, COMPRISING ONE MAIN CLINIC AND SATELLITE LOCATIONS IN KIBERA AND MATHARE. THESE CLINICS PROVIDE PRIMARY CARE, MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES, HIV CARE, CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING, IMMUNIZATIONS, NUTRITION SUPPORT, FAMILY PLANNING, GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE RESPONSE, AND DOOR-TO-DOOR OUTREACH. STAFF INCLUDE CLINICAL OFFICERS, NURSES, PHARMACY AND LAB TECHNICIANS, AND COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS. THROUGH CLINICS AND OUTREACHES SHOFCO SERVED 296,332 PATIENTS. FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES REACHED 97,200 KENYANS, RESULTING IN A 75% REDUCTION IN TEEN PREGNANCY. COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTERS REACHED 470,105 HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS WITH EARLY DISEASE DETECTION, REFERRALS, AND HEALTH EDUCATION, INCLUDING LIFE-SAVING TB INTERVENTIONS IN MATHARE.
  4. $1.9 million spent. KIBERA SCHOOL FOR GIRLS (KSG) AND MATHARE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS (MSG): SHOFCO OPERATES TWO GIRLS' LEADERSHIP AND EDUCATION ACADEMIES IN KIBERA AND MATHARE SERVING 575 GIRLS, PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION TO SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST BUT AT-RISK GIRLS. THESE FREE ACADEMIES ALSO PROVIDE UNIFORMS, MEALS, SCHOOL SUPPLIES, AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT. ALSO INCLUDED ARE AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES THAT SERVE TO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND ACCESS TO POSITIVE FEMALE ROLE MODELS. THE SHOFCO PRIMARY EDUCATION PROGRAM SERVED 575 GIRLS IN ADDITION TO SUPPORTING 623 IN GOVERNMENT PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS WITH SCHOLASTIC MATERIALS IN 2024.

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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 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 October 13, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since May 2010.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 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 21, 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.