Sil Lead Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
- Only 38% of its spending went to programs.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
The mission of SIL LEAD is to serve minority language communities and support the vision and mission of SIL International, primarily through a focus on language and its role in education and development in minority language communities.
- Income
- $278,791
- Spending
- $415,538
- Spent on programs
- 38%
- Reserves
- -1.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 64%
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 7
- Highest pay
- $132,687, associate director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 0 out of 100. Higher than 0% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 149% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 49% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 36% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1538% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 95% of charities in its peer group (education, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 254 of 7 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 September 30, 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)
- $115,667 spent. During FY24, SIL LEAD participated as a subcontractor on two education projects funded by USAID, one in the Philippines with RTI International and the other in Madagascar with FHI 360. Each of these projects was designed to improve the quality of education in the respective countries and was carried out in collaboration with the host country through its Ministry of Education. SIL LEAD's involvement in these projects involved technical assistance; enhancement of local capacity through training and consultation; development and production of instructional materials; the training of writers, teachers, and trainers; and/or facilitation and support of workshops. Specific FY24 accomplishments by project follow. 1) Philippines ABC+ (RTI International): The ABC+ program seeks to improve early-grade literacy in the mother tongue and learners' transition of reading ability to Filipino and English. In FY24, SIL LEAD wrapped up its work on the ABC+ program. Our Executive Director and two of our consultants traveled to Kalibo and Numancia in Aklan province to participate in the delivery and celebration of first through third grade materials in the Akeanon language. 2) Madagascar LOVA (FHI 360): In FY24, SIL LEAD organized a research study to determine how well schoolteachers in Madagascar control Official Malagasy, the official language of instruction. We trained staff from the project and the National Ministry of Education to use SIL's Bloom book creation software and developed a set of 40 bilingual books in Official Malagasy and three local varieties of Malagasy. We also recommended classroom strategies for teachers to leverage their students' knowledge of local Malagasy varieties in learning Official Malagasy.
- $20,295 spent. SIL LEAD continued to provide capacity building and other direct services to SIL International and its operating units. Specific FY24 areas of service follow. 1) Proposal development services: SIL LEAD assisted SIL in identifying relevant business opportunities and developing proposals to secure grants with a particular focus on government funding, both for SIL-specific projects and joint projects. 2) Capacity building services: SIL LEAD continued to work on proposals for new areas of business that could expand areas of service for both organizations. 3) Consultant development and management: SIL LEAD's senior multilingual education and literacy consultant continued working on a series of documents that will be leveraged to develop the capacity of current and future SIL Global consultants. These materials may also be drawn on to provide training to client staff and in the field. 4) SIL LEAD provided technical assistance to SIL Global's GRO unit that focused on identifying new service opportunities and improving policies and protocols related to project budgeting.
- $19,938 spent. Supporting SIL International with its Bloom book creation software continues to be one of SIL LEAD's service areas. SIL LEAD also serves other organizations by providing training in the usage of Bloom software. In FY24 SIL LEAD: 1) continued to support SIL International's Bloom maintenance and development efforts; 2) issued and maintained Bloom Enterprise subscriptions serving communities in Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan; 3) provided online basic Bloom training to sixteen Central American staff of The Salvation Army on the use of Bloom to create materials and books for their programs. This was followed by in-person advanced Bloom training for five staff and then virtual training for three staff seeking Bloom Trainer Certification. Two staff members completed the process and were certified.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 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 September 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 June 2012.
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.
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.