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Global Development Network Inc

EIN 54-2034142 · Arlington, VA

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair61 out of 100GovernanceGood78 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT NETWORK'S (GDN) MISSION IS TO BE A GLOBAL NETWORK THAT EMPOWERS RESEARCHERS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, STRENGTHENS RESEARCH SKILLS, AND MOBILIZES RESEARCH FOR PUBLIC POLICY.

Income
$930,244
Spending
$732,610
Spent on programs
100%
Reserves
1.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 100%
Employees
0
Volunteers
4
Highest pay
$141,402, president

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 61 out of 100. Higher than 24% of charities in its peer group (international, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 1.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 17% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 21% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 15% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    100% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Good: 78 out of 100. Higher than 62% of charities in its peer group (international, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    18 of 25

    4 of 4 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

    0 of 10

    Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    0 of 5

    Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.

  • 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 June 30, 2025, 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 (2)
  1. $701,256 spent. RESEARCH CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM - ("RCBP"). THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS QUALITY RESEARCH IN MANY COUNTRIES, INVOLVING LOCAL RESEARCH TEAMS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD. THE MULTI-COUNTRY STUDIES ALLOW FOR BOTH COMPREHENSIVE AND COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE ACROSS REGIONS AND COUNTRIES. GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD COMPETITION PREVIOUSLY WAS A STANDALONE ACTIVITY AND HAS NOW BEEN ALLOCATED UNDER RCBP FROM THIS FINANCIAL PERIOD. GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS COMPETITION -JAPAN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND AWARDTHE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS COMPETITION IS AN AWARD SCHEME ADMINISTERED BY GDN, FUNDED UNDER THE POLICY AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT FUND (PHRD) TRUST FUND MANAGED BY THE WORLD BANK, AND GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE, GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN. IT HAS INCLUDED THREE AWARD CATEGORIES: THE JAPANESE AWARD ON OUTSTANDING RESEARCH ON DEVELOPMENT (ORD), THE JAPANESE AWARD FOR MOST INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (MIDP), AND THE JAPAN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND AWARD (JSDF). FROM 2022, A CONNECTOR GRANT (CF) CATEGORY WAS ADDED FOR CLOSE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN ORD AND MIDP/JSDF WINNERS ON IMPACT AND ITS DETERMINANT. THIS MAKES FOR A GREAT VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES IN THE COMPETITION, MAKING IT GDN'S ONLY PROGRAM TO INVOLVE BOTH RESEARCHERS AND DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS. THE AWARDS COMPETITION RECOGNIZES EXCELLENCE IN POLICY-ORIENTED RESEARCH, IDENTIFIES TALENTS, SUPPORTS THE CAREER ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCHERS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, AND FUNDS INNOVATIVE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED BY NGOS AND BENEFITING MARGINALIZED GROUPS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. CURRENTLY, THE PROGRAM IS FUNDED THROUGH 3 GRANTS (ONE OF THESE IS UNDER SIGNATURE) AND EACH OF THEM FUNDING 3 CONSECUTIVE EDITIONS OF THE AWARDS (EXCEPT FOR THE ONE UNDER SIGNATURE THAT WILL FUND ONLY 2 2025 AND 2026 EDITIONS). UP TO 3 MIDP AND ORD AWARDS ARE GIVEN PER CATEGORY IN EACH EDITION, AND FINALISTS FROM THE MIDP AWARD COMPETE FOR THE JSDF AWARD AFTER ONE YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION. FROM THE 2022 EDITIONS ONWARDS, 3 ADDITIONAL GRANTS FROM THE CF AWARD WILL BE GRANTED. ACCORDINGLY, STARTING WITH THE 2022 EDITION, 8 AWARDS WILL BE PROVIDED AND IMPLEMENTED AS GRANTS OVER A PERIOD OF MINIMUM 3 YEARS AFTER EACH COMPETITION. 16 GRANTS WERE OPEN DURING THIS PERIOD:8 ORD PROJECTS:O1ST AND 2ND PRIZES FROM THE 2022 EDITION (2ND PRIZE NOW CONCLUDED)OALL 3 PRIZES FROM THE 2023 EDITIONOALL 3 PRIZES FROM THE 2024 EDITION10 MIDP PROJECTS O1ST PRIZE WINNER (SAVE THE CHILDREN INDIA) FROM THE 2021 EDITION (THE 2019 AND 2020 EDITIONS OF THE MIDP HAD BEEN POSTPONED AND 3 PARALLEL COMPETITIONS TOOK PLACE IN 2021 IN AGREEMENT WITH THE WORLD BANK. OALL 3 PRIZES FROM THE 2022 EDITION (2 HAVE CONCLUDED IMPLEMENTATION AS OF NOW)OALL 3 PRIZES FROM THE 2023 EDITIONOALL 3 PRIZES FROM THE 2024 EDITION3 JSDF PROJECTS FROM THE 2019-2021 EDITIONSOTHE SELECTION OF THE JSDF FROM THE 2022 EDITION ENDED DURING THE FIRST SEMESTER OF 2025 AND IS WAITING FOR THE GREEN LIGHT FROM THE WORLD BANK.
  2. $30,747 spent. ANNUAL GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE:THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE (GDC) IS THE FLAGSHIP EVENT OF THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT NETWORK, HELD IN A DIFFERENT REGION AND ON A DIFFERENT THEME EACH YEAR. IT HOSTS HIGH-LEVEL, INCLUSIVE, EVIDENCE-BASED DEBATES ON CURRENT DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES, WITH ITS TRADEMARK BEING THAT MOST PARTICIPANTS ARE FROM LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES (LMICS). GDC 2024 TOOK PLACE FROM NOVEMBER 26-28, 2024, IN SUVA, FIJI, ON THE THEME OF 'GLOBAL SYNERGIES: CLIMATE RESILIENCE STRATEGIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE TOMORROW'. THE EVENT DREW EXPERTS, RESEARCHERS, AND PRACTITIONERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO FACILITATE IMPACTFUL DISCUSSIONS ON ADVANCING CLIMATE RESILIENCE. THE CONFERENCE WAS ORGANIZED BY GDN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC (USP) AND THE GOVERNMENT OF FIJI. IT WAS SPONSORED BY AGENCE FRANAISE DE DVELOPPEMENT (AFD), THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE (IDRC), THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB), THE SASAKAWA PEACE FOUNDATION (SPF), AND THE UN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (UNCDF). A DEFINING FEATURE OF THIS EDITION WAS ITS BOTTOM-UP APPROACH TO SHAPING THE AGENDA, WHICH COMBINED INPUTS FROM A CONFERENCE ADVISORY BOARD AND AN OPEN CALL FOR IDEAS TO ENSURE DISCUSSIONS WERE RELEVANT TO REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES.THIS HYBRID CONFERENCE BROUGHT TOGETHER ABOUT 700 DELEGATES FROM NEARLY 100 NATIONALITIES. OVER 200 ATTENDED IN PERSON, WHILE AROUND 500 JOINED ONLINE. THE EVENT UPHELD ITS TRADEMARK OF STRONG GLOBAL SOUTH REPRESENTATION, WITH 87% OF ALL DELEGATES FROM LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES (LMICS). IT ALSO ACHIEVED GENDER PARITY, WITH 50% OF DELEGATES BEING WOMEN, AND ENSURED STRONG REGIONAL PRESENCE WITH 50% OF ALL DELEGATES BEING PACIFIC-BASED. OVER THE THREE DAYS, THE PROGRAM FEATURED SIX PLENARY SESSIONS, TEN SKILL-BUILDING WORKSHOPS, FIVE PARALLEL SESSIONS, AND THREE KEYNOTES. THE SESSIONS TACKLED CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BRIDGING POLICY, RESEARCH, AND IMPLEMENTATION, WITH KEY TAKEAWAYS EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRATING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE INTO CLIMATE STRATEGIES, FOSTERING MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH, AND ENSURING EQUITABLE CLIMATE FINANCE MECHANISMS. THE NEW, ACTION-ORIENTED FORMAT MOVED BEYOND ABSTRACT DISCUSSIONS TO EQUIP PARTICIPANTS WITH PRACTICAL TOOLS AND SKILLS FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EFFECTIVE RESEARCH COMMUNICATION.GDC 2024 ALSO HOSTED SEVERAL CONTESTS/COMPETITIONS TO CELEBRATE AND SUPPORT INNOVATIVE WORK IN THE FIELD:THE CLIMATE PHOTO ESSAY CONTEST, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WWF-PACIFIC, SHOWCASED THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH VISUAL STORYTELLING.THE CLIMATE OPINION ESSAY CONTEST, IN COOPERATION WITH THE SASAKAWA PEACE FOUNDATION, INVITED STUDENTS TO SHARE INSIGHTS ON CLIMATE CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS.THE GLOBALDEV ARTICLE CONTEST INVITED RESEARCHERS TO SUBMIT BLOG POSTS ON CLIMATE RESILIENCE STRATEGIES FOR A CHANCE TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE.THE EVENT CONCLUDED WITH A CLOSING CEREMONY WHERE THE HON. BIMAN PRASAD, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF FIJI, ANNOUNCED FIJI'S INCLUSION IN THE GDN INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY MEMBERSHIP.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 June 2025.

    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 December 2001.

    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.