Elam Ministries Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Elam's mission is to strengthen and expand the Persian-speaking church by training leaders for fruitful,effective ministry; equipping the Persian-speaking church with Bibles and resources for evangelism and discipleship; and sending the Gospel through trained evangelists, church-planters and the media.
- Income
- $12.3 million
- Spending
- $12.1 million
- Spent on programs
- 91%
- Reserves
- 1.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 33
- Volunteers
- 100
- Highest pay
- $177,188, president, elam ministries, inc.
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: 72 out of 100. Higher than 48% of charities in its peer group (religion, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 1.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 3% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 2% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1591% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 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 56% of charities in its peer group (religion, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 255 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 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)
- $11.0 million spent. In 2024, God continued to use Elam to strengthen and expand the church in the Iran region. Seventy-four new leaders graduated from our 3-month church-planting course, and over 2,100 believers received evangelism training. Around 800 church planters and Weekly Fellowship leaders nurtured fellowships across the region, supported by 52 weeks of tailored resources. More than 10,000 believers engaged with discipleship through the Safar journey, now available in 10 languages via an app, while the Kalameh app provided over 100,000 people access to digital resources . Scripture distribution remained a key f ocus, with 250,000 New Testaments sent to print and thousands more Gospels shared through trusted networks . Our women's ministry served over 1,000 participants , and 500+ men were equipped through conferences and training. Young people were discipled through sports, Sunday schools, and parent-and-toddler ministries, with over 700 youth taking part in church-led sports programs. In Europe, 2,550 Persian-speaking refugees were reached through evangelism, and 390 were discipled through online courses. Afghan ministry expanded through social media, with Dari content viewed over 1.5 million times, and dozens discipled through online and in-person initiatives. We also provided legal , pastoral, and practical aid to 69 persecuted believers and offered humanitarian relief to 697 families facing severe need .
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 January 1996.
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.