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Nabu Global Inc

EIN 90-0888570 · New York, NY

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

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak17 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

NABU'S MISSION IS TO SOLVE THE GLOBAL LITERACY CRISIS BY PROVIDING CULTURALLY RELEVANT, BILINGUAL STORYBOOKS IN MOTHER TONGUE LANGUAGES SO THAT EVERY CHILD CAN READ AND RISE TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. THROUGH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, WE ARE CREATING A WORLD WHERE LITERACY IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL.

Income
$1.7 million
Spending
$3.1 million
Spent on programs
68%
Reserves
-0.8 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 100%
Employees
17
Volunteers
8
Highest pay
$222,042, coo

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

Weak: 17 out of 100. Higher than 1% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    0 of 35

    Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.

  • Debt

    2 of 20

    It owes 87% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 83% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 54% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    68% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 25 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 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    8 of 11 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 (3)
  1. $1.6 million spent. GLOBALLY, LOW-COST SMARTPHONES HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE TO EVEN THE MOST UNDERPRIVILEGED COMMUNITIES AROUND THE GLOBE. NABU'S PRIMARY MEANS OF DISTRIBUTING OUR FREE LIBRARY OF MOTHER TONGUE CHILDREN'S BOOKS IS THROUGH OUR FREE, LOW-BANDWIDTH MOBILE APP, AVAILABLE IN COUNTRY-SPECIFIC FORMATS IN RWANDA, KENYA, HAITI, ROMANIA, AND THE PHILIPPINES. WE ALSO HAVE A GLOBAL VERSION OF OUR APP, WHICH IS ACCESSIBLE ACROSS OTHER COUNTRIES. OUR ORIGINAL CHILDREN'S BOOKS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AND USE OFFLINE. AS OF DECEMBER 2024, WE REACHED 12M PEOPLE GLOBALLY THROUGH OUR APP AND CULTURALLY RELEVANT STORY BOOKS SINCE FOUNDING.
  2. $366,888 spent. THROUGH THE BRIDGE TO LITERACY (BTL) PROGRAM, NABU WORKS WITH LOCAL PARTNERS AROUND THE WORLD, PARTICULARLY NGO'S, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND SCHOOLS TO REACH AS MANY CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AS POSSIBLE WITH NABU'S FREE STORIES. PARTNERS HELP ONBOARD FAMILIES AND MOTIVATE THEM TO READ WITH THEIR CHILDREN EVERY DAY TO BOOST THE CULTURE OF READING ACROSS OUR PROGRAM COUNTRIES.
  3. $157,238 spent. THROUGH THE AUTHENTIC BOOK CREATION LAB, NABU'S GLOBAL CREATIVE TEAM WORKS WITH LOCAL CREATORS IN THE COMMUNITIES AND CULTURES WHERE WE WORK TO PUBLISH COLLECTIONS OF AUTHENTIC, CULTURALLY RELEVANT CHILDREN'S BOOKS IN MOTHER TONGUE LANGUAGES. OUR GOAL IS TO ENSURE THAT EVERY CHILD HAS FREE ACCESS TO THE ESSENTIAL BOOKS THAT THEY REQUIRE TO LEARN TO READ. OUR CREATIVE PROCESS PROVIDES A PLATFORM FOR AUTHORS TO PUBLISH FUN, BILINGUAL CHILDREN'S BOOKS, WHILE HONORING AND PRESERVING CULTURAL HERITAGE AND EMPOWERING CHILDREN TO SEE THEMSELVES AND THEIR LIVES REFLECTED IN THE PAGES OF THE STORIES THEY READ. IN 2024, WE WORKED WITH CREATIVES AROUND THE WORLD TO AUTHOR, ILLUSTRATE, AND PUBLISH 176 CHILDREN'S STORIES IN 11 LANGUAGES.

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 September 7, 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 September 30, 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 September 10, 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 September 7, 2026.

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

    Recognized by the IRS since May 2014.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 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 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.