The Alta Project
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The Alta Project is dedicated to addressing the fundamental challenges faced by the Turkana and Maasai tribes, including access to clean water, providing access to feminine hygiene products, nutritious meals, and investing in banking collectives and small business training for women.
- Income
- $403,717
- Spending
- $392,141
- Spent on programs
- 83%
- Reserves
- 2.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 76%
- Employees
- 2
- Volunteers
- 75
- Highest pay
- $53,040, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 75 out of 100. Higher than 45% of charities in its peer group (international, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
10 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 2.9 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 0% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 3% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 24% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1583% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Fair: 61 out of 100. Higher than 37% of charities in its peer group (international, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
25 of 255 of 5 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no 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
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed 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, 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 (4)
- $147,464 spent. Comprehensive Support to Milimatutu Girls Senior Secondary SchoolProvided comprehensive support to students and staff at Milimatutu Girls Senior Secondary School. When third-term school fees did not arrive with returning students, the school faced closure; Alta covered wages for support staff - drivers, cooks, security, secretarial, and non-certified classroom aides - and provided food security for the boarding students, allowing the school to remain open. The students completed the school year. Approximately 500 students benefited directly from these services. Based on average family size in the region, the educational, nutritional, and economic benefits of the program extended to an estimated 3,000 family members.Alta staffed and stocked an on-site medical clinic throughout the year, keeping girls healthy and recovering quickly with little lost class time and without the cost and distance of seeking care in Lodwar, and provided conseling alongside visiting specialist teams and the school's ongoing on-site work. Hygiene and sanitation support included 1,000 dignity kits for students and staff, a soap making program in which the girls produced their own soap to keep themselves, their uniforms, and the school clean year-round, and basis supplies such as toilet paper, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.Alta scholarshipped four girls for ICT training in Nairobi, who continue their studies at Milimatutu and Lodwar; sustained an on-campus ICT track in which earlier graduates now teach computer skills to current students; and established the application process and administrative infrastructure for a girls' scholarship program launching in 2026. The organization strengthened the campus through infrastructure improvements, ICT equipment, and the beginning of Starlink satellite connectivity for digital and online learning. With the students, Alta planted 1,500 trees and supported tutoring by the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) in afforestation and agriculture, and facility film-based awareness programming, including screenings of NAWI.
- $87,446 spent. Water Security and Essential Services in TurkanaAdvanced water security and essential services in the Milimatutu and Nagum communities of the Turkana Desert. After 16 drilling attempts, Alta and its local partners completed the first high-yield borehold at Milimatutu, continued digging wells and trenching pipelines toward the school and other water points, and worked to align government, faith, and nongovernmental partners toward shared water security for the region. In collaboration with Compassion International, Alta built the Nagum Survival Center - a community facility delivered through a local church partner that provides maternal and infant care, basic medical services, and educational support to families in the surrounding community based on need. Alta also supported food security, hygiene and sanitation, and basic health needs in the communities it servces. Programs were delivered across eight communities in Turkana North, including Lodwar, Lokore, Nagum, Kakuma, Gold Area, Kang'ikipur, Nakalale, and Milimatutu.
- $58,804 spent. Other program servicesOther program services included women's economic empowerment and community development in Turkana and Maasai communities. Alta delivered small business training to 30 women, supported table banking and savings groups that continue to operate - now sustained by local community investment - and distributed diginity kits. In Maasai villages, the local community has begun resourcing its own educational aims, reflecting Alta's model of locally owned, sustainable development.
- $33,461 spent. Localized Leadership and Response Network in KenyaStrengthened a Kenyan-led leadership and response network to confront Akuumaro and keep girls safe and in school. Alta convened leaders across government, education, health, water, faith, and the arts - including county leadership, child protection officers, and community elders - and hosted cross-sector exposure visits to Turkana. The organization works through and behind these leaders so that solutions are designed, owned, and sustained by Turkana itself.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, 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 2025.
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 April 2023.
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.