Wisconsin · Nonprofit
ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC
ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC (Wisconsin) receives grants from 15 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,616,955 to it, the largest being NETWORK FOR GOOD ($884,584). 10 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 97% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2024
- $524k
- Funders on record
- 15
- Grants received
- $1.6M
- Net assets
- $339k
What Roots Ethiopia Inc does
Mission
Roots ethiopia is a non-profit that exists because we believe access to work and education are the foundations for building a poverty-free world. We believe there should be no barriers to ethiopian families succeeding in work and school. We assist families to send their children to school, we support women to create valuable local market work, and we join with communities to improve their schools, so everyone has a chance to learn.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Roots ethiopia's learning resource projects (lrps) are designed to strengthen under-resourced rural schools by providing essential materials, capacity-building opportunities, and infrastructural improvements. The overarching objective is to enhance the quality of education available to children and communities across central and southern ethiopia.in 2024, roots ethiopia supported 30 rural schools that collectively serve more than 10,000 students and their communities. Core interventions included the provision of teaching materials, science and laboratory equipment, library resources, and targeted tutorial programs for grade 8 students in 30 lrp schools. Additional initiatives advanced holistic student development through youth sports and leadership programs, while also ensuring improved access to safe and functional learning environments through the repair of substandard facilities.specific achievements in 2024 included: equipping 7 pre-primary classrooms with age-appropriate teaching materials and furniture. Supporting 4 schools with tailored literacy improvement initiatives. Delivering professional development programs to over 210 educators and school staff, including…
$237,784 spentof which $235,559 as grants38% of program spendingThe school sponsorship program provides vital resources that enable students from vulnerable households to access, remain in, and excel within quality educational opportunities. From january 1 to december 31, 2024, roots ethiopia supported 220 students through this program, delivering measurable academic and social outcomes.the impact is clear: eight sponsored students are now enrolled in higher education, and one has successfully graduated from university. Forty-nine students consistently ranked in the top 10 percent of their respective classes, while 91 percent of participants recorded improved academic performance. Attendance also showed remarkable progress, with 96 percent of sponsored students improving their consistency in school.recognizing the economic pressures faced by families, the program also extended targeted food support to mitigate the effects of soaring inflation. This intervention reduced the need for students to engage in daily wage labor, thereby safeguarding their right to remain in school and focus on their education.
$147,843 spentof which $146,460 as grants24% of program spendingIn response to the devastating effects of consecutive droughts across roots ethiopia's areas of operation, the organization mobilized rapid humanitarian relief to protect the lives and dignity of vulnerable families. Working in close collaboration with local leaders and community representatives, roots ethiopia's field teams ensured that aid reached those most acutely affected.between january and december 2024, emergency food assistance was delivered to more than 6,400 individuals, representing over 1,060 families facing acute food insecurity. Each household received a carefully designed relief package that included staple food supplies such as corn, essential cooking oil, and targeted cash transfers to meet urgent household needs. This approach not only addressed immediate hunger but also enabled families to exercise choice and dignity in meeting their most pressing priorities.the intervention was critical in mitigating the risk of malnutrition, especially among children, pregnant and lactating mothers, and other vulnerable groups. Beyond food security, the program also strengthened community resilience by reinforcing trust and cooperation between local leaders, households, and…
$96,220 spentof which $95,320 as grants15% of program spendingSelf-help entrepreneurial groups (she)formerly known as income generating activities and self-help savings groupsare a cornerstone of roots ethiopia's livelihood programming. These groups enable women from low-income households to launch and sustain small-scale enterprises while building savings, thereby creating pathways to long-term economic security and resilience for their families.from january 1 to december 31, 2024, 80 she groups were actively operating across roots ethiopia's program areas, directly engaging 1,600 women in local market-based businesses. These women are collectively strengthening household income streams, expanding savings capacity, and investing in their children's education and health.to enhance skills and organizational capacity, four targeted business and financial literacy, life skills, and basic leadership trainings were delivered to she members during the year. Furthermore, 11 community facilitators were trained to provide ongoing supervision, mentorship, and technical support to the groups, ensuring accountability, growth, and sustainability.the she models not only improves women's economic independence but also strengthens community solidarity and…
$139,607 spentof which $138,300 as grants22% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $621,454.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2023 to 2024, from $570k to $339k (−40%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
99% of ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (100% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 3 funders to 8 funders, grant income fell $136k → $125k.
10 of 15 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 97% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC leans on a few funders — its largest provides 55% of grant income and the top three 80%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
97% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 92% · 2018 77% · 2019 83% · 2020 73% · 2021 69% · 2022 64% · 2023 39% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
70% of ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 67% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
97% of ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $49k that is directly attributable, 99% of it comes from funders outside Wisconsin, across 5 states.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $1.6M arriving through sponsors registered in 9 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC is better cushioned than half of the 4,524 international nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 4,524 international nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2024
Organizations like ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Wisconsin
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
82% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
64%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC?
- ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC (Wisconsin) receives grants from 15 organizations whose IRS filings report $1,616,955 to it, the largest being NETWORK FOR GOOD ($884,584). 10 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 97% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC have?
- IRS filings report 15 organizations giving $1,616,955 in grants to ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC, 10 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC?
- NETWORK FOR GOOD is the largest funder on record, with $884,584 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like ROOTS ETHIOPIA INC find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Wisconsin. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Roots Ethiopia →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 15 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing