Frequently Asked Questions

Donors may designate their contribution to a specific program (Village Microfinance, Clean Water, Girls' Scholarships, Agricultural Training, Community Health, or Women's Entrepreneurship), and we honor 100 percent of designated gifts. Undesignated contributions go into our general program fund, which is allocated quarterly by the program leadership team based on greatest current need and seasonal program cycles. For example, well drilling is concentrated in the dry season (December through March) when ground conditions are optimal, while agricultural training aligns with the planting calendar. Approximately 45 percent of donations are designated and 55 percent are undesignated. Our annual report provides a complete financial breakdown by program area.

We maintain total overhead, meaning combined administrative and fundraising expenses, below 12 percent of our annual budget. Specifically, 88 percent goes to direct program services, 8 percent to administration (US office operations, financial management, legal compliance, annual independent audit), and 4 percent to fundraising (donor communications, website, annual report, email platform). This efficiency is possible because our field operations are staffed entirely by Ugandan nationals at locally competitive salaries, and because Grace Akello Livingston's compensation as Executive Director is positioned at the 25th percentile for DC-based nonprofit leaders. Our financial statements are independently audited annually by Keiter CPA and published on GuideStar, where we hold the Platinum Transparency seal.

Yes. Community Fund Uganda is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code. Our Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 20-5829304. All charitable contributions are deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. You will receive a written tax acknowledgment within 48 hours of your contribution. For gifts of $250 or more, the acknowledgment includes a statement that no goods or services were provided in exchange for the donation, as required by IRS regulations. If you donate through a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF), the tax deduction occurs when you contribute to the DAF, not when the DAF grant is made to CFU.

Yes, and we actively encourage donor field visits. We organize two group donor trips per year, typically in February and July, visiting project sites in Gulu and Mbale districts. Trips are five to seven days and include visits to Village Microfinance Circle meetings, clean water well sites, partner schools, agricultural cooperatives, and mobile health clinic outreach points. Participants cover their own international airfare and visa fees. In-country costs including accommodation, meals, ground transportation, and interpreter services are arranged by our Gulu office at approximately $85 per day. Individual or small group visits outside the scheduled trips can also be arranged with four weeks advance notice by contacting our Gulu Country Director, Samuel Okello, at [email protected].

Yes. For wire transfers, please contact our Washington, DC office at (202) 555-0381 or email [email protected] for our banking details. Wire transfers are preferred for gifts exceeding $5,000 to avoid credit card processing fees. For check donations, make your check payable to "Community Fund Uganda" and mail it to: Community Fund Uganda, 1220 L Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20005. Please include your email address with your check so we can send your tax acknowledgment promptly. All wire and check donations are acknowledged within 48 hours of receipt.

We accept certain in-kind donations on a case-by-case basis, but we are selective because international shipping costs can exceed the value of donated goods, and items must be appropriate for the local context. Items we consistently need include medical supplies (particularly rapid diagnostic test kits for malaria, blood pressure cuffs, and pulse oximeters), educational materials (scientific calculators, geometry sets, English-language reference books), and professional development resources for our field staff. We do not accept used clothing, outdated technology, or items that would compete with local markets. Please contact our US Operations Manager at [email protected] with a description of what you would like to donate, and we will advise whether it meets current program needs and is cost-effective to ship.

Our Village Microfinance Circle model achieves repayment rates above 97 percent through the group co-guarantee mechanism. When a member borrows from the circle, all other members collectively vouch for the loan. This creates powerful peer accountability: if one member defaults, the entire group's access to future loans is jeopardized. This social contract is far more effective than physical collateral requirements, which exclude the poorest households. Additionally, all borrowers undergo financial literacy training before their first loan, loan amounts are capped at the circle's ability to absorb a potential default, and our field officers conduct quarterly monitoring visits to review loan portfolio quality and intervene early if any circle shows signs of stress. In 14 years of operations, our cumulative default rate across 240 circles is 2.6 percent.

We employ a mixed-methods monitoring and evaluation framework that combines quantitative output tracking (wells drilled, loans disbursed, scholars enrolled) with qualitative outcome assessment (household income changes, school completion rates, health indicators). Each district coordinator submits monthly reports using standardized data collection forms. Quarterly program reviews are conducted by the Executive Director and Country Director. We commission an external impact evaluation every three years, conducted by an independent research firm, and publish the results on our website. Donors receive quarterly email updates with specific project outcomes, photographs, and financial summaries. Our GuideStar Platinum rating requires disclosure of program results, not just financial transparency, and we meet or exceed all requirements.

Yes. We welcome corporate partnerships, church partnerships, school partnerships, and foundation grants. Partnership structures include corporate matching gift programs, employee giving campaigns, well sponsorship (naming opportunity included), scholarship cohort sponsorship, and volunteer service trips. We can provide branded impact reports for corporate social responsibility communications and facilitate employee engagement through virtual field visits and scholar pen-pal programs. For partnership inquiries, contact our US Operations Manager, Rachel Torres, at [email protected] with details about your organization and the type of engagement you envision.

We take beneficiary privacy and dignity seriously. All photographs, stories, and personal information shared in our communications are published with the informed written consent of the individuals depicted. Consent forms are available in English and Acholi (the predominant language in our Northern Uganda operations). We never publish photographs of children without parental consent, and we avoid imagery or narratives that reduce beneficiaries to objects of pity. Our storytelling guidelines emphasize agency, resilience, and the specific actions beneficiaries have taken to improve their circumstances, rather than depicting passive recipients of aid. Beneficiaries may withdraw consent at any time, and we promptly remove their information from all public channels upon request.