2024-11-11T14:18:31-07:00 2023-12-31 990 2023-01-01 276775063 GAMBIARISING GAMB 4159021195 1500 Park Ave Apt PH 1 Emeryville CA 94608 Michael McConnell Managing Trustee 4159021195 2024-11-03 1 2023 2024-10-15 13:58:12Z Michael McConnell 1500 Park Ave Apt 503 Emeryville CA 94608 676543 0 X www.gambiarising.org X 2010 CA Working through the Gambian non-profit GambiaRising Gambia, GambiaRising Charitable Trust provides opportunities to impoverished Gambians to better themselves through their own work - primarily through scholarships and financial assistance to Gambian students who otherwise might not be able to stay in or go to school. Our only criteria are character and need, and the amount of difference that our support will make in recipients' lives. We focus most of our work on keeping students in school, especially girls at the higher grades. We have also funded construction of several rural schools, and supported other Gambian schools through physical improvements, donation of learning materials and technology, and funding additional training for their teachers. We also provide fiscal sponsorship for three Gambian non-profits: Working Water Gambia, Forest Gardens Gambian, and West Africa Medicine and Education 12 10 0 55 16708 0 858731 605862 0 0 4043 13180 0 0 862774 619042 886861 606404 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1621 327 888482 606731 -25708 12311 165376 226692 0 0 165376 226692 GambiaRising's primary program is to support the education of those who without help will not be able to attend school, with a special emphasis on girls. Where lack of schools or school infrastructure is the primary obstacle to students getting an education, we have occasionally supported campaigns to fund rural school construction, the building of teachers' housing, school toilets and/or school kitchens and gardens. We also provide fiscal sponsorship and advisory support to three Gambian non-profits, Working Water Gambia, Forest Gardens Gambia, and West Africa Medicine and Education. 0 0 422313 150995 0 GambiaRising's primary program is to support the education of those who without help will not be able to attend school, with a special emphasis on girls. At the end of 2023, more than 5,100 students were in school with scholarship support consisting of whatever was needed to have them start, continue, or go back to school. This included school uniforms, books & supplies, tuition, study fees as needed and occasionally bicycles, car fare, lunch money, medicine, shoes, etc. as well. Some university and college students were also provided laptops and even plane tickets and visa fees for those able to win full scholarships to study in the U.S. for graduate degrees. Of all these students, 69% were girls. 33959 7000 0 In rural areas where the primary cause of children not going to or continuing in school is the absence of a school close enough to walk to, we have supported the construction of schools by funding materials and the necessary skilled labor to construct "hand-made schools", with bricks made by hand by the community. We have also supported communities and teachers in building housing for teachers in rural schools, repairs and improvements to rural schools, construction and repair of school kitchens and wells, and for tree planting and garden improvements in rural schools and training for rural school garden masters. 142065 139196 0 GambiaRising provided fiscal and administrative support to Working Water Gambia (with most funds provided by Water Charity but including other small donations) whose work included repairing or replacing wells and pumps in rural Gambian villages. In 2024, pumps and wells were repaired and rehabilitated in 40 Gambian villages and 4 major new solar powered water systems were installed, two in The Gambia and two over the northern border in Senegal. 8067 5000 0 Working through the Gambian non-profit Forest Gardens Gambia, with funding from Trees for the Future (through Water Charity) in 2022 and 2023, GambiaRising supported the continuing work of training Central River Region farmers in sustainable agriculture programs, propogating and planting thorny "live fences" around their farms and propogating and incorporating trees of all kinds into their farms. At year-end 2023, 607 farmers were actively participating in the program, and during 2023 they propogated and planted more than 960,000 trees and live fence bushes. 8067 5000 0 606404 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 12 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 CA X Michael McConnell 4159021195 1500 Park Ave Apt PH 1 Emeryville CA 94608 Bjorn Betzler Trustee 0.25 0 X 0 0 0 Brian Carroll Trustee 0.25 0 X 0 0 0 Philipa von Kerckerinck Trustee 0.25 0 X 0 0 0 Marnie Kleinsmith-Florin Trustee 1 0 X 0 0 0 Joanna LaHaie Trustee 0.25 0 X 0 0 0 Sarah Lee Trustee 0.25 0 X 0 0 0 Emily Lundberg Trustee 1 0 X 0 0 0 Michael McConnell Managing Trustee 30 0 X X X 0 0 0 Erin Miller Trustee 0.25 0 X 0 0 0 Maggie Okponobi Trustee 0.25 0 X 0 0 0 Josh Shrager Trustee 1 0 X 0 0 0 Stephanie Stawicki Trustee 0.25 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 605862 0 605862 0 16708 0 16708 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 53973 0 57501 0 -3528 0 -3528 -3528 0 0 0 0 619042 -3528 16708 0 0 0 0 606404 606404 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 327 0 327 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 606731 606404 327 0 0 0 23033 44127 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 142343 182565 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 165376 226692 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 165376 226692 0 0 0 0 165376 226692 165376 226692 12311 15454 0 33551 0 0 X 0 0 0 X 374699 452884 672970 858731 595137 2954421 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 374699 452884 672970 858731 595137 2954421 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2954421 3046 4356 7583 8853 16721 40559 0 0 0 0 3046 4356 7583 8853 16721 40559 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 377745 457240 680553 867584 611858 2994980 0.98646 0.99014 0.01354 0.00986 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 1 Sub-Saharan Africa 0 0 Grantmaking We implement our programs in one country, The Gambia. Occasionally, we support programs in nearby countries in west Africa, but these are closely connected with our activites in The Gambia (for example, if a Gambian student re-locates), or children are crossing the border to go to school. When a Gambian student receives a scholarship to study abroad (usually for graduate school), we also pay visa fees, plane fare and the like direct to the provider. 606404 0 0 606404 Sub-Saharan Africa Grants throughout the year as needed to Gambia Rising Gambia, for support for education of those who without that support, would find it difficult or impossible to attend school. Funds are used for college tuition, school uniforms, books, and supplies, laptops for some college students, and occasionally, visa fees and transportation expenses for Gambians traveling abroad for graduate school study. 422313 Bank wire 0 Most funds are wired to Gambia Rising Gambia (GRG) bank accounts in The Gambia, to be distributed to local coordinators under pre-agreed plans for use of funds. Occasionally when time is pressing, small grants are wired directly to local GRG coordinators, but the primary flow of funds is through the two U.S. dollar accounts. Actual cash distrbuted and accounted for Sub-Saharan Africa Funds are wired to Gambia Rising Gambia (GRG) for further transmittal to local GRG coordinators for pre-approved school improvement projects, such as construction or repair of toilets, construction or repair of teachers' housing, and/or other enhancements of remote rural schools, in which villagers and teachers provide all of the unskilled labor and the funds are used for purchase of construction material. 33959 bank wire 0 After review and approval of the detailed budget, funds were wired to Gambia Rising Gambia (GRG) for further transfer to the local Coordinator responsible for the project. Accounting for expenses are reviewed upon conclusion of the project, as are photos. When possible for a major project, the proposed site is visisted before approval; in all cases the completed project is inspected in person. Cash value of grant Sub-Saharan Africa GambiaRising provides financial services and planning assistance to Working Water Gambia (WWG), and receives and transfers funds raised by WWG for its work. WWG works with rural Gambian communities to assess their need for improved safe drinking water, and assists them in obtaining that, primarily by fixing broken pumps and wells and providing hand-washing stations, but also by digging and installing new borehole wells, either with hand pumps or with solar-powered electric pumps. 142065 bank wire 0 Funds are wired by GambiaRising (GR) directly to the bank account of Working Water Gambia (WWG). Budgets are reviewed in advance, both by GR and usually also by the donors who fund each project. WWG hires local contractors, engages local volunteer unskilled laborers, and provides accounting for use of funds. Actual cash value Sub-Saharan Africa Forest Gardens Gambia implements the program of Trees for the Future (TFF) in The Gambia, which trains farmers to incorporate live fencing and trees into a multi-crop smallholder farm using methods available to those without capital, such as organic fertilizer and mulching. 8067 wired direct to the FGG account 0 actual cash 4 0 For students studying and/or living abroad, cash was distributed for pre-specified living expenses, and for payment of various fees Sub-Saharan Africa 18 18447 bank wires as needed 25509 For college students, 15 of whom were studying abroad, laptops were purchased and given. For those studying abroad, visa fees were paid, plane tickets were purchased, actual cash given, and for non-cash, actual cash spent 0 0 0 0 0 0 Schedule F, Part I, Line 2 We actively participate in the creation of the requests for funding, to ensure that we approve the criteria that go into its creation. We monitor the accounting for the use of funds, including reviewing annual accounting records. We visit and meet with the leaders of the organizations at least one time each year, in The Gambia, and actively participate in their annual planning meetings. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 2 Emily Lundberg is Michael McConnell's stepdaughter. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b The draft return is provided to all Board members by email, for their review 48 hours prior to filing, and longer if requested. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c The subject is discussed at least one time each year at a meeting of the Board of Trustees, and by phone with any Board member not present at said meeting. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 15 As a matter of policy and practice, GambiaRising does not compensate its officers or staff. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 All are available upon request and no request has ever been denied.