PLATINUM2024

What If Foundation

Partnering to transform the lives of Haitian children through food, education, and healthcare.

aka What If? Foundation   |   Berkeley, CA   |  www.whatiffoundation.org

Mission

The What If Foundation's mission is to fund and support our Haitian partners Na Rive and Kay Lasante, in delivering critical programs for the development of Haitian children and their families. The programs we support focus on food, education, healthcare and community support to children and families in the Ti Plas Kazo neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, providing hope and opportunity for a brighter future.

Ruling year info

2001

Board Chair

Catherine Lelong

Main address

1569 Solano Ave., #192

Berkeley, CA 94707 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

91-2121669

NTEE code info

Children's and Youth Services (P30)

Youth Development Programs (O50)

Scholarships, Student Financial Aid, Awards (B82)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Haiti has a long history of foreign occupation and exploitation of people and resources, which has resulted in wide-spread material poverty. The majority of Haitians live on less than US $2.50 per day, which makes reliable access to food, education, and health care extremely difficult. One in five children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition and related health issues. The meals at the food program are often the only meal of the day for these children, just as the Kay Lasante clinic is the only choice for health care for many families in the neighborhood. Most of the students we support at the Father Jeri School are the very first in their families to be able to attend school.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Food Program

The What If? Foundation, in partnership with members of the Ti Plas Kazo community of Port-au-Prince, provides hot, nutritious meals to hungry children in the city’s Ti Plas Kazo neighborhood

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Families
Adults

Because only about 10% of the schools in Haiti are public, and the tuition for private school is more than their families can afford, many children in the
Tiplas Kazo neighborhood have almost no hope of getting an education.
The Scholarship Program began in the fall of 2001, when the What If? Foundation provided community leaders with the resources to enroll four children into schools. Over the years, we gradually provided funds for more and more scholarships.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

The What If? Foundation funds a seven-week community day camp each summer for primarily children aged 4-16 who live in and around the Tiplas Kazo neighborhood.

Each child is enrolled in one class for the entire 7-week session, which gives them a chance to develop specific skills, some of which might have income earning potential such as cooking, calligraphy, sewing, knitting, embroidery, watercolor, macrame, and other arts and crafts.

Children who attend the camp also get healthy lunches from the food program and plenty of time to exercise and play games. In a neighborhood without organized sports or other child enrichment activities, this camp is well-loved by the children who attend and much appreciated by their parents. .

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

The goal with all of Na Rive’s education programs is to foster the next generation of leaders in Haiti: children who are empowered, thoughtful, resilient, resourceful, proud of their heritage, and ready to work together for positive change. The cornerstone of these education efforts is the Father Jeri School.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Kay Lasante is a Haitian-operated free health clinic serving the Ti Plas Kazo area of Port-au-Prince. Its mission is to provide quality health care with dignity and respect for those who are marginalized and lack access to care. The work of the clinic encompasses primary care, OB/GYN care, health education, disease prevention, and community outreach services.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Children and youth
People with disabilities
People with diseases and illnesses
Pregnant people

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of children who have access to education

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, People of African descent, Extremely poor people

Related Program

The Father Jeri School

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of meals served or provided

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Age groups, People of African descent, Extremely poor people

Related Program

Food Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

We work in close partnership with the grassroots organizations Na Rive and Kay Lasante to fund programs that are Haitian-led and Haitian-run, which is why they are so effective. We provide funding and assistance to our Haitian program partners so hey can deliver critically needed food, education and health care programs in the Ti Plas Kazo community of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Our ultimate goal is to provide our local partners with the resources they need to delivery high quality programs that help Haitian children and families build a path to a brighter future.

We believe sustainable change happens from the ground up, and our work with our Haitian partners has proven this true over and over again. Their leadership, know-how, resourcefulness, local connections, and deep dedication to serve those most in need, together with our commitment and support, combine to make a powerful partnership. Na Rive and Kay Lasante truly achieve miracles with the funds our donors provide.

Our focus in the Ti Plas Kazo community has also allowed us to witness how individual lives are being transformed over the years. Weve seen children arrive at the food program, gain strength and receive the support needed to attend school, learn income generating skills, pursue their goals, and give back to their community. It is a rare privilege to have such a sense of personal impact and connection to this community, and a joy to be able to create that connection for our donors and supporters.

We have a long-standing relationship with our local program partners in Ti Plas Kazo and have developed a level of trust and understanding that enables an effective collaboration and ability to quickly respond to challenges as they arise.

Our Board of Directors, staff, advisors, contractors and volunteers, have a wide range of expertise, networks, and a heartfelt commitment to our mission that allows the What If Foundation to raise funds, increase awareness and steward our donors in supporting the future of these programs.

Since 2000, we have grown the impact of the food program from 200 meals to over 5,000 meals a week. We secured the land and helped manage the construction of the Father Jeri School and have supported their expansion from preK all the way through high school graduation and the addition of a technical school.

Internally, we have built the What If Foundation's capacity through new data processing systems, operational procedures and skilled contributors, to better respond to the growing needs in Haiti and set up the organization for growth.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve

Financials

What If Foundation
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

What If Foundation

Board of directors
as of 05/21/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Catherine Lelong

Johanna Berrigan

Wadner Pierre

Catherine Lelong

Kate Doherty

Kelly Abundo

Mary Beth Appel

Katie Hyung

Margaret Trost

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/8/2024
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Multi-Racial/Multi-Ethnic (2+ races/ethnicities)
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 12/18/2023

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.