2013 Annual Report

2 0 1 3 A N N U A L R E P O R T

A LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDER

These are exciting times at Firelight. Our newly launched strategic plan has reminded us how far we’ve come, and brought opportunities to strengthen our support of African communities creating lasting change for children and families. Our new tagline, “communities stop poverty,” reflects our core belief in the power of change from the ground up.

This past year I made the decision to step down as the Board Chair, but my commitment hasn't changed. I envisioned this transition when Firelight became a public charity in 2010, and am thrilled that Catherine Milton has stepped into the role with such energy, insight, and dedication. She brings an extensive background in social entrepreneurship and nonprofit management to her role and we are privileged to welcome her leadership. I remain a strong believer in Firelight and the work we have before us and will continue to serve as Founder and an active member of the Board of Directors.

Experiencing Firelight’s growth has been a life-changing journey. And as with all such journeys – it’s all about the people. From our board and advisory council members, to our staff and volunteers and donors, to our grantee partners who are leading the way to real change–my heart is full of gratitude for the many ways that each individual has played an irreplaceable role in the story of Firelight. At the heart of this story are the children and youth whose lives we so deeply value, and the families and communities that together complete the circle of support that we seek to strengthen.

Thank you for sharing this journey with us,Kerry

L A S T Y E A R :F O U R T E E N Y E A R S :

353PARTNERS

1,499GRANTSFUNDED

$18,723,467 100PARTNERS

128GRANTSFUNDED

$2,549,400

A LETTER FROM OUR BOARD CHAIR & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

2013 was a great year for Firelight. Because of you, we awarded $2,549,400 to 100 organizations in nine African countries, helping communities care for vulnerable children and families.

Since we started in 1999, we’ve partnered with over 350 African community-based organizations, providing $18,723,467 to support the health, resilience, and education of children. We’ve watched our partners grow and strengthen through our seven-year partnerships and look forward to the years ahead as we continue to support them.

This year, our Board leadership has changed. We are tremendously grateful for our founder Kerry Olson’s vision and dedication. While Kerry has passed the Board chair’s gavel onto Catherine, we know she will remain an integral part of our work as an active member of the Board of Directors. It’s our honor to join Kerry in her long-term vision for Firelight.

We are now focused on continuing to strengthen Firelight as it has transitioned from a private foundation to a public charity. In the coming year we will grow and strengthen the board, and work closely with our Africa-based advisory council, who greatly enrich our work. We continue to deepen our program expertise and our measurement of results, and to inform other funders about the value of getting resources directly to the grassroots. Our new online Funds allow us to reach a broader audience with the opportunity to invest in the great work of our African partners.

It’s because of your continued support that we can carry on our work of identifying, investing in, and strengthening community organizations making lasting change for children and families. This change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes dedicated time, reflection, and skill, and all of us have an important role to play in the effort.

Thank you for being a part of the Firelight community whether as a colleague, a donor, a volunteer, an advisor, or an advocate spreading the word. We couldn’t do it without you.

Catherine & Peter

FUNDED$2,549,400

L A S T Y E A R :

Malawi $464,700

$1,400Kenya

$25,000Ethiopia

$53,000South Africa

$155,000Lesotho

$209,150Zimbabwe

$288,650Rwanda

$615,900Zambia

$736,600Tanzania

128GRANTS

9AFRICAN

COUNTRIES

100AFRICAN

PARTNERS

20 New Partners

18 Partners Graduated

FAMILIES SUPPORTED

13,898CHILDREN SUPPORTED

62,482

Firelight provides grants, capacity building, mentorship, and networks to grantee partners. Building effective organizations that make real change for children and families is a challenging, long-term effort. That’s why we look for organizations already doing good work with scarce resources, invest in them, and establish seven-year partnerships through which we can grow together.

One of our promising new partnerships is the Tanzania Home Economics Association (TAHEA). TAHEA is based in the Mwanza District in northwest Tanzania, on the shores of Lake Victoria.

The fishing communities on the lake shore face high illiteracy, concentrated poverty, and an increasing HIV rate. TAHEA knew that these fishing communities wanted a better life for their children, so they convened village meetings to identify existing challenges and what actions the community could take. Several villages chose to focus on early childhood education, to give their children a good start in life. They realized that they would have to take action on their own – throughout rural Africa, it’s very often communities rather than governments that step up to create pre-school centers for their children. TAHEA worked with these villages to create an action plan, facilitating the process, and providing key ideas and information.

As Firelight staff saw when we made our initial visits, these plans are working. Community volunteers have been trained as para-professional teachers to work in the pre-school centers. The communities have also started working with the youngest children. Volunteers trained by TAHEA now facilitate mothers’ groups to support the health, nutrition, and interaction with their children from birth to three years of age.

TAHEA helped the communities think about sustainably financing these efforts, and encouraged each village to start several savings and loan groups. Adults pool their earnings each week to loan to members for improvements to their businesses. Members also contribute weekly to an education fund used to pay the costs of running the centers. Long after external funding ends, these centers will thus be able to continue to provide an education to children.

INVESTING IN YOUNG CHILDREN, INVESTING IN

NEW PARTNERSHIPS

Impressed by this solid work on the ground, Firelight offered TAHEA an initial grant of $90,000 over three years to expand its early childhood work to additional villages.

And just as TAHEA is helping communities invest in their children’s future, Firelight is helping TAHEA grow and develop. In addition to providing funding for TAHEA’s own early childhood efforts, Firelight has selected TAHEA as a “lead partner” for Firelight’s early childhood work in Tanzania. As such, TAHEA provides mentoring and technical assistance to six smaller Tanzanian organizations working with young children. TAHEA has been Firelight’s key partner in piloting the ZamCAT child assessment tool in Tanzania, in order to rigorously measure the outcomes of early childhood work. Firelight has enabled TAHEA Program Coordinator Mary Kabati to present TAHEA’s work at a conference on young children affected by AIDS in Cape Town this year, and next year we intend to fund her to make a presentation at the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

Next year, Firelight will continue to support TAHEA’s growth by providing the capacity building it needs to strengthen its organization and programs. We will also support TAHEA’s new community grant program aiming to involve youth in improving learning for young children. Firelight looks forward to the next six years of our relationship with TAHEA, which we expect will lead to many good outcomes for children, and to TAHEA’s growing from strength to strength.

15VILLAGES

HAVE STARTED SAVINGS AND LOAN GROUPS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR EARLY

CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT

CENTERS.

450MEN AND WOMEN

CONTRIBUTE TO GROUP SAVINGS

EACH WEEK.

GROUP SAVINGSPAY FOR SALARIES OF PARA-PROFESSIONAL

TEACHERS, CHILDREN’S MEALS, CENTER SUPPLIES, AND EMERGENCIES.

2NEW CENTERS

ARE IN PLANNING STAGES.

1000CHILDRENARE SERVED

BY THE PROGRAMS

THE COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTES 20% OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS

AND FIRELIGHT CONTRIBUTES 80%.

RESOURCES AND LABOR ARE PROVIDED BY

COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

2013 FINANCIAL REPORT(JULY 1, 2012 - JUNE 30,2013)

CASHGRANTS RECEIVABLEINVESTMENTSOTHER CURRENT ASSETSPROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET

TOTAL ASSETS

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE & ACCRUED EXPENSESGRANTS PAYABLE

TOTAL LIABILITIES

UNRESTRICTEDTEMPORARILY RESTRICTED

TOTAL NET ASSETS

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

FY12$1,241,889$3,245,221

--$118,787

$21,820

$4,627,717

$223,271$703,700

$926,971

$3,226$3,697,520

$3,700,746

$4,627,717

ASSETS

LIABILITIES

NET ASSETS

STATEMENT OF

FINANCIAL POSITION

FY13$1,020,249$2,603,024$5,636,089

$75,348$19,145

$9,353,855

$236,910$1,360,500

$1,597,410

$4,398,080$3,358,365

$7,756,445

$9,353,855

SUPPORT FROM INDIVIDUALSSUPPORT FROM FIRELIGHT ENDOWMENTSUPPORT FROM FOUNDATIONSOTHER INCOME

TOTAL REVENUE AND SUPPORT

GRANTS AWARDEDPROGRAM SERVICESGENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVEFUNDRAISING

TOTAL EXPENSES

CHANGE IN NET ASSETS

FY12$580,107

--$2,555,513

$42,639

$3,178,259

$2,095,600$1,464,997

$517,997$281,694

$4,360,288

$1,182,029

REVENUE& SUPPORT

EXPENSES

STATEMENT OF

ACTIVITIES

FY13$538,437

$4,528,419$3,817,715

$268,708

$9,153,279

$2,549,400$1,584,737

$618,629$344,814

$5,097,580

$4,055,699

81% TOTAL PROGRAM EXPENSES12% GENERAL & ADMINISTRATION

7% FUNDRAISING

81%

12%

7%

375INDIVIDUALS

9BUSINESSES

1CHURCH

15FUNDS &

FOUNDATIONS

2STUDENT

CAMPAIGNS

2SCHOOLS

DONORS

INDIVIDUALSJeffery ActonNancy AdamsNancy AlpertKaren Ande & Jeffrey JohnsonChris ArisianCatherine BaconLisa Barca-HallSharon & John BargettoCecile & Christophe BellitoRichard BenthinMichael & Kyoko BerkovecMarci BermanLee Berry & Susanne KocsisMarla BobowickBarry BolinkNick & Frances BongoJayne BookerCheryl & Paul BrautiganAvila BrightEvelyn BrownJamie & Melanie BrownKeyna BugnerPatrick & Linda BujoldTom & Lore BurgerJames BurkNick CarliBruce ChamberlinTheresa CicchinelliRandall ClareJudy ClementSteven Corbato & Susan BrattonGreg CottenJason & Michaela CrooksKaren DandurandClaire & Robert DankoffJoel & Jeanine DankoffChristopher DavisSophia DavisJeffrey Denny

John & Ann DizikesMike & Margret DominguezChris & Kristine DonzonoEmily DubnerMarjorie & Howard EbrightJudy EdghillMartha EganPeter EhrhardtJacalyn ElsofferEthan EmanuelsonDebra & David EvansBarbara Fagan-Smith & Colin SmithAbigail & Roger FarberTerri FetteCynthia & Michael FitzGeraldDan FoyMary FreedmanPat & Michael FrenchMax FriedmanMarcus FrostGevork GabrelianJeff GaffneyBetsy GaiserMarcel & Elisabeth GaniAviva Garrett & David DoshayStefanie GerardPaola GianturcoJulie Goldstein & Eric GoodmanFrankie GravesChuck & Susan HawleyJohn & Tracy HeathcoteKathryn & Ian HermannPedro Hernandez-RamosMargaret HillKevin HislopMaddie HitzemanCathy HodsenDina & Tony HoffmanTrevor HoffmanPat Jessup

Robert & Sharon JoynerA. Edward KatzDave Katz & Kerry OlsonNancy & Robert KeiberLarry Kerr & Jennifer AntrimKyla KesslerDallis KiddNoreen KilbyMichelle King & Oscar De LeonJimmy KolkerSharon KoseckiScott & Joan KriensSandy LansdaleRobert LaPorte & Laura BestLinda LarkinDorothy LaugharnPeter & Marie LaugharnJohn LaughlinMary LeeSally LevieHeidi LidtkeBonnie LilienfeldJoan Lombardi & Neville BeharieAviva LonginottiEain LopezMark Lorey & Deborah ForbesAli MacGrawVanessa MachadoLinda & Lowell MarcusDavid MargraveHope McCullum JonesGinger McNally & Matthew MurphyBarbara MeyerElone MillerCatherine MiltonPhilip & Maribel MitnickMark MoreyStephen & Susan MorrissRobert & Timi MostFredi & George Munger

John & Jane MungerDennis MurnyakErin MurphyPeter NealJohn NeilsonBob & Sandy NelsonGiovani NicosiaJulia & Daniel NicosiaWendy O'MearaLester Olmstead-RoseJoshua OlsonGayle OrtizJanis OstPatrick & Kristen OsterkampPeggy & John OvercashierIsabella ParksBarbara ParlapianoAnna PayneJanice PearsonJill PhillipsVictoria PilateJames Potash & Sally ScottSuzanne & Ronald PowersSteve PrincipeDesi RakelaBen RanzBelay RebiKyle RhoadsPeter & Judith RiceTeresa RobertsMichelle RolandJanet RossiDelwin RoyJoop Rubens & Laura MarcusDorothy RubyEmily & John SalcidoDanielle Sanchez-WitzelMichele & David SanguinettiThomas & Tania SchlatterMia Schmid

DONORS (JULY 1, 2012 - JUNE 30, 2013)Thank you to all of our donors for their generosity and support. Your commitment makes it possible for us to support communities caring for children and families in sub-Saharan Africa.

David & Jerilyn SchrickerPaola Scommegna & Paul JacksonAmanda SermenoNancy & Kent ShallowDan Shapiro & Hester ParkerSarah ShokairPradeep Sindhu & Maire-Francoise BertrandArthur SippolaRobert & Suzanne SippolaCathy SlesingerPete & Sally SlicerAllison Smith & Thomas McManusBev & Pat SmithJane SmithWhitney SmithJanine SnyderMichele & Roger SnyderDavid & Deborah SonnenbergAndrea SpielvogelSandra Spires & Stuart FergusonAliana & David SpungenScott StaubRichard & Christina StaufenbergerJuniper Stein-CatanachDeborah StephanJane StokesPeter StultsJeff ThurstonCurtis TomClaire & Thomas TorreyRandy Trigg & Cailtin StantonWilliam TurnerJames & Sally VittorioKerstin WaddellPatricia WadorsJoe & Ginger WalmsleyHoward WardJim & Judy WarnerJonathan WarrenJohn WilliamsonRomain WormsVincent WormsMary YooNoreen YoshidaMark ZaplinLeland & Marian ZeidlerRalph & Susan Zerweck

Brian ZielAnonymous (26)

GIFTS IN HONOR OFLaeta Blanker From Philip MitnickJosh, Mneesha, & Matolah From Claire & Robert DankoffJosh Dankoff From Joel & Jeanine DankoffBritt Ehrhardt From Peter EhrhardtSue Gibbons & Elizabeth Colton From John WilliamsonWhitney & Durrel Hunter From Whitney SmithAlbert Lee From Peter & Marie LaugharnAaron & Lisa Longinotti From Amy LonginottiLuapula Foundation From Dina HoffmanNelson Mandela From Joop Rubens & Laura MarcusJane Munger From Kerry Olson & Dave KatzJohn & Judy Neary From Melanie & Jamie BrownKerry Olson & Dave Katz From Debra & David Evans From Mark Lorey & Deborah Forbes From Peggy & John OvercashierLisa Palm From Bruce ChamberlinDila Perera From Amanda SermenoMrs. Rufaro From Cynthia and Michael FitzGeraldMia Schmid From Wendy O'MearaDavid Sonnenberg From Abigail & Roger FarberStefan Stec From AnonymousEmma & Katie Stokes From Joe & Ginger WalmsleyBettina Sutton From Anonymous

Mary Yoo From AnonymousIvan & Yong Ok Yoo From Mary YooDonna Ziel From Brian ZielJudy Margolis From Catherine Bacon

GIFTS IN MEMORY OFAl Hudock From Cheryl Brautigan From Jacalyn Elsoffer From Marianne Hudock From International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 134 From Robert & Sharon Joyner From Lee Berry & Susanne Kocsis From Janice Pearson From Arthur Sippola From Robert & Suzanne Sippola From Claire & Thomas Torrey From AnonymousAlice Marie O'Connell Gaffney From Jeff GaffneyEric Edward Roy From Delwin Roy on behalf of The Roy Family Trust

BUSINESSESBaking for GoodBurger Inc.Business Legal Partners Attorneys at Law, Law CorporationGoodSearchJuniper Networks Matching Gift ProgramMind Garden, Inc.ROI Communications (ROICO)The Owings GalleryZaplin-Lampert Gallery

FUNDS & FOUNDATIONSAid for AfricaAlpert & Alpert FoundationCars 4 CausesConrad N. Hilton FoundationFidelity CharitableFirelight EndowmentJohnson & Johnson Family of

Companies Contribution FundNike FoundationRobert N. and Florence Slinger FundRoyal Bank of Canada Trust Company (Bahamas) LimitedSchwab Charitable FundSilicon Valley Community FoundationThe Roy Family TrustThe William and Flora Hewlett FoundationTsadik Foundation c/o Partech International

CAMPAIGNS ON BEHALF OF FIRELIGHT10 Days for ChangeInteract 5170

CHURCHESThe First Presbyterian Church of West Virginia

SCHOOLSJohn Long Middle SchoolSaint Francis High School

AFRICANS IN THE DIASPORA*

FAITH TO ACTION INITIATIVE*Better Care Network - NYBright Hope InternationalChristian Alliance for OrphansFirelight EndowmentOak Foundation

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION FUNDERS GROUP*Douglas B. Marshall, Jr. Family FoundationThe Banyan Tree FoundationThe Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation, Inc.The William and Flora Hewlett FoundationAnonymous

* Firelight acts as the Fiscal Agent for these groups.

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Geoff Foster, MD,Consultant Pediatrician, Ministry of Health, Zimbabwe

Mulugeta Gebru, Executive Director, Jerusalem Children and Community DevelopmentOrganization (JeCCDO), Ethiopia

Elizabeth Missokia, Executive Director, HakiElimu, Tanzania

Wairimu Mungai, Executive Director, WEM Integrated Health Services (WEMIHS), Kenya

Linda Richter, PhD, Distinguished Research Fellow, Human Sciences Research Council & Senior Specialist (Vulnerable Children),Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, South Africa

OUR TEAM(JULY 1, 2012 - JUNE 30, 2013)

Catherine H. Milton, Chair of the BoardRichard Staufenberger, Vice-Chair & TreasurerKerry Olson, Founder & President Emeritus

Diana Aubourg MillnerAnand ChandrasekaranBarbara Fagan-Smith

Geoff Foster, MDRowland P. HobbsDavid Katz, Secretary

STAFF

Peter Laugharn, Executive Director

Evelyn Brown, Grants Administrator

Robin Dixon, Communications Officer

Amanda Hill, Program Assistant

Serena Kelsch, Grant Writer

Aili Langseth, Program Officer

Kristen Molyneaux, Program Officer

Dila Perera, Program Officer

Joop Rubens, Director of Development

Marcus Frost, Development Officer

Mia Schmid, Program Assistant

Zanele Sibanda, Director of Programs

Jane Stokes, Finance Manager

Cheryl Talley-Moon, HR & Office Manager

Dawn Weathersbee, Engagement Associate

Bridget Zwimpfer, Program Assistant

VOLUNTEERSThomas, Barkley

Elizabeth Berk

Kristyn Glenn

Amanda Hill

Isaac Hinman

Lily Laugharn

Ryan Lee

Carrie Mendivil

Bob Moon

Chiara Neilson

Elaine Stanfield

Hannah Thiemann

INTERNSAnya Barca-Hall

Kate Clendenen

Nicole LaPorte

Katherine Stewart

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Our grassroots to grassroots connection is growing. We're bringing people who

believe in the power of African communities closer to our partners making a difference

for children and families on the ground.

When you go to our website, you’ll now see short-run Funds that allow you to learn

more about our partners and invest in their work directly. Each fund highlights the

unique strategies communities use to improve children and families’ lives with the

opportunity to learn more about the people behind the work alongside some of the

children and families who benefit.

You can invest in these timely opportunities or invest in Firelight's overall work to help

communities strengthen and grow.

Give online: www.firelightfoundation.org/fund

Send a check to:Firelight Foundation740 Front Street, Suite 380Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Instead of birthday or holiday gifts, you could start your own fundraising campaign: http://www.firelightfoundation.org/fund/fund-page

Join the conversation, follow us online:

Questions?Contact our Director of Development at [email protected]

OUR GRASSROOTS NETWORK IS GROWING.

Firelight Foundation believes in the power of African communities to create lasting change for children and families affected by poverty, HIV, and AIDS.We identify, fund, and strengthen promising community organizations that support

the health, resilience, and education of children in Africa.Firelight Brand Identity Guidelines TAG LINE

The Firelight tag line is the heart and soul of the identity, playing and intrical part in emphazing what Firelight does and how they do it.

The tag line, “Communities Stop Poverty”, should always be reproduced with approved artwork whenver possible, however when writing the tag line in body copy, feel free to use whatever formatting is used in the written piece.

The Firelight tag line is a “floating” tag line, primarily