FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESS INC

EIN 20-5561272 · Environment (C053)

What they do

FOS AMPLIFIES THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT of THE GLOBAL CONSERVATION COMMUNITY BY PROVIDING PRACTITIONERS WITH THE SKILLS and TOOLS NEEDED to BE MORE EFFECTIVE and EFFICIENT IN THEIR EFFORTS to FOSTER THRIVING ECOSYSTEMS, CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES, and ADVANCE HUMAN WELL-BEING. WE HELP TEAMS OVERCOME OBSTACLES to LEARNING and COLLABORATION BY PROMOTING A COMMON FRAMEWORK for THE PLANNING and MANAGEMENT of CONSERVATION PROJECTS. COLLABORATING DIRECTLY WITH CONSERVATION TEAMS, WE STRENGTHEN SKILLS and PROVIDE THE TOOLS NEEDED for TEAMS to BE MORE STRATEGIC, EFFICIENT, and EFFECTIVE. ACROSS THE WORLD, WE BRING TOGETHER CONSERVATION PRACTITIONERS, FUNDERS, and EDUCATORS to SHARE LESSONS and ASK TOUGH QUESTIONS. THE RESULT is A MORE INNOVATIVE and DISCIPLINED CONSERVATION COMMUNITY PREPARED to TAKE ON THE THREATS to OUR PLANET.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $90.40 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders14 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

83.23%of revenue went to mission work90.4% of expenses · Program services

$92.04spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

8.82%of revenue went to management and office costs9.6% of expenses

$0.98in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

61.6%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $218,380 for NIKLAUS SALAFSKY (EXEC. DIRECTOR/SECRETARY). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$3,095,063

Mission workProgram services$2,575,90883.23% of revenue90.4% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$272,8848.82% of revenue9.6% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations0.00% of revenue0.0% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$246,2717.96% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$2,848,79292.04% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 90.4% mission · 9.6% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.04% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 96.5% mission · 3.5% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.26% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 95.6% mission · 4.4% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.75% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 92.9% mission · 7.1% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 88.38% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 93.6% mission · 6.3% management · 0.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 84.96% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 94.6% mission · 5.2% management · 0.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.10% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 91.3% mission · 7.7% management · 1.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.68% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 92.5% mission · 7.5% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.91% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$3,095,063

Expenses$2,848,792

Annual surplus $246,271 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$2,575,908 · 90.4% of expenses

Management and office costs$272,884 · 9.6% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$3,095,063

Expenses$2,848,792

Assets$2,793,772

Income$3,095,063

Contributions$1,907,841

Mission work (program services)$2,575,908

Grants given$929,886

Average grant$92,989

Management and general$272,884

Accounting fees$26,330

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

NIKLAUS SALAFSKYEXEC. DIRECTOR/SECRETARY · 35 hrs/week $218,380Base $207,575 · Other $10,805

CAROLINE STEMPROGRAM DIRECTOR · 35 hrs/week $169,480Base $132,490 · Other $36,990

KARI STILESSENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER · 35 hrs/week $146,039Base $137,287 · Other $8,752

MARCIA BROWNSENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER · 35 hrs/week $143,873Base $135,987 · Other $7,886

AMANDA B JORGENSONMANAGING COORDINATOR · 35 hrs/week $143,685Base $138,083 · Other $5,602

VINAYA SWAMINATHANSENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER · 35 hrs/week $128,177Base $121,151 · Other $7,026

ASHLEIGH BAKERBOARD MEMBER & PROGRAM OFFICER · 35 hrs/week $117,271Base $105,093 · Other $12,178

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (14)

NIKLAUS SALAFSKYEXEC. DIRECTOR/SECRETARY

CAROLINE STEMPROGRAM DIRECTOR

KARI STILESSENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER

MARCIA BROWNSENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER

AMANDA B JORGENSONMANAGING COORDINATOR

VINAYA SWAMINATHANSENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER

ASHLEIGH BAKERBOARD MEMBER & PROGRAM OFFICER

ANNE SAVAGEVICE CHAIR

ARLYNE JOHNSONBOARD MEMBER

BERND CORDESCHAIR

BONNIE COCKMANTREASURER

ILKE TILDERSBOARD MEMBER

JEFF LANGHOLZBOARD MEMBER

SHAWN PEABODYBOARD MEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2007
Location: 4109 MARYLAND AVE, BETHESDA, MD 20816-2606
County: Montgomery
In care of: % NIKLAUS SALAFSKY
Primary officer: NIKLAUS SALAFSKY, SECRETARY/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(703) 764-8572

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: RUBINO AND COMPANY CHARTERED
NTEE classification: Environment (C053)
Grant-giving organization: Yes