Room to Read

“Form 990, Part III, Line 1: Room to Read ("the Organization") is an international non-governmental organization that believes that world change starts with educated children. We envision a world in which all children can pursue a quality education that enables them to reach their full potential and contribute to their community and the world. Room to Read seeks to transform the lives of millions of children in developing countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Working in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments; we develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the relevant life skills to succeed in school and beyond. In 2014, Room to Read conducted program operations in seven countries in Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Vietnam) and three countries in Africa (South Africa, Zambia, and Tanzania). Room to Read was incorporated in the state of Washington in 1999 and moved the organization's headquarters to its current location in San Francisco, California in 2002. Operations are conducted as a registered international non-governmental organization ("INGO") under agreements with the local responsible governmental department(s) in certain countries and through locally incorporated affiliates in other countries. In 2014 Room to Read conducted fundraising operations in ten areas outside of the US; namely, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Operations in these countries are conducted through locally incorporated limited companies or registered charities and foreign affiliates.”

“Form 990, Part III, Line 4a: School Libraries - by the end of 2014, the organization had reached an estimated 9.7 million children through its various core program activities, the largest of which includes its school libraries. The organization establishes school libraries and stocks them with local language books, English books, and original Room to Read children's books. Brightly colored furniture, puzzles and games foster a child-friendly environment and encourage a love of reading. A total of 984 school libraries were established during 2014. To date we have completed a cumulative total of 17,534 school library projects.”

“Form 990, Part III, Line 4b: Reading and Writing Instruction - the organization partners with ministries of education to supplement gaps that exist in the standard reading and writing curriculum by providing resources, in-service teacher training and classroom enhancements. A total of 2,914 reading and writing instruction classes were active during 2014.”

“Form 990, Part III, Line 4c: Girls' Education Program - the organization provides long-term holistic support to girls through secondary school. The organization ensures girls get the material and emotional support they need to succeed in school and beyond through an approach that includes academic support, mentoring and life skills training. A total of 26,016 girls were enrolled in our girls' education program in 2014. To date, we have benefitted a total of 31,733 girls.”

“Form 990, Part III, Line 4d: School Construction - the organization partners with communities to build, refurbish or expand schools to create an environment more conducive to learning and to alleviate overcrowding. A total of 105 school construction projects were established during 2014. To date, we have completed a cumulative total of 1,930 school construction projects. Book Publishing - the organization sources new content from local writers and illustrators and publishes high quality local language children's books for distribution throughout its network of schools and libraries. A total of 129 local language titles were published during 2014. To date, we have distributed a cumulative total of 15,716,514 local and English books.”

“Form 990, Part V, Line 4b: In addition to the foreign countries listed in Attachment 2, Room to Read also had foreign bank accounts requiring a Form TD F 90-22.1 filing in the following countries: Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and Zambia.”

“Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 4: During the 2014 tax year, the organization amended its bylaws; the significant changes to those bylaws are as follows: 1) The organization elaborated on the role of the Board of Directors, further outlining duties and expectations. 2) The organization edited the roles and duties of the committees of the Board of Directors, including the Finance Commitee, Audit Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee, and the Human Resources Committee. 3) The Founder of the Organization, rather than the Executive Chairman, shall now be deemed an officer of the organization.”

“Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b: Room to Read's Form 990 undergoes a number of internal and external reviews prior to being filed with the IRS. The return is prepared by Room to Read's accounting department and is reviewed by Room to Read's public accounting firm, Grant Thornton LLP and by the CEO and CFO. Then copies of the Form 990 are provided to the audit committee and to all board members for their review and approval. Any questions the audit committee and board members have are directed to Room to Read's controller.”

“Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c: Our conflict of interest policy is included in Room to Read's employee handbook. Worldwide, the employee handbook is distributed to new employees upon hire. In accordance with this policy, signed acknowledgements are maintained in individual employee files by human resources. Annually the management team and Board sign conflict of interest statements and during the year any changes in conflicts of interest are reported to the board.”

“Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Lines 15a and 15b: The Board has a human resources committee which includes at least two independent directors and the Chief Talent Officer. The organization uses an independent advisory party to benchmark all salary ranges at least every 2 years. The human resources committee reviews and approves in general the organization's salary ranges. Separately, based on these benchmarks and on individual performance reviews, the human resources committee submits recommendations for top management salaries to the Board, which are reviewed by the board as part of the annual budget discussion.”

“Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19: The organization makes financial documents such as the annual audit, Form 990, and annual report available to the public on the Room to Read website or upon request. All other governing documents are not available to the public via the organizational website but can be issued upon request if appropriate. The conflict of interest policy is shared and updated annually with the board of directors and key employees.”