Sponsor a child in Africa: 7 checks

You sponsor a child in Africa by signing up with a charity for a set gift each month. The hard part is picking the right charity. These seven checks help you do that, and most of them use free public tools.

None of this is about finding a perfect charity. It's about knowing where your money goes before you commit to giving every month.

What a monthly gift usually pays for

Most sponsorship programs ask you to give a set amount each month or on a regular schedule.¹ What that money does depends on the charity.

In many programs, your gift is pooled with other donors’ gifts. The pool pays for projects meant to help the child’s local community, not only the one child.¹ A smaller number of charities give a cash grant to the child’s family instead.¹

Neither model is wrong. But they are different, so ask which one a charity uses. The children shown to sponsors are usually picked by the charity’s field staff or by local welfare agencies.¹

The 7 checks at a glance

Run these before you sign up. Each one is explained below.

1. Confirm the charity is a U.S. 501(c)(3) that can take tax-deductible gifts.
2. Read its latest Form 990 or other yearly IRS return.
3. Look up its Candid (GuideStar) profile and seal.
4. Check its Charity Navigator rating, if it has one.
5. See whether it meets the BBB Wise Giving Alliance standards.
6. Ask exactly what your monthly gift pays for.
7. Ask what reports and letters you will get, and how often.

1. 1Tax status. IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search
2. 2Yearly return. Form 990, 990-EZ or 990-N, in the same IRS tool
3. 3Transparency. Candid profile: Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum seal
4. 4Rating. Charity Navigator: 0 to 4 stars (needs 3 years of Form 990s)
5. 5Standards. BBB Give.org: 20 standards, at least 65% spent on programs
6. 6Your gift. Ask the charity: pooled for the community, or tied to one child?
7. 7Updates. Ask the charity: letters, reports, annual report, visit policy

Checks 1 and 2: tax status and the Form 990

1. Confirm the charity is a U.S. 501(c)(3)

Search the charity’s name or EIN in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.² It shows whether the group can receive tax-deductible gifts. It also lists groups that lost their status for not filing a yearly return three years in a row.¹¹

This matters for your taxes, too. The IRS says gifts to a foreign organization are generally not deductible, apart from a few tax treaty cases.³ So if a deduction matters to you, make sure the group you pay is the U.S. charity, not its overseas partner.

2. Read its latest Form 990

Most U.S. charities file a yearly return with the IRS. The form depends on size.

Groups with gross receipts normally of $50,000 or less can file the short Form 990-N. Groups under $200,000 in receipts and $500,000 in assets can file Form 990-EZ. Larger groups file the full Form 990.⁴

A charity must let the public see its annual returns for three years, plus its application for tax-exempt status.⁵ On a full Form 990, look at how much went to programs, how much went to fundraising, and who runs the group.

A new or small charity may only have a 990-N on file. That’s normal for its size. It just means you should ask the charity for more detail directly.

Checks 3 to 5: Candid, Charity Navigator and BBB

3. Look up its Candid (GuideStar) profile

Candid runs the profiles once known as GuideStar. Nonprofits can earn a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum Seal of Transparency by sharing more on their profile.⁶ That can include their mission, programs, financial reports or IRS filings, and board details.⁶ A higher seal means the charity has shared more, not that it is bigger.

4. Check Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator scores eligible charities from 0 to 100 and gives zero to four stars. Four stars means a score of 90 or more.⁷ To be rated, a 501(c)(3) needs three years of full Form 990 filings. Filings on Form 990-EZ or 990-N don’t count.⁷

So a young or small charity often has no rating yet. That is not a warning sign by itself. It just means you lean more on the other checks.

5. See if it meets BBB Wise Giving Alliance standards

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance reviews charities against 20 standards, and you can search its reports at Give.org.⁸ Two are easy to remember. A charity should spend at least 65% of its total expenses on programs. It should spend no more than 35% of related gifts on fundraising.⁸

You can apply those same two yardsticks to any charity’s Form 990. The FTC also suggests searching a charity’s name with words like “complaint,” “review” or “scam.”⁹

Checks 6 and 7: where money goes and what you hear

6. Ask exactly what your monthly gift pays for

Ask whether your gift is pooled for community projects or tied to one child.¹ Ask what share goes to the child’s program and what share goes to fundraising and running costs. BBB suggests asking this too.¹

Read the charity’s own materials. Make sure you agree with its approach, including any religious focus.¹ A good answer is specific: school costs, meals, coaching, a mentor. A vague answer is a reason to keep asking.

7. Ask what reports and letters to expect

Ask how often you will hear about the child or the program, and in what form. That might be letters, photos, school reports or a yearly update. Letters usually go through the charity’s staff, not straight to the child.¹ Staff may translate them, and mail can be slow.¹

Visits are often discouraged or hard to arrange, so ask about the policy before you plan one.¹ Also ask for the charity’s annual report. BBB standards say it should be available to anyone who asks.⁸

How to pay safely and keep your receipts

The FTC says to pay by credit card or check. Don’t give by cash, gift card or wire transfer.⁹ Check your statements to make sure each charge matches the amount you agreed to.⁹

Keep a record of every gift.⁹ For any single gift of $250 or more, the IRS requires a written acknowledgment from the charity before you can deduct it.¹⁰ It should name the charity, show the amount, and say whether you got anything in return.¹⁰ Ask the charity whether it sends a year-end statement for monthly gifts.

One way to sponsor a student in Nigeria

The Joe Katuka Basketball Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3), EIN 99-4757283, founded by Coach Joe Katuka. A $50 monthly gift sponsors one student in Nigeria with school, meals, coaching and a mentor. In June 2026 we ran a camp in Zaria, Nigeria, with an academic seminar and a basketball clinic.

Please run all seven checks on us too. You can see how our student programs in Nigeria work or sponsor a student for $50 a month.

Wondering if sport is a good use of a gift? Read what the evidence says about sport and young people.