Mama Ada Foundation

What Mama Ada Foundation does

Mama Ada Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Hopkins, Minnesota, that operates two core programs in Kenya's Rift Valley Province: a scholarship program enabling young people to attend high school and college, and a seeds-and-fertilizer program supporting small-scale farmers on one- to two-acre 'shambas.' The organization was founded in 2005 after Mama Ada (Ada Okwiri) shared stories of her neighbors' poverty with friends at St. David's Episcopal Church in Minnetonka, Minnesota; the foundation was officially created in 2006 after several Americans visited Mama Ada's farm in Ziwa, Kenya. Beneficiaries are selected by local partners, including the Eldoret Anglican Diocese and community leaders, who identify students and farmers most in need and provide ongoing encouragement.

Since 2019 the foundation has added the Mama Ada Ag Pilot Project, a structured agricultural training initiative covering seeds, fertilizer, planting techniques, silage conversion, poultry, and market access — designed to help farmers transition from subsistence agriculture to business farming. The foundation also operates a Mama Ada Alumni Association, through which former scholarship recipients (now professionals such as a Hospital Administrator, Registered Nurse, and Public Service Commission finance specialist) provide uniforms and other necessities to current students, creating a self-reinforcing alumni giving loop. Technical advisory support is provided by volunteers including Dr. Lewis K. Kamiri and Steve Clarke, both with 35–40+ years of agricultural development experience.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable donations from individuals, churches, and organizations, processed primarily through the Network for Good platform. The foundation runs annual fundraising dinners in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and supports personal fundraising pages tied to birthdays and special events. There is no commercial product, proprietary software, or technology platform; the foundation's distribution is entirely through in-country partner networks rather than commercial channels, and its operating cost base is small (1–10 employees).

Name

Mama Ada Foundation

Legal name

Mama Ada Foundation

Website

https://mamaadafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mama Ada Foundation is a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds scholarships and agricultural inputs for young people and small-scale farmers in Kenya's Rift Valley Province, delivered through local Kenyan partners and supported by US donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Education and Agricultural Assistance Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Education scholarships
• Agricultural assistance
• Nonprofit foundation
• Rural development
• Farmer training

Headquarters

HQ city

Hopkins

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The Mama Ada Foundation generates revenue entirely through charitable donations from individuals, churches, and organizations primarily in the United States. Donors contribute to fund scholarships for students and seeds for farmers in Kenya. The organization is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit, making contributions tax-deductible.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Mama Ada Foundation provides tuition scholarships enabling young people in Kenya's Rift Valley Province to attend high school and college, and supplies smallholder farmers with seeds, fertilizer, and agricultural training to transition from subsistence to business farming. The work is funded entirely by charitable donations from US-based individuals, churches, and community groups, and is delivered through local Kenyan partners who select beneficiaries and provide on-the-ground support.

Product overview

Mama Ada Foundation operates as a nonprofit organization offering two core programs: (1) the Scholarship Program that provides tuition assistance to young people in Kenya to attend high school and college, and (2) the Seeds and Fertilizer Program that supplies farm families with agricultural inputs. These are supported by the Mama Ada Ag Pilot Project, which provides agricultural training and technology to help farmers transition from subsistence to business farming. The organization also facilitates alumni giving back through the Mama Ada Alumni Association. All programs focus on the Rift Valley Province in Kenya.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarship Program Provides tuition scholarships enabling young people in Kenya's Rift Valley Province to attend high school and pursue higher education; local partners select recipients and rally community support around students.
• Seeds and Fertilizer Program Provides seeds and fertilizer to smallholder farmers in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya, enabling families to grow crops for food and income.
• Mama Ada Ag Pilot Project An innovative agricultural project that connects farmers in the Rift Valley Province to information, technology, and markets to move from subsistence agriculture to business farming, increasing income, enhancing food security, and improving family well-being.
• Mama Ada Alumni Association A network of former scholarship recipients who pay it forward by providing school uniforms and other necessities to students in their communities, continuing the foundation's cycle of educational support.
• Poultry Training Program Agricultural training program covering brood management, poultry housing, hygiene, feeding, and vaccination practices to help farmers improve poultry farming outcomes and generate income from egg and meat production.

Quantifiable outcome

• 261 scholarships distributed in 2023 (up from 205 in 2022)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Network for GoodcoreTechnology or IntegrationNetwork for Good provides the online donation platform and fundraising page functionality for The Mama Ada Foundation, enabling donors to make secure contributions to support students and farmers.
• St. David's Episcopal ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhere Mama Ada shared stories with new friends during her stay in Minnesota; this church community was instrumental in founding The Mama Ada Foundation after several Americans visited Mama Ada's farm.
• St. Mark's Episcopal Church and SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome to Rev. Jim Cook, Board Chair and Founder. The church has been involved in community development initiatives and supports foundation activities. Linda Stinnett serves as bookkeeper for both the church and foundation.
• Eldoret Anglican DiocesecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with The Mama Ada Foundation on the Ag Pilot Project, working with the Mama Ada Advisory Council to launch agricultural programs for farmers.
• Chepkoilel UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of Field Day events where farmers learn about innovative farming methods. Farmers from The Mama Ada Foundation programs visit the university to receive agricultural education and training.
• Local Leaders (Dan Kuto, Jackson Singoei, Isaac Tarus)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey local partners who work with the Mama Ada Advisory Council to identify struggling farmers and students, manage logistics, provide community organization, and oversee agricultural programs.
• Steve ClarkeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational agricultural development specialist with 40+ years of experience. Provides technical support and oversight for the Ag Pilot Project, including expertise in postharvest processing, grain storage, and certified seed production.
• Lewis K. Kamiri, Ph.D.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical advisor volunteer since 2014, leveraging 35+ years of private sector experience in agriculture across three continents. Provides expertise to smallholder farmers through the foundation.
• Mama Ada Alumni AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization formed by former scholarship recipients who now provide uniforms and other necessities to students in their communities, 'paying it forward' to support new generations of students.
• Sirikwa Farmers CooperativeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural cooperative to which farmer Ezekiel Keny Cherenget sells milk from his cows, providing market access enabled by foundation training.
• Peace CorpsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteve Clarke, agricultural advisor to the foundation, previously served with the Peace Corps in Benin, contributing to his international development expertise.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• TechnoServe: Established international nonprofit focused on business solutions to poverty, with significant agricultural development programs in Kenya and East Africa. Comparable to the Mama Ada Ag Pilot Project's farmer-training and market-access approach, but at far greater scale and with a more enterprise-oriented model.
• Heifer International: Large established nonprofit supporting smallholder farmers globally with livestock, training, and agricultural development. Comparable to the Mama Ada Ag Pilot Project in mission but operates at vastly greater scale across many geographies.
• Compassion International: Major Christian child-sponsorship nonprofit operating across the developing world. Comparable to Mama Ada's church-network fundraising origins and education-focused mission, but at vastly larger scale and with a sponsorship rather than scholarship model.

Direct peers

• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and girls' education across Africa and Asia, combining direct program delivery with local partnerships. Comparable to Mama Ada's blended scholarship-plus-community-partnership model for education in developing economies.
• One Acre Fund: East Africa-focused social enterprise serving smallholder farmers with inputs, training, and market access — closely analogous to the Mama Ada Ag Pilot Project's smallholder farmer support model in the Rift Valley.
• Free The Children / WE Charity: International development and education nonprofit with operations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Comparable in combining education and community development programming with US-based fundraising, though operates at substantially larger scale.
• Pencils of Promise: US-based nonprofit funding education programs in developing countries (Ghana, Guatemala, Laos, Nicaragua). Comparable to Mama Ada in fundraising base (US individuals, churches), educational mission, and small-team operating model.
• Camfed: International nonprofit providing scholarships and educational support to girls and young women across sub-Saharan Africa. Directly comparable to Mama Ada's model of US-raised donor funds financing secondary and higher education for African students, with a strong alumni network component.

Emerging players

• More Than Me: Smaller US-based nonprofit focused on education for girls in West Africa (Liberia). Comparable to Mama Ada in scale, US-raised funding for African student scholarships, and faith-adjacent founding networks, though narrower geographic focus.
• African Library Project: Small US-based nonprofit building libraries and supporting education in African communities. Comparable to Mama Ada as a small, donor-driven, education-focused nonprofit operating in Africa with a community-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MamaAda
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-mama-ada-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mama Ada Foundation