Lelt Foundation

What Lelt Foundation does

Lelt Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization founded in 2011, headquartered in New York, with primary program operations conducted from a community center in the Kara Kore neighborhood of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The organization employs 6 people and runs an integrated three-pillar anti-poverty service model covering Nutrition (daily meals and food rations), Education (advanced-curriculum schooling via private school partnerships, after-school tutoring, and ICT training), and Economic Mobility (vocational training, a Business Creation Program with micro-loans, and multi-tier scholarship support). More than 55% of children served receive advanced-curriculum education through private school partnerships, and Business Creation Program graduates have averaged 30% higher salaries post-training. Its programs have received the highest regional ratings from the Ethiopian government's family welfare division for six consecutive years.

The organization's product surface is a direct-service program stack rather than a technology platform: a community center, a Technology Center providing ICT and web-development training, scholarship disbursements ranging from $30 to $300 per month (including the Erika & Barry Klein Memorial Scholarship prioritizing female Computer Sciences majors), a Business Creation Program with micro-loans, and emergency family support including medical assistance. Distribution is conducted via on-site service delivery and institutional partnerships with private schools, vocational institutions, and the Ethiopian government welfare division. There is no proprietary software platform, no consumer application, no AI/ML deployment, and no commercial product offering.

Lelt Foundation generates no commercial revenue. Funding flows entirely from charitable donations and corporate sponsorships, with private donors and the Board of Directors explicitly underwriting all operating costs so that 100% of public donations reach Ethiopia-based programs. Corporate sponsors include Jefferies, ROW Asset Management, Goldman Sachs, ADM Investor Services, Bank of America, Barclays, and UBS. The organization files US Form 990 annually (publicly available 2014–2024) and maintains profiles with Charity Navigator and Candid as third-party transparency signals.

Name

Lelt Foundation

Legal name

Lelt Foundation

Website

https://leltfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lelt Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 that operates a community center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, delivering an integrated three-pillar anti-poverty program — nutrition, education, and economic mobility — to impoverished families in the Kara Kore neighborhood.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid and Community Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Poverty alleviation
• Educational scholarships
• Vocational training
• Food assistance
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Lelt Foundation generates revenue entirely through charitable donations from private individuals, corporate sponsors, and institutional donors. The organization is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity (EIN: 45-3179626). Private donors cover all operating costs, enabling 100% of public donations to go directly to life-saving programs in Ethiopia.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors including Jefferies, ROW Asset Management, Goldman Sachs, ADM Investor Services, Bank of America, Barclays, and UBS provide financial and in-kind support. In-kind donations from corporate partners allow the organization to allocate maximum resources directly to Ethiopia assistance programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lelt Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides nutritional assistance (daily meals and monthly food rations), educational programs (private school partnerships, after-school tutoring, computer/technology training, and K-12 through graduate scholarships), and economic mobility services (adult education, vocational training scholarships, and a Business Creation Program with micro-loans) to impoverished families in the Kara Kore neighborhood of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Programs are delivered through a community center and partner institutions, and are funded entirely by private donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Lelt Foundation operates as a single integrated charitable program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization offers three core service areas: Nutritional Assistance (providing daily meals and food rations), Education (including scholarships, tutoring, and private school partnerships), and Economic Mobility (vocational training, micro-loans, and business creation support). These programs work together to address cyclical poverty in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 100% of donations going directly to life-saving programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nutritional Assistance Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 55%+ of children receiving advanced-curriculum education through private school partnerships
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Private Schools in Addis Ababa RegioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with several private schools in the Addis Ababa region enabling more than 55% of Lelt Foundation children to receive advanced-curriculum education. These partnerships provide access to quality schooling that would otherwise be unaffordable for impoverished families.
• Ethiopian Government Family Welfare DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner that audits and analyzes Lelt's programs. The organization has achieved the highest ratings in the region for 6 consecutive years through this government oversight partnership.
• Vocational InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with top vocational institutions specializing in professions with worker shortages, enabling scholarship recipients to receive training in cosmetology, auto mechanics, hospitality, and other fields.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Year Up: Workforce-development nonprofit providing vocational training and economic mobility for young adults from low-income backgrounds — directly comparable to Lelt's Economic Mobility / vocational scholarship programming.
• buildOn: Combines adult literacy, youth service, and school construction in low-income countries; shares the integrated community-development approach and school-partnership model that Lelt uses in Addis Ababa.
• Nuru International: Operates integrated poverty-alleviation programs in rural Ethiopia (and Kenya/Nigeria) combining agriculture, nutrition, education, and economic empowerment through a holistic community model — directly comparable geographic and programmatic overlap.
• Pencils of Promise: Builds schools and delivers education programs in developing countries with a corporate-sponsor-driven fundraising model and rigorous government partnerships — analogous operating model to Lelt's community-led education delivery.
• Room to Read: Global education nonprofit delivering literacy and girls' education programs in low-income countries, including partnerships with local schools — closely mirrors Lelt's education pillar and scholarship approach for underserved youth.
• charity: water: Large-scale nonprofit operating in developing countries with a 100%-to-programs donor promise and strong digital storytelling model; highly comparable donor experience and transparency ethos even though mission (clean water) differs.
• Opportunity International: Provides microfinance, vocational training, and education to families in developing countries; closely matches Lelt's Economic Mobility pillar (micro-loans, business creation) and education scholarship model.
• Project Mercy: Long-running Ethiopia-focused community development organization providing education, nutrition, healthcare, and economic programs near Addis Ababa — the most direct country-and-mission comparable peer in the field.

Emerging players

• Bigger Than Me Foundation: Smaller, emerging US-based nonprofit funding education and poverty-alleviation programs in East Africa with a similar community-led, donation-funded model — useful emerging-stage comparable.

Broad incumbents

• WaterAid: Large established international NGO with integrated water, sanitation, and hygiene programs in Ethiopia and other low-income countries — broader portfolio, but comparable scale, transparency standards, and Ethiopia presence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/leltfoundation
• YouTubevimeo.com/leltfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Lelt-Foundation-255300294530980
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lelt-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/leltfoundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lelt Foundation