What Schools For Salone does

Schools for Salone is a Seattle-headquartered nonprofit charitable organization (EIN: 26-1157489) founded in 2005 by former Peace Corps volunteer Cindy Nofziger. The organization funds and supports education programs in Sierra Leone, working exclusively through five in-country partner organizations rather than operating its own schools directly: Programme for Children (since 2005), Sierra Leone Book Trust (since 2012), The Learning Foundation (since 2014), Last Mile Learning–SL (since 2019), and Uman Tok (founded with SfS support in 2020). Its US team is small (fewer than five named staff, plus a seven-member board), and it holds Charity Navigator's Platinum Seal of Transparency.

The organization's program portfolio is built around three pillars: Access to Education (49 school buildings constructed since 2005 across 9 districts), Quality Education (training of 1,000 teachers through literacy, math, science, and Ministry of Education certification programs), and Girls' Education (distribution of over 50,000 reusable menstrual hygiene kits produced locally by Uman Tok in partnership with Days for Girls International, plus bicycles for distance-traveling students). Cumulative investment in Sierra Leone since 2019 totals $2.3 million, reaching approximately 20,000 students. The organization does not develop proprietary technology; its primary digital surface is a Salsalabs-powered donation platform, a website (schoolsforsalone.org), YouTube video content, and standard social media channels.

Revenue comes entirely from individual donations (one-time gifts and a Monthly Giving Circle recurring program), with suggested giving tiers of $125 (menstrual hygiene support), $250 (student transportation), $500 (teacher certification sponsorship), and $750 (school learning materials for one academic year). The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer fundraising from individuals globally, with in-country delivery executed through the five partner organizations across the districts of Bo, Bonthe, Falaba, Koinadugu, Moyamba, Port Loko, Pujehun, Tonkolili, and Western Area Rural.

Name

Schools For Salone

Legal name

Schools for Salone

Website

https://schoolsforsalone.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Schools for Salone is a Seattle-based nonprofit founded in 2005 that funds education programs in Sierra Leone through five local partner organizations, including school construction, teacher training, and menstrual hygiene initiatives to keep girls in school.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Nonprofit

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Nonprofit education programs
• School construction services
• Teacher training services
• Girls education support
• International education nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Schools for Salone generates revenue through individual donations from supporters worldwide. The organization offers monthly recurring donation programs and one-time gifts. Donations fund school construction, teacher training, menstrual hygiene kit distribution, and educational materials in Sierra Leone.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Schools for Salone is a U.S.-based nonprofit that funds and supports quality education programs in last-mile communities of Sierra Leone. The organization constructs school buildings, trains teachers, distributes reusable menstrual hygiene kits and bicycles, and supports reading clubs and scholarships—delivered exclusively through five local Sierra Leonean partner organizations across nine districts. Revenue is generated through individual donations (one-time and monthly recurring) that fund these interconnected programs.

Product overview

Schools for Salone is a nonprofit organization that operates as a unified portfolio of educational programs rather than a technology product platform. The core offerings consist of five interconnected programs: school construction and infrastructure development, teacher training initiatives, menstrual hygiene kit distribution through the Days for Girls program, reading clubs and literacy support, and student scholarship/bicycle distribution for access barriers. All programs work through five local Sierra Leonean partner organizations (Programme for Children, Uman Tok, The Learning Foundation, Last Mile Learning, and Sierra Leone Book Trust) to advance three pillars: Access to Education, Quality Education, and Girls' Education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Days for Girls Kits: A program distributing reusable menstrual hygiene kits to girls in Sierra Leone schools, produced locally by Uman Tok artisans. The program has distributed over 10,000 kits and resulted in zero teenage pregnancy cases and near-zero school absences due to periods.
• Monthly Giving Circle

Products and services

• School Construction and Infrastructure Constructs and maintains school buildings and supporting infrastructure in remote Sierra Leone communities, including solar panels for evening study, libraries, septic latrines, and rainwater collection systems. Delivered through partner organizations Programme for Children and Last Mile Learning–SL across districts including Bo, Bonthe, Falaba, Koinadugu, Moyamba, Port Loko, Pujehun, Tonkolili, and Western Area Rural.
• Teacher Training Programs Provides Ministry of Education certification training, literacy instruction workshops, library training, and math and science instruction to teachers in Sierra Leone. Delivered through The Learning Foundation and Sierra Leone Book Trust partnerships; has trained 1,000 teachers to date.
• Days for Girls Menstrual Hygiene Kits Reusable menstrual hygiene kits distributed to girls in Sierra Leone who have started their periods, addressing menstrual hygiene barriers that cause girls to miss up to 20% of school days. Three kit tiers priced at Supreme $11, Super $9, and Pod $2.50, produced locally by Uman Tok artisans. Over 50,000 pads have been distributed; the program reports zero teenage pregnancies in partner schools and near-zero school absences due to periods since implementation.
• Reading Clubs and Literacy Programs School reading clubs and teacher training in literacy strategies designed to help students achieve grade-level reading proficiency. Implemented through The Learning Foundation and Sierra Leone Book Trust partnerships across Northern and Southern Provinces and Western Area.
• Scholarship and Student Support Programs Provides scholarships and basic support to at-risk children across Sierra Leone, and distributes bicycles to students who live long distances from school in order to remove practical barriers to education access.

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero teenage pregnancy cases in SfS partner schools since reproductive health education and kit distribution began
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Uman TokcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020A women-led initiative ('Woman Talk' in Krio) founded with SfS support in 2020. Uman Tok leads sexual reproductive health and menstrual health education and distributes reusable menstrual hygiene kits to keep girls in school. They produce Days for Girls kits locally and share them through partner organizations across Sierra Leone communities.
• Last Mile Learning – SLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partner since 2019. Constructs and supports schools in Falaba and Koinadugu Districts in Northern Province. Currently building Lengekoro Junior Secondary School and Lengekoro Primary School in remote communities.
• The Learning FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Schools for Salone's teacher training and literacy partner since 2014. They run reading programs in schools and libraries to improve literacy and student engagement. Work focuses on teachers, librarians, students, and especially girls in junior secondary school across Northern and Southern Provinces and Western Area.
• Sierra Leone Book TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partner since 2012. Supplies books, builds library spaces, and trains teacher librarians to build a love of reading in young people. Supports the development of literacy across Schools for Salone partner schools.
• Programme for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Schools for Salone's oldest in-country partner since 2005. Led by Joseph Williams Lamin, PFC has been supporting education in Sierra Leone since 1980 and has built over 65 schools, along with latrines, water wells, and provided scholarships to thousands of children. They build and maintain schools across Moyamba, Bo, Tonkolili, and Western Area districts.
• Days for Girls InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUman Tok is a partnership between Schools for Salone USA, Uman TOK Sierra Leone, and Days for Girls. Days for Girls provides the model and support for menstrual hygiene kit production and distribution, empowering Uman Tok to produce kits locally in Sierra Leone.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• buildOn: US-based nonprofit that builds schools in developing countries (including West Africa) and runs adult literacy programs, funded primarily through individual donations and partnerships. Closely comparable model to Schools for Salone: donor-funded, school construction + adult literacy, partner-led delivery in low-income African countries.
• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy instruction and girls' education in low-income countries, working through local partners and donors. Highly comparable two-pillar model (literacy/quality + girls' education) with outcomes-driven reporting and a similar donor-driven revenue model.
• CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education): Multinational nonprofit focused on girls' education and economic empowerment across sub-Saharan Africa (including Sierra Leone). Comparable donor-supported model targeting girls' school attendance and post-school transition, with outcomes measurement focus.
• Days for Girls International: Global nonprofit producing and distributing reusable menstrual hygiene kits and reproductive health education to keep girls in school. Already a direct partner of Schools for Salone via Uman Tok; comparable mission, kit-based product, and school-distribution model.
• Pencils of Promise: US-based nonprofit that builds schools and trains teachers in Ghana, Laos, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Comparable model of donor-funded school construction and teacher support in developing countries.
• More Than Me: Sierra Leone- and US-based nonprofit that previously ran schools for vulnerable girls in Freetown. Direct geographic and girls-education overlap with Schools for Salone's Girls' Education pillar.

Emerging players

• SchoolBOX: Smaller nonprofit focused on building schools and improving literacy in Central America and parts of Africa. Niche overlap with Schools for Salone's school construction + literacy focus, though smaller scale.
• Books For Africa: Nonprofit that ships donated books and educational materials to African schools and libraries. Comparable to Schools for Salone's Sierra Leone Book Trust partner pillar, though operates via book distribution rather than direct program delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children: Large international NGO with significant education programming across Africa, including school construction, teacher training, and girls' education initiatives. Comparable sector but orders of magnitude larger and more geographically diversified.
• UNICEF (Girls' Education portfolio): UN agency providing education programming at scale globally, including Sierra Leone. Overlaps on school construction, teacher training, and gender-inclusive education, but operates as a massive multilateral rather than a small donor-driven nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Schools4Salone
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcGx78yI4ipJKy5UcxoI7lg
• Facebookfacebook.com/SchoolsforSalone
• Instagraminstagram.com/schoolsforsalone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schools-for-salone

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Schools For Salone