2023-10-23T13:53:04-07:00 2023-06-30 990 2022-07-01 822274818 PARTNERS FOR BETTER FUTURES PART 1275 Fairway Drive Los Altos CA 94024 Daniel Kipp Treasurer 4153174913 2023-09-15 1 1 11 1 AAL2 X 2022 2023-04-26 12:10:37Z Andrew Lederer 1275 Fairway Dr Los Altos CA 94024 318722 0 X www.partnersforbetterfutures.org X 2017 CA Partners for Better Futures (PBF) helps improve the lives of poor people around the world, primarily focusing on children and education. PBF does this by partnering with local organizations that are deeply involved in their own communities, and participating in carefully evaluated projects and programs. There are three programs within PBF: Build a School in Burma (BSB), Build a School in India (BSI), and APC School - Philippines (APC). Prior to the PBF's founding these programs had each operated for several years through "fiscal sponsors." In 2018 these operations joined together in a shared purpose, to help produce better futures for under-served people around the world. 5 1 0 9 2537 0 608775 316185 0 0 -10875 2537 0 0 597900 318722 493071 468988 0 0 15260 23092 0 0 0 3274 7510 511605 499590 86295 -180868 881134 700267 0 0 881134 700267 X Partners for Better Futures (PBF) helps improve the lives of poor people around the world, primarily focusing on children and education. PBF does this by partnering with local organizations that are deeply involved in their own communities, and participating in carefully evaluated projects and programs. There are three continuing programs within PBF: Build a School in Burma (BSB), Build a School in India (BSI), and APC School Philippines (APC). In 2022 BSB made grants for new buildings for several schools, and made grants for projects including water systems, solar lighting systems, and community based learning. APC made grants to the APC School in the Philippines. PBF also made grants to provide humanitarian assistance to Burmese people adversely inpacted by conflict, including refugees. 1 0 201575 171909 111032 The "Build a School in Burma" (BSB) program makes grants to support construction of school buildings in Myanmar. These grants have been fewer since the Febuary 2021 coup, which upended much of the country. This year BSB also supported education for Myanmar refugees, by making grants for construction of "Community Learning Centers" in bordering countries. BSB also provided help to schools that needed new furniture to support growing enrollments. BSB also made grants to support programs for "community based education" (CBE) programs. Overall, BSB has worked to provide safe, secure learning environments for students in poor, underserved communities, including refugees. 58948 58939 79690 "APC School" program made grants to support ongoing operations of Apu Palamguwan Cultural Education Center (APC) which provides an integrated and holistic education for the indigenous children and youth along the Pantaron Range of Mindanao, Philippines. The APC school works to promote and deepen cultural understanding while providing approximately 400 indigenous children with the knowledge and skills they need to confidently relate with mainstream Philippine society and advance in the formal education ladder. 200152 199999 117175 The Build a School in India (BSI) program made grants to increase access to education primarily to disadvantaged students in rural India. Grant to Mata Balak Utkarsha Pratishthan, a multi-social service organization serving a large rural area, for operating costs and fund development. Grant to Utkarsh Vidyalaya, a school with 1,000 students, pre-KG through HS, for operating costs. Grant for operating costs of Jnana Prabodhini Harali school, 1st grade through HS, in a very rural area with about 250 students. Grant for operating costs to Anandaksaan Learning Center. To increase enrollment of disadvantaged students. Grant to Action for Self Reliance Hope. Support girls education 9th to 12th grades, including science, technology and English. Support for operating costs of Cochlea Pune for Hearing and Speech, an organization helping children with severe hearing impairment. A grant to Sondara Gurukulam Education Center for new curriculum and equipment for science courses. 38074 38141 10825 The Myanmar humanitarian relief program provided help to people adversely impacted by the February 2021 coup and subsequent events. This has been done mostly with and through local charities, churches, and monastic schools. The situation in Myanmar is fluid, and this program may or may not continue, depending on events and the situation in Myanmar and border areas. Food and other emergency help was provided in several communities hard-hit by recent events. 38074 38141 10825 498749 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 X 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 X Daniel Kipp 4153174913 1275 Fairway Drive Los Altos CA 94024 X Naing Lin Swe Country Director - Burma 40 0 X X 0 0 22593 Andrew Lederer President 10 0 X X 0 0 0 Daniel Kipp Treasurer 10 0 X X 0 0 0 Robert G Cornwell Vice President 10 0 X X 0 0 0 Mark Kirchen Secretary 5 0 X X 0 0 0 Joyce McKinney Board member 1 X 0 0 0 0 0 22593 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 316185 10514 316185 0 0 0 0 0 2537 0 2537 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 318722 0 2537 0 0 0 21309 21309 447679 447679 0 0 17835 17835 5257 5257 255 255 66 66 707 707 6118 6118 296 296 68 68 499590 498749 841 0 732088 551165 296 148750 149102 881134 700267 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 0 881134 700267 881134 700267 881134 700267 X -180868 0 0 0 0 1 X 0 0 0 X 466684 659943 694518 606261 316185 2743591 0 0 0 0 466684 659943 694518 606261 316185 2743591 1138767 1604824 0 0 0 0 0 0 2743591 0 0.58494 0.5672 X 466684 659943 694518 606561 316185 2743891 0 0 466684 659943 694518 606561 316185 2743891 221713 369646 416270 200621 125551 1333801 0 221713 369646 416270 200621 125551 1333801 1410090 2185 2185 0 0 0 0 2185 2185 466684 659943 694518 606561 318370 2746076 0.51349 0.5023 0.00080 0 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 1 East Asia and the Pacific 0 1 Grantmaking The "Build a School in Burma" (BSB) program primarily works to support education for Myanmar children by making grants for school building, renovations to existing buildings, projects to provide solar lighting and clean water, and other projects to improve educational opportunities for Myanmar children. This year this included "Learning Centers" in Thailand for Myanmar refugees and the children of migrant workers. 201575 South Asia 0 0 Grantmaking The Build a School in India (BSI) program made grants to increase access to education primarily to disadvantaged students in rural India. Grant to Mata Balak Utkarsha Pratishthan, a multi-social service organization serving a large rural area, for operating costs and fund development. Grant to Utkarsh Vidyalaya, a school with 1,000 students, pre-KG through HS, for operating costs. Grant for operating costs of Jnana Prabodhini Harali school, 1st grade through HS, in a very rural area with about 250 students. Grant for operating costs to Anandaksaan Learning Center. To increase enrollment of disadvantaged students. Grant to Action for Self Reliance Hope. Support girls education 9th to 12th grades, including science, technology and English. Support for operating costs of Cochlea Pune for Hearing and Speech, an organization helping children with severe hearing impairment. A grant to Sondara Gurukulam Education Center for new curriculum and equipment for science courses. 199999 East Asia and the Pacific 0 0 Grantmaking APC School" program made grants to support ongoing operations of Apu Palamguwan Cultural Education Center (APC) which provides an integrated and holistic education for the indigenous children and youth along the Pantaron Range of Mindanao, Philippines. The APC school works to promote and deepen cultural understanding while providing approximately 400 indigenous children with the knowledge and skills they need to confidently relate with mainstream Philippine society and advance in the formal education ladder. 58939 East Asia and the Pacific Grantmaking The "Partners for Better Futures Humanitarian Aid" (PBF-HA) program was initiated after the 2021 coup and the resulting conflict and dislocations. The program makes grants, primarily to churches, monastic schools, and associated groups. Much of this activity has been in border areas, helping refugees displaced by conflict. 38141 0 1 498654 East Asia and the Pacific Apu Palamguwan Cultural Education Center - Philippines. (APC). This grant partially funded ongoing operation of an accredited school that for more than twenty years has provided primary education, and has recently added secondary education, to children and youth in indigenous communities in the southern region of the Philippines. The school utilizes community resources and incorporates awareness of local issues into various learning experiences. The mission of APC is to provide an integrated, holistic, and culture-based education for indigenous children and youth. This is achieved by promoting and deepening the children's understanding of their unique culture, while providing knowledge and skills that enable them to confidently relate with mainstream Philippine society. This involves instruction in four languages, including English. 58939 Wire to APC School treasury account 0 East Asia and the Pacific Dhamma Loka school building construction grant. Build a School in Burma has had a long and productive relationship with Phaung Daw Oo Monastic School in Mandalay. In 2023 we partnered with PDO and Naung Taung Monastic School to construct a purpose built structure to house their satellite school Dhamma Loka in Southern Shan State. So far this area has remained relatively peaceful. The 87 students at Dhamma Loka will hopefully be joined by more children now that there is sufficient classroom space. 23938 Wires to intermediary Buddhist monk in Thailand 0 East Asia and the Pacific Htee Thay Kee school. Working with the village school committee under the leadership of a forceful principal, BSB completed Htee Thay Kee school in mid 2023. Our Austrian partner NGO Sao Bien provided key funding. Local villagers contributed lumber and some labor. BSB installed solar electricity that lights the school and dormitory at night. The school lies in a verdant valley like something out of the movie Lost Horizon. In the wet season, a mountain waterfall (source of the school's water) roars in the distance. Butterflies dance over lush vegetation. Eleven teachers instruct 160 Kindergarten - 7th grade students, 50 of whom live at the school. The new school replaces a falling down half-walled building with no classroom partitions. 10600 Wire to Thai bank acct of Program Mgr's sister-in-law 0 East Asia and the Pacific Grant to Laktaeng School for part of school's operating expense. Project with initiated by Partners Asia, a 501(c)(3). A BSB grant was primarily used to fund teacher salaries. Supporting costs for for running costs of this school at the Thai-Shan border for 191 children of refugees fleeing the ongoing conflict in Shan State. Shan refugees have no legal status in Thailand, and most work as undocumented migrants, extremely vulnerable to exploitation. Their children have very little chance to access education under the Thailand education system. Laktaeng school is thus fulfilling a vitally important need for education, while helping build a strong community among displaced Shan along the Thai-Burma border, providing hope and motivation for young people to continue working for their community in the future. 16684 Wire Thailand bank acct of BSB program mgr sister-in-law 0 East Asia and the Pacific New Wave Learning Center (high school): This outstanding school is led by a dynamic principal and has one repeated awards as the best of its kind. Because of his cooperative relationship with the Thai authorities, New Wave students are receiving standard childhood inoculations from the Thai Ministry of Health. A Thai language program for students helps them navigate their new home. Almost 170 students are studying here in grades Kindergarten through 11. New Wave uses the new Myanmar national curriculum adopted by the NLD government prior to the coup and will add a 12th and final grade next year. Because the school is on rented land with only a five year promise of occupancy, BSB country director Naing Lin Swe designed a steel frame building that can be disassembled and moved to a new site if necessary. Partner NGO Sao Bien helped fund construction of the new structure. 8635 Wire to bank acct of an officer in Thailand NGO 0 East Asia and the Pacific Grant for Nya Lay Ah Hta school to fund a construction of a new building. This kindergarten to seventh grade school in the cane fields north of Mae Sot lies just a stone's throw from the Myanmar border. Many of the 120 students travel here seasonally from inside that country to study away from the disruptions of ongoing civil war. With partner NGO Sao Bien, BSB replaced temporary half walled classroom structures with more permanent buildings and built a new toilet block. During construction several hundred Myanmar refugees fled across the border and to seek shelter at the school. When the violence subsided they were able to return to their villages. 9043 Wired acct of Thailand NGO director 0 East Asia and the Pacific Grant for solar energy lighting systems for schools of the Paung Dah Oo monastic school system. Grant by the Building a School in Burma program, (BSB). Solar lighting systems for the schools provide opportunity for students to study and do homework in evenings. BSB has worked with Paung Dah Oo on several school projects, mostly to construct new buildings. This project resulted in solar lighting systems in other Paung Dah Oo supported schools. 12339 Funds wired to Paung Dah Oo bank account 0 East Asia and the Pacific U Moo Tah High School. Grant from the Build a School in Burma program (BSB). To fund a new school building.Nestled in the rugged limestone mountains of Karen State U Moo Tah School counted 208 students, KG to 12th grade, but had no school building. 189 children live In dormitories, because their parents have sent them to this safe place from their homes in conflict zones. School was held in a rickety assembly hall without walls or classroom dividers until the new, steel frame six classroom building is complete. A gravity fed water system, solar electricity and a new toilet block will complete U Moo Tah School in late 2023. Fun fact: lumber for the school was hauled from the rainforest by elephants! 21000 Funds wired to Thailand bank acct of reps for KECD 0 East Asia and the Pacific Grant for a clean water system for The PIU school in Myanmar. The PIU school was started by Phaung Daw Oo Monastic Education School Principal, U Nayaka in 2014. It is located in Pathein Township, Mandalay Division. Around 100 students, 11 teachers, 2 nurses and 3 monks are currently living in the school compound. The water used before the system funded by the grant caused various health problems, for teachers, students, staff, and others. Water had to be boiled to be safe, and was impractical due to fuel costs and the difficulty of treating sufficient water by boiling. Outcomes: Access purified water resource from underground Provide enough water for over 100 people Malaria and diarrhea diseases caused by unclean water. 11598 Wire to associates of Paung Dah Oo monastery 0 East Asia and the Pacific White Learning Center, a grant from Build a School in Burma program (BSB), to help fund renovations, furniture, and sanitation, for a school in Thailand that provides education opportunity to Myanmar children, who are mostly refugees or migrant workers. The grant funded replacement of the roof for one classroom building, some classroom furniture, and one new latrine. The White Learning center is in Thailand, in an area near the Myanmar border. The Thai government permits schools for Myanmar children, but requires that they be identified as "Learning Centers", rather than schools. Without these learning centers, few of the Myanmar refugee children, and children of migrant workers, would be able to attend any school. This school is primarily funded by Grace Ministries, a US based church. 6013 Wired Thailand bank acct sister-in-law of BSB program mgr 0 East Asia and the Pacific Laktaeng School - grant for part of operating costs, primarily teacher salaries. A grant for part of operating costs of this school at the Thai-Shan border for 191 children of refugees fleeing the ongoing conflict in Shan State. Shan refugees have no legal status in Thailand, and most work as undocumented migrants, extremely vulnerable to exploitation. Their children have very little chance to access education under the Thailand education system. Laktaeng school is thus fulfilling a vitally important need for education, while helping build a strong community among displaced Shan along the Thai-Burma border, providing hope and motivation for young people to continue working for their community in the future. 16951 Wire to to bank of intermediary in Thailand transf to school 0 South Asia Grant for operating costs and fund development: Mata Balak Utkarsha Pratishthan (MBUP) is a multi-social service organization serving a large rural area and is driven by the goal of services for the empowerment of rural women and their children. Utkarsh Vidyalaya, the largest program of MBUP, is a school serving approximately 1,000 students from pre-KG through high school. There is also a vocational training program for young adults and older students to learn income providing skills. After helping MBUP build and develop its high school facilities and programs, it was recognized that an ongoing issue was the year-to-year financial support that enables the school to admit all students regardless of their economic status. BSI, therefore, agreed to provide funds to support the shortfall in funds needed on a year-to- year basis to operate that school. Simultaneously an initiative was begun in India to develop an endowment fund to provide an ongoing, long-term source of income. 126472 wire transfers to school bank account 0 South Asia Grant for operating expenses for Anandaksaan Learning Center, in India. Anandakshan Learning Space (ALLS) is a grammar school founded in 2014 by a group of middle-class families with the goal of providing a high-quality education with a non-traditional teaching philosophy to their children. BSI proposed and ALSS agreed to expand and adjust the enrollment at the school so that at least 25% of the students will be from underserved and less advantaged families. BSI's grant subsidizes the cost of enrolling students who are not able to pay the normal fees. The school currently has an enrollment of close to 200 students. 41197 Wires to grantees bank account 0 South Asia Grant to partly fund operations of Jnana Prabodhini Harali (JPH) school, which is a 1st grade through high school located in a very rural area with a student population of approximately 250. More than half live on the campus, including children of migrant workers. Orphaned children, rescued from being street children, are also students. For children from the many surrounding villages JPH provides the chance for an excellent education. for residential students are over $500, however, only about 40% are able to pay the full fee. The balance of students pay less and 25% pay nothing. For local, day- students JPH does not charge any fees. The student population of approximately 250 is approximately 60% residential to serve childrenwho would otherwise not get an education because their parents are itinerant farm workers, who travel around India, as the seasons change. Other economically disadvantage students are tribal and rescued, street children, and day-students from local villages. 38400 Wires to grantee bank account 0 South Asia Grant to ASHA Action for Self Reliance Hope, India.Action for Self Reliance, Hope and Awareness (ASHA) is an organization founded in 1993 by professional women to work on improving access to education for children in urban slums with a strong focus on addressing women's problems in daily living. Several hundred families are recipients of ASHA's services and programs. BSI's support is targeted to support girls attending higher education from 9th to 12th grades, plus additional skills' training enabling girls to improve their spoken English, and computer literacy in addition to core school subjects. BSI's support has also enabled girls to enroll in programs to get diplomas in mechanical engineering and computer technology that increase their employment prospects. 19950 Wires to grantees bank account 0 South Asia Sondara Gurukulam Education Center (SGEC) is a school located in an extremely rural, isolated, and economically poor area. A large percentage of the students' parents are itinerant farm workers who move around the country per seasonal needs and opportunities. If the children move with their parents, they receive little-to-no education. SGEC was developed to address this issue, as well as serve children who live in local villages. There are approximately 180 students attending the school with approximately 80 percent living on the campus. BSI has assisted the school with development of new curriculums and equipment for basic science courses and purchase of digital equipment for computer technology learning. Total grants: $10,573 10573 Wire to grantees bank account South Asia Support for operation of Cochlea Pune for Hearing and Speech (CPHS) is one "campus" of a larger organization that works towards development and rehabilitation of children with severe hearing impairment in the age group of 0-6 years. BSI's support is for the Parent-Infant Pre-school Training Programme which involves the multi-year participation of the child and a parent. This occurs after a child has had the necessary surgery and medical treatment for a cochlear implant. The education and teaching program - with a student (plus parent)-to-staff ratio of up to 2:1 - which allows deaf children to learn how to hear (in a way) and speak such that are able to attend normal schools at an early age and be fully functional for the rest of their lives. 9311 wires to parent organization of grantee 0 12 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Schedule F, Part I, Line 2 PBF provides a Proposal form to prospective grantees, stating PBF's mission, grant criteria, and grantee requirements, and how use of funds will be monitored. After a grant proposal has been submitted to PBF the PBF Executive Committee (EC) along with the Country Director (CD) evalue the proposal. Typically the CD and one or more of the EC will visit the site of the proposed grant project, meet with the grantee organization leaders, and gather information and make inquiries, to decide whether to make the grant. Documents include (1) Grant Proposal, (2) Budget; (3) Photos of proposed building site and environs. The EC, along with the CD, evaluate proposals primarily for the expected impact towards achieving PBF's mission. Documents are recorded in a "Slack" database in a channel for each grant. After a grant is made the PBF CD monitors to ensure funds are properly used in accord with terms of the grant, primarily through site visits and phone contacts. Records of site visits and contacts (generally including photographs) are saved in the Slack database, for access by members of the PBF EC. Throughout the year members of the EC and PBF board members review the results of each grant, including compliance with terms of each grant. For grants that are for operations, programs, or activities other than construction, a different review process is used. For grants made by the APC School and for Build a School in India, monitoring of grants is performed by review of periodic and annual reports from the grantee, and ongoing communication between the the PBF program manager and the grantee. The "cash" basis of accounting was used for all grants. The primary beneficiaries of PBF grants are the approximately 1,000 students in the schools that received grants from PBF this year. Other persons who benefitted include parents, teachers, and community members. 1 Scholarship to Khun Aung Aung, for Masters program at University of San Francisco (USF). Includes tuition, textbooks, a monthly stipend of $500, and lodging. 1 21309 0 Actual amounts paid including monthly stioend Schedule I, Part I, Line 2 Grant for scholarship to a Myanmar student. PBF is supporting a Myanmar graduate student, Khun Aung Aung, in studying for a masters degree in education in the US. Khun Aung helped organize several BSB school construction projects in Burma during 2020 and founded a monastic school program to equip young adult students with academic skills so they can study at foreign universities. His further education will complement BSB goals when he returns home to promote education. Tuition, books, and fees are paid directly by PBF to the school (University of San Francisco). A $500 per month stipend is paid to the student. Bob Cornwell, the manager of the BSB program is monitoring his performance and expenses. Form 990, Part III, Line 2 BSB began making grants for "Community Learning Centers" for Myanmar refugees in neighboring border areas in Thailand. Some of these projects were co-sponsored by Sao Bien, an Austrian public charity NGO. Form 990, Part V, Line 3b Checking account balances produce interest earnings. Interest is deposited monthly to each checking account and amounts received are not signicant. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 9 Remote personnel Daniel Kipp, Treasurer, 4556 Shockoe Circle, The Villages, FL 32163, Robert Cornwell, 31 Fair Oaks St. San Francisco CA, Mark Kirchen, Secretary, 3402 Punta Alla Unit B, Laguna Woods CA 92637 Joyce McKinney, 1801 Wedemeyer St. Unit 524, San Francisco CA 94129 Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b A draft version of the 990 is prepared by the Treasurer, and is posted to a communication system used by PBF, the "Slack' system. Board members are notified and asked to review the draft document, and submit requested changes, additions, etc. to the Treasurer within 30 days. The Treasurer next makes appropriate changes, and communicates with the Board members about the changes. The revised version is made available for a final review, and after 15 days, it is filed Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 No changes were made to PBF governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public during the tax year. Form 990, Part XI, Line 9 Rounding difference is minor