Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund Receives Tax Exempt Status in U.S.

ADDIS ABEBA – The Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund (EFTF) says it is now officially a not for profit charity organization with tax-exempt nonprofit organization effective Sept. 27, 2018.

EDTF officially began collecting donations on October 22, 2018.

All donations that have been made to-date and all future donations to the EDTF are fully tax-deductible.

As a tax-exempt organization, EDTF says it is now eligible to apply for government, and foundation and other grants.

That will further broaden its access to resources and strengthen its ability to help address critical needs in Ethiopia, the Fund says in a statement.

As some U.S. corporations match employee donations to tax-exempt organizations, EDTF donors are encouraged to contact their companies and seek matching contributions.

“Obtaining 501(c)(3) status was a challenge, but through the determined efforts of our Advisory Council members we were able to succeed,” said Prof. Alemayehu G. Mariam, Chairperson of the EDTF Advisory Council.

“This opens many doors for us to expand fundraising activities, broaden access to resources, and fully realize our goals of helping to meet the needs of our people back home,” he added.

To date, EDTF has collected $USD 4.7 million in donations from donors in 77 countries.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has given EDTF a two-year grant to fund the cost of the EDTF Secretariat in Addis Ababa.

One hundred percent of all donations are committed to projects, and no donations are used for administration or related purposes.