momo foundation


۰ Frequently Asked Questions ۰



What is the mission of the Momo Foundation?



The mission of the Momo Foundation is to help improve the lives of the disabled, neglected, and forgotten sections of the society and allow them to live a life of dignity.



How does the Foundation assist its constituents?



Momo Foundation is a non-operating foundation, meaning that it does not directly assist any person needing help, but rather, provides financial support (both one-time grants and operational funds) to registered, non-profit, grass-roots organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that serve disadvantaged communities. Examples of organizations eligible for our grants includes those who provide educational opportunities or vocational training to abandoned childen, destitute women, physically or mentally challenged people, and other neglected sections of society, irrespective of their race, gender, caste, creed, religion, region, or language.



How does the Foundation select a cause or an organization to support?



The foundation's trustees use their personal network of friends and requests to identify worthy causes worth pursuing. The grantee organization must be a registered, non-profit organization pursuing a social mission aligned with that of the Foundation. We then contact the target organization to request documentation to verify their mission, cause, operations, and non-profit status. If satisfied, we will set up a site visit to the organization to meet with their leadership group and personally see their operations. The trustees then make a decision whether to extend support to the non-profit organization, and if so, in what amount and for what length of time.



How does the Foundation assure that the disbursed funds are put into appropriate use?



Following the initial grant, we continue to interact with and visit our grantee organizations to monitor the use of our disbursed funds and to talk to the people served by the grant. Future donations to these organizations are contingent on the findings of these repeat visits. In addition, grantee organizations are required to provide an annual report and financial statement of their operations to the Foundation.



Where does Momo Foundation provide its services?



At the current time, the Foundation only serves those organizations that the trustees (or their friends or family) can personally vet, visit, and monitor so that we have first-hand information on how our funds are being used. This means that we can only serve the Tampa Bay area where we live, and some organizations in India, where we were born and raised and where we visit occasionally. We wish to help non-profit organizations in other countries and other regions of the USA, but we cannot do so without strong accountability and oversight. We must also be 100% sure of the authenticity of foreign organizations and their non-profit status registration before we can make a contribution to that organization.



Who are the people behind the Momo Foundation?



The Foundation's grantors and current co-trustees are Momo's parents, Anol and Jayita Bhattacharjee. Anol is a professor at a large U.S. university and Jayita is a author.



How does the Foundation raise funds for its causes?



The primary contributors to the Foundation are its grantors, Anol and Jayita Bhattacharjee, who have pledged to donate all of their assets and future earnings to the Foundation. Occasionally, the Foundation also solicits funds from friends and community members to support causes aligned with the Foundation's mission.



Is any Foundation member connected with the organizations that it supports?



No. As a requirement of our 501(c)(3) status in the USA, we are not allowed to engage in any personal or business relationship with our grantee organizations. We also do not assume any position at these organizations such as director, trustee, etc., or influence their operations in any way.



Can I support the causes of the Momo Foundation?



Yes, you most certainly can, and we can always use whatever help we can get. You can contribute money to the Foundation using checks, Paypal, Zello, or credit card. We also need volunteers with good writing skills to help us with our website and newsletters. If interested, please contact us using our "Contact" page. Lastly, you can help us by spreading the word about our Foundation to your friends, families, and potential donors.



Can I donate to a specific cause or organization of my interest?



Yes, you can. We have a wide range of causes and organizations to choose from. You can specify your preferred cause or organization while making your contribution, and we will send your contribution to your preferred charity.



Is my donation to the Momo Foundation tax deductible?



Yes. Momo Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and all contributions to the Foundation are tax deductible in the USA under IRS Section 170. Our federal tax ID# is 82-2680290. Please e-mail us for a copy of our IRS tax exemption letter.



How much of my donation will go to the charity of my cause?



All 100%. Unlike other fundraising agencies, we do not deduct any overhead, administrative, or other expenses from our donor's contributions. All such expenses are borne from the personal contributions of the Foundation's grantors and interest income from the Foundation's assets.



How does the Foundation have zero overhead?



At the current time, the Foundation has very little overhead, since it is managed by the trustees on a volunteer basis. Interest income from the Foundation's invested corpus support all overhead and administrative costs such as tax preparation and website maintenance. All travel costs related to site visits are borne personally by the trustees and not billed to the Foundation. The Foundation maintains a bank balance in India to reduce money transfer and disbursement costs and to provide year-round support to grantee organizations.



Can I visit the organizations that I wish to support?



Absolutely. We highly encourage such visits before and after your contribution. We would like to hear and learn from your experiences on whether our grants are used wisely. Most of grantee organizations' contact details are available from our website, or available upon request. If you want our help in coordinating your visit to a specific organization, we will be happy to help you do so.



Is the Momo Foundation's work transparent?



We try to be 100% transparent in our operations and provide all information needed to satisfy our constituents. Organizations supported by our grants, along with their contact details, activities, and photographs, are available on our website. We encourage you to make surprise visits to the organizations or send your relatives and friends to check them out. We can provide financial details of the organizations you wish to support. It is also our practice to send donors' names to their respective organizations, when we do the wire transfer. You can also directly communicate with the recipient organizations to check whether your contribution was received or put to proper use.



How can I send money to the Momo Foundation?



You can mail a check payable to "Momo Foundation" at the following address or contact trustee Anol Bhattacherjee at abhatt @ usf . edu for payment via Zello. We do not yet have an online donation service, but hope to have it shortly.


Momo Foundation

16123 Brecon Palms Place

Tampa, FL 33647, USA



Do you accept donation in kind?



Not at this time. If you have surplus laptops or other equipment that you wish to donate to a school, contact us and we can explore what we can do. In the future, we may accept other forms of donation.



Copyright 2017 Momo Foundation