Sleeping Children Around the World
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
A-
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
Low
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
87%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 87 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Sleeping Children Around the World:
Sleeping Children Around the World is a 2-star charity with Low demonstrated impact. It has an A- Results Reporting grade, which is above average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 87 cents are available to go to the cause. The charity's reserves can cover its program costs for four years and eleven months.
Founded in 1970, Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) provides bed kits to children (aged six to twelve) in developing countries. Its guidelines provide that the children who receive bed kits are 50% girls and 50% boys and representative of all ethnicities and religions in the country. SCAW states that the bed kits are manufactured locally to help stimulate the economy in the target country. Each kit contains a mattress, a mosquito net, bedding, clothing, and school supplies – contents vary from country to country. SCAW works only in countries with a Gross National Income per capita less than US $6,000.
In F2024, SCAW spent $2.0m to distribute 57,970 bed kits, for an average cost of $35 per bed kit. The three countries it spent the most in were Uganda ($600k), Kenya ($320k), and Bangladesh ($320k). The charity increased the number of bed kits it distributed by 164% from F2023 (21,974 bed kits).
SCAW reports that it has helped over 1.8 million children in 36 countries since its founding in 1970.
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Results and Impact
Sleeping Children Around the World used the World Health Organization’s reports and statistics to estimate its outcomes. It estimates that the 105,153 long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) that SCAW distributed between 2016 and 2020 saved 589 lives. The nets also reduced the number of malaria cases by over 9,300. This saved families $114k US in medical costs and costs associated with mothers being able to work instead of caring for sick children. The LLINs also saved public health systems $113k US due to decreases in malaria cases. These nets helped increase Gross Domestic Product by US $2.0m due to people staying at work rather than being sick.
While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Sleeping Children Around the World’s results and impact.
Charity Intelligence has given Sleeping Children Around the World a Low impact rating for demonstrated impact per dollar spent.
Impact Rating: Low
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Finances
Sleeping Children Around the World’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a best practice. Its expenses are clearly defined between program, administrative, and fundraising categories.
In F2024 SCAW received $1.6m in donations and special events revenues. Administrative costs are 9% of revenues (excluding investment income). Fundraising costs are 4% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 13%. For every dollar donated, 87 cents are available to go to the cause. This falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.
In F2024 SCAW spent $2.0m on its programs, which is 107% of its revenue. In F2024 it had a deficit of $349k.
SCAW has $10.0m in reserve funds (cash and investments). The reserves can cover 492%, or four years and eleven months of program costs. In F2024, the annual return on investment for SCAW was 3%. Its five-year annual return on investment is 2%.
This charity report is an update that has been sent for review to Sleeping Children Around the World. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on August 5, 2025, by Grady Simpson.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending February
|
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 9.4% | 4.5% | 6.7% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 3.5% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Total overhead spending | 12.9% | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 492.4% | 1,344.1% | 5,366.7% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $s |
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 1,474,084 | 2,772,427 | 1,757,577 |
| Business activities (net) | 676 | 0 | 0 |
| Special events | 159,212 | 45,950 | 47,683 |
| Investment income | 258,311 | 273,780 | 111,515 |
| Other income | 0 | 0 | (2,553) |
| Total revenues | 1,892,283 | 3,092,157 | 1,914,222 |
| Program costs - International | 2,028,955 | 769,075 | 152,000 |
| Administrative costs | 153,947 | 127,525 | 121,075 |
| Fundraising costs | 56,811 | 1,017 | 1,177 |
| Other costs | 1,359 | 1,547 | 1,653 |
| Total spending | 2,241,072 | 899,164 | 275,905 |
| Cash flow from operations | (348,789) | 2,192,993 | 1,638,317 |
| Capital spending | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Funding reserves | 9,990,461 | 10,337,170 | 8,157,359 |
Note: Deferred adjustment: SCAW uses deferred accounting. To show donors information on a consistent basis, Ci adjusted for these deferred revenues. This affected revenue by $34k in F2024. HST Refund: Ci did not include HST refund. This affected expenses by $30 in F2024, $nil in F2023, and $3k in F2022.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
0 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
0 |
$80k - $120k |
0 |
$40k - $80k |
1 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2023
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
SCAW recognizes that Charity Intelligence (CI) must apply a consistent approach in evaluating all charities. However, SCAW maintains that CI’s use of standardized formulae, and their comments, fail to give proper credit to SCAW’s uniqueness and the value the charity provides to the children, donors, and other stakeholders.
CI says “87 cents are available to go to the cause. This falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.” The reality is that 100% of every bedkit donation goes to bedkit contents. SCAW’s overheads have zero impact on what the children receive from every bedkit donation. SCAW submits that its 100% structure goes far beyond ‘a reasonable range’ of delivering value to the children beneficiaries and the donors the charity serves.
A brief profile on SCAW.
Children receiving bedkits are aged 6 to 12, 50% girls, 50% boys living in extreme poverty, who reflect the religious and ethnic diversity in their country. Several new countries have recently been added. Distributions are done in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Philippines, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Honduras.
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 416-231-1841