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Building Minds in South Sudan
Rochester, NY · EIN 364659286 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE Q33 · International Affairs · Small ($100K-$1M) · bmiss.org
revenue
$204K
expenses
$169K
net assets
$64K
employees
0
volunteers
8
program ratio
96%
mission · from form 990

Enhance the lives of South Sudanese families through educational programs and facilities.

profile · synthesized from sources

Building Minds in South Sudan supports community development in Mayen-Abun, South Sudan, through education, women's entrepreneurship, and agricultural initiatives. The organization constructs schools, provides microfinance grants to women, and supports sustainable farming. Founded by cousins Sebastian Maroundit and Mathon Noi, it aims to create lasting change by empowering local families and fostering economic independence.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Beck Garden Plots
Supplies women farmers with garden plots, irrigation systems, fencing, and seeds to grow crops for family consumption and market sales, improving food security and income.
Construction of Schools
Built Ajong Primary School, Majok-Keen Girls School, Bill Cook High School, and Laima and King Beck Girls High School to provide accessible education for boys and girls in Mayen-Abun.
Laima Project
Provides $500 microgrants to women entrepreneurs in Mayen-Abun to start businesses such as restaurants, tea shops, and breweries, with support from a community distribution center.
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • School Infrastructure Development 2 activities
    • Construction and operation of primary and secondary schools in Mayen-Abun, South Sudan
      Builds and operates primary and secondary schools for boys and girls in Mayen-Abun, including Ajong Primary School, Majok-Keen Girls School, Bill Cook High School, and Laima and King Beck High School for Girls. These schools serve over 3,000 students collectively and have replaced under-tree schooling with permanent educational facilities.
    • Provision of educational support services and infrastructure
      Supplies schools with essential infrastructure and learning materials, including classroom benches, solar lamps, solar panels, laptop computers, latrines, and sanitary supplies. Also supports teacher training, pays salaries for key staff such as female principals, and sponsors high school students to improve access to education.
  • Startup Acceleration & Business Growth Support 1 activity
    • Capacity building for women entrepreneurs
      Provides ongoing business guidance, mentorship, and development assistance to women entrepreneurs supported through the Laima Project to ensure sustainability and growth of their enterprises.
  • Public Awareness and Educational Outreach 1 activity
    • Educational and fundraising advocacy through public outreach
      Conducts virtual presentations via the Ambassador Program to schools, churches, and Rotary Clubs to raise awareness about education and development needs in South Sudan and to generate funding support.
  • Women's Microenterprise and Livelihood Development 1 activity
    • Establishment of supply and distribution infrastructure for local businesses
      Operates a bulk supply distribution center in Mayen-Abun to reduce costs and improve access to goods for women-owned businesses, enhancing economic resilience and market participation.
  • Women Entrepreneurs Grant Programs 1 activity
    • Funding and support for women-led microenterprises
      Awards $500 grants through the Laima Project to women entrepreneurs in Mayen-Abun to start or expand businesses such as breweries, restaurants, tea shops, and bakeries. Has awarded over $9,000 in grants to 51 women and supports ongoing business development.
  • Community-Based Urban Agriculture 1 activity
    • Implementation of community agricultural programs
      Develops and expands community garden plots—such as the Beck Garden Plots program—for women in Mayen-Abun, providing land, seeds, irrigation systems (including wells, water tanks, foot pumps), and protective fencing. The program supports sustainable food production, income generation, and has enabled expansion to nearly 40 plots across two areas.
  • Career and Technical Education Programs 1 activity
    • Operation of vocational and trade education programs
      Runs a trade school in Mayen-Abun that provides vocational education as an alternative to college, equipping students with practical skills for employment or entrepreneurship.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$204K
Contributions & grants$204K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$84
expenses
Total expenses$169K
Program expenses96%
Admin / overhead4%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$157K
Largest expense lineFacilities
balance sheet
Total assets$64K
Cash$64K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$64K
Liquid reserves4.5 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -5.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 8
  • Judy Schwartz — Board Chair
  • Mary Rees — Secretary
  • Mathon Noi — Vice President
  • Michael Van der Gaag — Member
  • Michelle Chiantera — Member
  • Reed Summers — Vice Chair
  • Sarah Solorzano — Treasurer
  • Sebastian Maroundit — President
relationships · 18

Who they work with

  • Bill Cook Foundation Funder — Funds salaries for two teachers at Bill Cook High School for three years.
  • Bill Cook Foundation Funder — Primary donor for the construction of Bill Cook High School and funder of the female principal at Majok-Keen Girls School.
  • Bill Cook Foundation Funder — Provided a matching grant for high school construction and funding for a female principal's salary and teacher training.
  • Corning Rotary Funder — Provided a grant for sanitary supplies.
  • Hope for South Sudan Funder — Provided a grant to hire an assistant principal for a girls' school.
  • Kingsley and Laima Beck Funder — Provided grant funding for the Laima Project, a trade school, and a bakery operated by local women.
  • Laima Project Partner — Collaborates with Building Minds in South Sudan to provide grants to women entrepreneurs in Mayen-Abun.
  • Laima and King Beck Funder — Contributed to educational, agricultural, and entrepreneurial initiatives in the village, with the girls’ high school named in their honor.
  • Naples Rotary Funder — Provided a grant for benches for Ajong Primary School.
  • Presbyterian Women in the Presbyterian Church (USA) Funder — Provided a grant to assist in the construction of a girls' primary school.
  • Presbytery of Genesee Valley Funder — Provided a $2500 Community Grant that sponsored five high school students in 2020.
  • Presbytery of the Genesee Funder — Provided mission grants for student sponsorships, solar lamps, and school benches.
  • Rotary clubs Partner — Partner organizations that support Building Minds in South Sudan through donations.
  • Sebastian Partner — Manages the distribution center alongside the village chief and a board of women business owners.
  • St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Rochester, NY Funder — Provided funding for latrines at a girls' school and an Outreach Ministry Grant.
  • Twic State Government — Requires Sebastian's annual trip to Mayen Abun as part of official engagement protocols.
  • Twic State Government Government — Cooperates with BMISS on teacher training and improving quality education in local schools.
  • local, regional and national governments Government — Collaborates with local, regional, and national governments on educational policy development, security, and faculty training.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Led Integrated Development
    methodology: community-driven-education-development
    By designing education, entrepreneurship, and agriculture programs based on community demand and local leadership—such as building single-gender schools or selecting grant recipients locally—the organization ensures relevance, accountability, and sustainability, because community ownership increases engagement and long-term success.
  • Education-Centered Community Development
    methodology: education-centered_community_development
    By rebuilding schools and using them as community hubs, the organization fosters broader social recovery and economic incentives in post-conflict regions, because education restores hope and serves as a foundational driver of long-term development.
  • Integrated Women's Empowerment through Education and Economic Support
    methodology: women-empowerment_through_education_and_microfinance
    By combining girls' educational access with vocational training, microfinance grants, and agricultural resource access, the organization enables women’s economic self-sufficiency, because linking education to tangible economic opportunities amplifies impact and drives intergenerational change.