Non-profit

African Population and Health Research Center

Website:

aphrc.org/

Tax ID:

06-1608361

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2018):

Revenue: $16,400,472
Expenses: $15,176,393
Assets: $22,325,042

Location:

Nairobi, Kenya

Type:

Think Tank

Founded:

1995

Executive Director:

Catherine Kyobutungi

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The African Population and Health Research Center is a Nairobi, Kenya-based think tank that advocates for increased use of birth control and legalized abortion in Africa.

The organization began its life as an offshoot of the population control advocacy organization Population Council in Nairobi, Kenya. Among the organization’s central goals is promoting “a deeper understanding of sustainable population growth.” The organization’s research program is geared toward girls as young as 10 years old. 1

Overview

The African Population and Health Research Center is a Nairobi, Kenya-based think tank that researches issues related to aging, education, health, maternal and child well-being, reproductive health, and urbanization. 2

A major focus of the organization is the promotion of birth control and legalized abortion in Africa. The organization’s research program focuses on the sexual health and access to abortion and birth control for those aged 10-14 years old. It is geared towards the promoting “a deeper understanding of sustainable population growth.” 3

The organization began life as an offshoot of the Kenyan population control advocacy organization Population Council in 1995. The man who would build the organization into an independent think tank,  Alex Ezeh, joined the Population Council in 1998 and spun off the African Population and Health Research Center into its own independent organization in 2001. 4

By 2017, the organization had an annual budget of $13 million. It had supported at least 370 African Ph.D. candidates to teach modern research techniques and help them defend their research independently. 5

In 2021, the organization celebrated the decision of President Joe Biden to end a rule banning U.S. government funding for organizations that provided abortion services. The organization demanded that more money towards abortion programs to “undo what has been done over the past four years.” 6

In March 2021, the organization and the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute announced a partnership to promote the expansion of birth control and abortion in sub-Saharan Africa. 7

In March 2022, the think tank announced that it had received a $15 million grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The grant had no strings attached and would be used by the think tank to expand its research program. 8

Leadership

Alex Ezeh was the long-time executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center. Ezeh joined the organization in 1998 and initially was a senior fellow at the organization’s parent, the Population Council.  By 2000, Ezeh had begun the process of separating the two organizations and eventually worked as executive director until his departure in 2017. 9

 

After leaving the organization, Ezeh penned a pro-population control op-ed in 2018. He urged the international community to bring back population control to ensure Africa has enough resources to provide for all its people. 10

Catherine Kyobutungi is the executive director of the organization. She joined the organization in 2006 and was the director of research before becoming executive director. 11

Finances

Although the African Population and Health Research Center’s headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya, the organization is also a registered U.S. charity to allow American donors to deduct their contributions. 12

According to its 2018 tax returns, the organization received $16,400,472 in revenue and had $15,176,393 in expenses. It had $22,325,042 in assets. 13

The think tank is funded by numerous left-of-center organizations such as the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewitt Foundation. The organization’s first major grant was $2.57 million from the Rockefeller Foundation in 2002. The foundation stopped funding the organization in 2004 and forced the organization to look for donors. 14

The organization is also funded by governments, including the U.S. government, and international organizations such as the United Nations. 15

References

  1. “Population Dynamics And Reproductive Health.” African Population and Health Research Center. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://aphrc.org/runit/population-dynamics-and-reproductive-health/.
  2. “Who We Are.”  APHRC. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://aphrc.org/who-we-are/.
  3. “Population Dynamics and Reproductive Health.” African Population and Health Research Center. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://aphrc.org/runit/population-dynamics-and-reproductive-health/.
  4.  Masiga, Julie. “Man Who Built Africa Population And Health Research Center From The Ground Up.” African Population and Health Research Center. April 17, 2017. https://aphrc.org/blogarticle/man-who-built-africa-population-and-health-research-center-from-the-ground-up/.
  5. Masiga, Julie. “Man Who Built Africa Population And Health Research Center From The Ground Up.” African Population and Health Research Center. April 17, 2017. https://aphrc.org/blogarticle/man-who-built-africa-population-and-health-research-center-from-the-ground-up/.
  6. Yusuf, Mohammed. “Kenyan Women’s Rights Groups Hail Lifting Of US Abortion Funding ‘Gag Rule.‘” Voice of America. March 4, 2021. https://www.voanews.com/a/africa_kenyan-womens-rights-groups-hail-lifting-us-abortion-funding-gag-rule/6202878.html.
  7.  “APHRC And Guttmacher Institute Announce Partnership To Advance Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights In Sub-Saharan Africa.” Guttmacher Institute. March 3, 2021. https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2021/aphrc-and-guttmacher-institute-announce-partnership-advance-sexual-and.
  8. “APHRC Receives A $15 Million Gift From Mackenzie Scott And Dan Jewett.” African Population and Health Research Center. March 23, 2022. https://aphrc.org/blogarticle/aphrc-receives-a-15-million-gift-from-mackenzie-scott-and-dan-jewett/.
  9.  Masiga, Julie. “Man Who Built Africa Population And Health Research Center From The Ground Up.” African Population and Health Research Center. April 17, 2017. https://aphrc.org/blogarticle/man-who-built-africa-population-and-health-research-center-from-the-ground-up/.
  10. Ezeh, Alex. “Empowering Women Lies At The Center Of Slowing Population Growth.” Population Connection. Sept. 20, 2018. https://populationconnection.org/article/empowering-women-lies-at-the-center-of-controlling-population-growth-in-africa/.
  11. “Catherine Kyobutungi.” African Population and Health Research Center. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://aphrc.org/person/catherine-kyobutungi/.
  12.  Masiga, Julie. “Man Who Built Africa Population And Health Research Center From The Ground Up.” African Population and Health Research Center. April 17, 2017. https://aphrc.org/blogarticle/man-who-built-africa-population-and-health-research-center-from-the-ground-up/.
  13. African Population and Health Research Center, Return of an Organization Exempt From Income Tax (Form 990), 2018. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/61608361/08_2019_prefixes_04-13%2F061608361_201812_990_2019082016582818.
  14. Masiga, Julie. “Man Who Built Africa Population And Health Research Center From The Ground Up.” African Population and Health Research Center. April 17, 2017. https://aphrc.org/blogarticle/man-who-built-africa-population-and-health-research-center-from-the-ground-up/.
  15. “Funders And Partners.” African Population and Health Research Center. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://aphrc.org/funders-and-partners/.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: September 1, 2001

  • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2018 Dec Form 990 $16,400,472 $15,176,393 $22,325,042 $10,765,275 N $15,251,044 $31,642 $198,581 $241,514 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $13,578,996 $13,091,841 $19,583,915 $9,248,227 N $12,702,510 $0 $195,430 $642,246 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $12,108,715 $12,271,709 $20,985,894 $11,137,361 N $11,230,890 $0 $227,958 $1,092,169
    2015 Dec Form 990 $12,761,806 $13,229,457 $30,178,524 $20,438,435 N $11,530,433 $0 $268,589 $903,699 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $12,900,356 $12,909,861 $32,632,550 $23,218,826 N $11,578,540 $837,244 $207,063 $900,302 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $14,546,482 $13,756,408 $29,581,840 $22,776,595 N $13,016,090 $880,457 $138,885 $930,862 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $11,716,145 $10,840,108 $35,512,503 $29,627,986 N $9,960,680 $843,350 $179,547 $355,462 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $11,328,934 $11,613,936 $40,749,046 $35,940,579 N $10,817,174 $249,549 $171,682 $361,584 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)