The Liberia Institute for the Promotion of Academic Excellence (LIPACE) has received Equivalency Determination certification from NGOsource, marking an important milestone in the organization’s continued institutional growth and readiness to build partnerships that can expand opportunities for children, young people, and communities in Liberia.
Following its review process, NGOsource confirmed that LIPACE has been certified as equivalent to a Certified Public Charity. The organization’s Equivalency Determination is valid through August 31, 2027.
For LIPACE, the significance of the certification extends beyond institutional recognition. Equivalency Determination provides qualifying international organizations with a mechanism through which U.S. grantmakers can assess whether they are equivalent to a U.S. public charity for grantmaking purposes.
LIPACE’s certification is now available through the NGOsource repository to its member grantmakers, helping provide potential funding partners with an established due-diligence pathway when considering support to the organization. This can help reduce some of the administrative barriers that international organizations may encounter when developing funding relationships with U.S.-based philanthropic institutions.
The certification comes as LIPACE continues to strengthen not only the reach of its programs, but also the institutional systems needed to sustain and grow that work.
Over the years, LIPACE has worked across foundational learning and inclusive education, skills and livelihood development, and education systems strengthening. As that work grows, so does the importance of strong governance, financial accountability, organizational systems, and the confidence of the partners who invest in it.
The NGOsource Equivalency Determination represents another step in that institutional journey. The certification also strengthens LIPACE’s positioning as it seeks to deepen existing partnerships and establish new relationships with foundations and other philanthropic institutions interested in supporting education and development in Liberia.