The Byungura Foundation

Our Mission

We remove the barriers between a child's circumstances and their potential.

We believe every young person carries the potential to lead. Our programs remove the practical barriers — supplies, fees, mentorship gaps — that stand between a child's circumstances and their future.

Founded in 2022 in the Charlotte Metro area, the Byungura Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 92-1331880) building a generation of leaders through four core programs that serve youth locally in North Carolina and in partner communities internationally.

We work without pity-marketing. We measure impact in counted backpacks, named scholarships, and lasting relationships — not abstractions.

See our programs →

Illustration: an open book with a growing sprout

Show up.
Serve.
Repeat.

Four programs people can plug into this week — donate, volunteer, sponsor, or spread the word.

What We Do

Four programs. Four ways to plug in this week.

We partner with food banks. We equip students with what they need. We stand with survivors of trafficking. We invest in the next generation. Show up, serve, repeat.

Backpacks Without Borders means borders both physical and characteristic — the geography we cross to deliver, and the limits placed on these kids that we refuse to accept.

Illustration: a backpack and a route crossing borders

Active Program

Backpacks Without Borders

School supply distribution to underserved students in North Carolina and partner communities abroad. Each backpack arrives fully stocked, ready for day one.

Serves K–12 students in Title I schools & diaspora partner communities To date 150+ backpacks delivered since 2022

Why this matters. A child's first day with a full backpack changes their relationship to school. We cross borders — geographic, social, the ones imposed by circumstance — so no kid walks in unequipped. Every backpack is a quiet correction to a story they didn't choose.

Show up. Volunteer at a distribution event in Charlotte.
Serve. Sponsor a backpack or a full classroom of students.
Repeat. Help us run distributions every school year.

Donate Volunteer →

Illustration: a warm bowl held in cupped hands

Active Program

Food Security & Community Service

We organize group volunteer days at North Carolina food banks and match donations from supporters. Hunger is solvable when neighbors keep showing up for each other.

Serves Food-insecure families across the Charlotte Metro Partners Second Harvest & regional NC food banks

Why this matters. Hunger isn't a future problem — it's a Tuesday problem. North Carolina food banks moved 130 million meals last year and the line keeps growing. Food is the most basic dignity, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the people doing this work daily is its own kind of service.

Show up. Join a monthly volunteer day at a partner food bank.
Serve. Donate — we match supporter gifts to amplify impact.
Repeat. Bring a coworker, a neighbor, your kids.

Donate Join a volunteer day →

Illustration: an open doorway with light and a bird in flight

Active Program

Anti-Human Trafficking Initiative

We stand with North Carolina anti-trafficking organizations and the survivors they serve. Awareness campaigns, partnership fundraising, and direct support for survivor-led recovery.

Serves Survivors of human trafficking across NC Approach Partnership-first — we amplify frontline orgs

Why we fight. Trafficking happens in our state every day — at truck stops, in massage parlors, in homes that look ordinary from the street. Survivors need legal support, transitional housing, and people who'll fight for their right to have been believed earlier. We can't end this alone — we make sure the organizations doing the hardest work have one more partner in the fight.

Show up. Attend an awareness event or training near you.
Serve. Fund partner organizations doing frontline survivor work.
Repeat. Share resources — silence is what trafficking depends on.

Donate Spread awareness →

Illustration: a seedling growing toward the sun

Umbrella Program

Youth Empowerment

Education, mentorship, and resources for underserved young people across North Carolina. Backpacks Without Borders is one expression of this — there's more in the works.

Serves Underserved youth, grades K–12 and emerging college students To date 200+ students reached since 2022

Why this matters. The kid we invest in today is the founder, doctor, teacher, builder of 2040. Every young life given a runway compounds across generations. We empower one because we believe in the many.

Show up. Mentor a student or speak at a youth event.
Serve. Sponsor a cohort, scholarship, or program cycle.
Repeat. Stay close — new initiatives launch each year.

Donate Become a mentor →

By the Numbers

Small organization. Honest numbers.

We're early. Every metric below is current as of our most recent reporting, and we choose to share honest milestones over scaled-up claims.

0+

Students reached across school supply distributions

Across school-supply distributions since 2022

0+

Backpacks distributed in NC and partner communities

Delivered in NC and partner communities

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Active program areas — local and global reach

Backpacks · Food Security · Anti-Trafficking · Youth Empowerment

0

Continents reached via Backpacks Without Borders

Charlotte Metro + diaspora partners

We publish numbers we can defend. Specific 2025 totals will be finalized in our forthcoming 2025 Annual Report.

Get Involved

Three ways to stand with the work.

01

Give once. Give monthly.

Recurring monthly support is the single biggest thing that lets us plan ahead instead of scrambling. Choose any amount — the cadence is what compounds.

Support the mission

02

Volunteer

Pack backpacks. Mentor a student. Show up at a distribution event in Charlotte or organize one in your community.

Get in touch →

03

Sponsor a Program

Companies and family foundations can underwrite an entire distribution event, mentorship cohort, or wellness initiative — recognized in our annual report.

Start a conversation →

About our 501(c)(3) status: The Byungura Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 92-1331880). Our IRS determination is currently in reinstatement following an automatic revocation; once reinstated, tax receipts will be issued retroactively per IRS Rev. Proc. 2014-11 §4. Read our full status disclosure →

Voices

From the people closest to the work.

The work, in the words of the people closest to it.

"When my son got that backpack, he stood a little taller walking into school. It wasn't just supplies. It was someone telling him: you belong here."

Parent Charlotte, NC · Backpacks Without Borders

"The Byungura Foundation didn't just fund my application fees. They believed in me when believing felt like a stretch."

Scholarship Recipient Education Empowerment Drive

"We've worked with a lot of partners. Few show up the way Frank's team does — with the families, on a Saturday, asking what's actually needed."

Community Partner Title I School Liaison

Transparency

The work we ask you to trust, in plain sight.

Donors deserve to see exactly who governs us, how we file, and where the money goes.

Legal Standing

Legal name: Byungura Foundation Inc
EIN: 92-1331880
State of incorporation: North Carolina (Dec 2, 2022)
IRS classification: 501(c)(3) public charity
SAM.gov: Active registration
Most recent filing: Form 990-N for tax year 2024 (filed Aug 2025)

Read our 501(c)(3) status disclosure →

Board of Directors

Frank Byungura Founder & CEO

Full board roster, bios, and conflict-of-interest policy will be published on this page following our next board meeting.

Where Effort Goes

Backpacks Without Borders Active
Food Security & Community Service Active
Anti-Human Trafficking Initiative Active
Youth Empowerment Umbrella

Detailed Program Financials Available on request

Documents & Filings

501(c)(3) Status Disclosure HTML · Updated May 2026 Form 990-N (Tax Year 2024) Available on request IRS EIN Confirmation Letter PDF · Dec 13, 2022 · Available on request 2025 Annual Report Expected with 2025 Annual Report

Contact

Tell us how you want to help.

Whether you're a potential donor, partner, school administrator, volunteer, or just curious — we read every message.

Email

info@byungurafoundation.org

Founder direct

frank@byungurafoundation.org

Mailing address

The Byungura Foundation
Charlotte, North Carolina

Service area

Charlotte Metro (primary) · International / diaspora partner communities

Every child deserves the tools
to build their future.

We remove the barriers between a child's circumstances and their potential.