What is Vitamin Angels?
The Vitamin Angel Alliance, Inc. (Vitamin Angels) is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization headquartered in Santa Barbara, California.
Our mission is to help at-risk populations in need – specifically pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five – gain access to lifesaving and life changing vitamins and minerals. Learn more about how Vitamin Angels got started, read our Founder’s story.
What does Vitamin Angels do?
Vitamin Angels helps at-risk populations in need – specifically pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five – gain access to lifesaving and life changing vitamins and minerals. We help children attain good health and the opportunity to lead meaningful and productive lives.
Vitamins and minerals nutrients address chronic malnutrition and the resulting morbidity and mortality caused by vitamin deficiencies. By mobilizing public sector organizations, private sector resources and motivated individuals in partnership with Vitamin Angels, we strive to reach underserved children and mothers domestically and internationally.
In 2017, Vitamin Angels connected over 61,000,000 children and mothers in 74 countries, including the US, with the vital nutrients they need as a foundation for good health.
How is Vitamin Angels funded?
Vitamin Angels receives support from individuals, foundations, and businesses that entrust us with the resources to fulfill our mission. We received the highest rating, 4-stars, from Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator, putting Vitamin Angels in the top 4% of the 9,000 charities evaluated. In addition, Charity Navigator named Vitamin Angels as one of the Top 10 Highly Rated Charities Relying on Private Contributions in 2010 and 2012.
What is Vitamin Angels' rating on Charity Navigator?
Vitamin Angels has the highest rating available, 4-stars, from Charity Navigator.
How do you calculate your cost to reach a child with vitamin A?
Yes, 25 cents is Vitamin Angels’ approximate cost to provide the recommended annual doses of vitamin A per beneficiary child to our field partners. 25 cents reflects the approximate cost for the purchases of micronutrient products manufactured to Vitamin Angels’ technical specifications, plus warehousing, shipping & handling associated with getting product to a port of entry, technical assistance, and staff costs. All local costs of distribution (including local program design, local staffing, local shipping, warehousing and handling) are absorbed by our field partners.
How do you calculate your cost to reach a pregnant woman with prenatal multivitamins?
$5 is Vitamin Angels’ approximate cost to provide 180 doses of a daily prenatal multivitamin (1 bottle) to our field partners. $5 reflects the approximate cost for the purchase, as needed, of micronutrient products manufactured to Vitamin Angels’ technical specifications, plus warehousing, shipping & handling associated with getting product to a port of entry, technical assistance, and staff costs. All local costs of distribution (including local program design, local staffing, local shipping, warehousing and handling) are absorbed by our field partners.
Why 180 days?
Vitamin Angels’ current methodology for counting beneficiaries follows the age-appropriate dosing schedules for each product. While the average length of gestation is 280 days, or 40 weeks, the global dosing recommendations for multiple-micronutrient supplements to pregnant women (prenatal multivitamins), indicates women should receive a daily dose of prenatal multivitamins for approximately 180 days per pregnancy, starting as early as possible in pregnancy.
How do you count the number of beneficiaries reached annually?
Vitamin Angels calculates the number of beneficiaries (women and children) reached by our field partners based on the number of doses of each product distributed (i.e. vitamin A, albendazole, pre/post-natal multivitamins for women, and/or multivitamins for children) to our field partners each fiscal year. In order to calculate total beneficiaries reached by our field partners, we take the quantity of each individual product shipped divided by its recommended annual dosage schedule, and add them together to arrive at 61M+ beneficiaries reached by our field partners.
It should be noted that Vitamin Angels’ annual calculation does NOT double count beneficiaries. For example, a child who receives the recommended dosage of vitamin A co-administered with albendazole is counted as one beneficiary, not two. Additionally, it is Vitamin Angels’ goal is to reach the same underserved populations year after year to maximize the long-term benefit of supplementation, particularly for children during their key developmental years. Finally, in reporting total beneficiaries reached each fiscal year, Vitamin Angels works to further verify the total numbers of beneficiaries actually reached by reconciling total product delivered to our field partners with information received from them during periodic check-ins throughout the fiscal year combined with information contained in each field partner's annual report including a detailed accounting of the amount of each product received, the amount of product distributed, product losses that might have been incurred, and product remaining in inventory at the close of the fiscal year.
What is the recommended annual dose of each nutrient you distribute?
Following from internationally recognized guidelines, Vitamin Angels calculates that each child 6-11 months of age receives one dose of 100,000 IU vitamin A annually, and each child 12-59 months of age receives two doses of 200,000 IU vitamin A annually. Following recognized guidelines for albendazole, Vitamin Angels calculates that each child 12-59 months of age receives two doses of albendazole annually. We calculate the number of women receiving daily pre/postnatal multivitamins and children receiving daily multivitamins following the standard that each beneficiary (a women or a child) receives 180 daily doses per year (i.e., approximately one-a-day).
Are vitamins a sustainable solution?
Essential nutrients, including vitamin A and multivitamins, are part of a foundational strategy to address nutritional gaps and help break the cycle of poverty by improving health, educational achievement and economic productivity.
In addition, Vitamin Angels is actively developing projects that use innovative distribution systems, such as market-based systems, that allow local businesses and non-profit organizations to facilitate self-sustaining processes for the procurement and distribution of essential nutrients to deficient populations.
Is Vitamin Angels religiously-based?
Vitamin Angels is a non-sectarian international aid organization. We partner with qualified organizations that agree not to deny availability, access or use of a commodity donated by Vitamin Angels to any prospective beneficiary on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion or ability to pay.
Can I use the VA name and/or mark?
Vitamin Angels and the Vitamin Angels logo are registered trademarks of Vitamin Angel Alliance, Inc. If you would like to use the name or mark, please contact Kim Saam, ksaam@vitaminangels.org.
What is Vitamin Angels' Tax ID Number?
Vitamin Angels' Tax ID Number is 77-0485881.
What is the nature of Vitamin Angels' partnerships with for-profit companies?
Vitamin Angels is grateful for its individual and corporate donors and its corporate sponsors. These donations and sponsorships help Vitamin Angels continue our work to ensure that at-risk children and mothers around the world receive the essential nutrients that they need to live healthy lives. Vitamin Angels is a charitable organization and as such it does not participate in for-profit activities or endorse any of the products that may be promoted or sold by our corporate sponsors or other donors.
Who are your corporate partners?
You can see a list of our top corporate contributors here.
May I use your photos and videos on my or my company's website?
Use of any photography shown on the Vitamin Angels' website or materials by a 3rd party must be expressly granted and done so in accordance with VA's photo crediting guidelines, photo usage guidelines and our Principles & Guidelines for Ethical Reporting on Children. Use of any VA images must be approved. To request photos from Vitamin Angels, please contact our Associate Director of Brand Marketing, Kim Saam (ksaam@vitaminangels.org).
What types of products does Vitamin Angels accept for donation?
We primarily accept:
- 100,000 IU vitamin A
- 200,000 IU vitamin A
- essential multi-micronutrients (multivitamins) for pregnant and lactating women
- albendazole and mebendazole
Please visit our Corporate Partners page for more information.
Does Vitamin Angels have internship opportunities?
Yes. Vitamin Angels has a limited number of domestic internship opportunities at our headquarters in Santa Barbara, CA. Please visit our employment page for current openings.
I am interested in working for Vitamin Angels. What job opportunities are available?
Vitamin Angels hires deeply committed, talented and experienced individuals who want to make a difference in the lives of children worldwide. Please visit our employment section for current openings.
I’d like to help. Does Vitamin Angels have any volunteer opportunities?
Thanks for your interest in supporting Vitamin Angels' work. Unfortunately, at this time Vitamin Angels does not have any traditional opportunities to volunteer in the field. This is due to the nature of our distribution system. Rather than establishing new programs and offices among populations that are unfamiliar with us, Vitamin Angels partners with local, permanent organizations in the field to distribute vitamins to those that need them.
Our limited staffing resources do not allow us to serve as a liaison between our field partners and volunteers. Also, please note that there are inherent dangers and risks in the various regions we support, and safety considerations are paramount.
If you are looking for alternative ways to support our work, take a look at our Get Involved page. Perhaps the greatest way you can contribute to our mission is by lending your voice. Many individuals still do not know about the problem of undernutrition and vitamin deficiencies. More awareness for our work helps open the door to serve more children and mothers in need.