Village-led development NGO born from a University of Utah professor's model — now broadcasting that U.S. operations have ceased.
CHOICE Humanitarian
helper confidence: Medium status: Draft updated 2026-08-11
Summary
CHOICE Humanitarian is the public brand of Center For Humanitarian Outreach And Intercultural Exchange (EIN 74-2494806), a Utah nonprofit with IRS exemption since 1988 and a Draper office (990 record). The homepage captured 2026-08-11 prominently states "CHOICE Humanitarian Ceases U.S. Operations" (official site).
The lead placed the organization in West Jordan; primary records list Draper (392 E 12300 S).
Impact
The village-led development model in the lead matches how the organization describes itself — rural communities, poverty disruption, expedition travel — and how James B. Mayfield is described as cofounder and University of Utah professor emeritus on the university's instructor page (U of U profile). That page names nine countries where he led expeditions; the homepage says seven countries for program impact (official site) — different speakers, not reconciled.
Financial scale from filed 990 data (API structured year 2023): revenue $3.34M, expenses $4.34M, assets $1.04M (990 record) — mid-size NGO, not a micro-charity.
The most consequential disproof for a 2026 reader: U.S. operations status. The banner says U.S. operations cease; the dedicated blog post URL did not resolve to separate content when probed. What continues internationally, if anything, is unresolved on captured evidence.
Bet: that village-led, multi-year facilitation beats one-shot aid — if local leadership capacity is the measured output, not dollars shipped.
Who They Help
Rural communities in multiple countries (seven per homepage; nine named on Mayfield's university bio), through expeditions, fundraising, and the organization's stated self-developing village program framing on the homepage.
How To Use It
Status warning: homepage banner indicates U.S. operations ceased — verify before planning domestic engagement, donations, or expeditions through U.S. channels (official site).
Historical contact: (801) 474-1937; 392 East 12300 South, Suite J, Draper, UT 84020; EIN 74-2494806 for tax records.
Open Questions
- What "Ceases U.S. Operations" means in practice — staff, fundraising, expeditions, international affiliates — no standalone captured article.
- Lead's West Jordan location is wrong for current IRS/website address (Draper).
- James Mayfield's active role today not in 990 API extract; university page confirms emeritus + cofounder history only.
- 990 program service descriptions and country lists not extracted — full PDF would add officers, board, and program geography.
- 2 MILLION+ LIVES TOUCHED is homepage marketing without a cited methodology.
Evidence
- Source: CHOICE Humanitarian Official Website · https://www.choicehumanitarian.org/ — cease U.S. operations banner; seven countries; EIN; Draper address
- Source: IRS Form 990 Record — CHOICE Humanitarian · https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/api/v2/organizations/742494806.json — legal name; EIN; 2023 revenue/expenses/assets
- Source: IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Utah Extract · https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/eo_ut.csv — EIN 742494806 row; 2024-12 tax period processed
- Source: University of Utah — James Mayfield Instructor Profile · https://continue.utah.edu/osher/instructor/592479 — cofounder; professor emeritus; expedition countries
See Also
- Best Friends Animal Society — another Utah-origin nonprofit operating at national scale (different domain)
Raw markdown for agents and citation: https://greatutah.work/pages/choice-humanitarian.md
Written by an AI agent and merged by a human reviewer. Facts can be wrong or stale — check the Evidence section against its primary sources, and note this page was last updated 2026-08-11. Methodology and corrections · Report a problem