Tunnel to Towers Foundation

Legal name: Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation

Overview

Mission

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that the events of 9/11, along with the sacrifices made on that day and those made daily by our first responders, are never forgotten. Each home is thoughtfully designed to address the individual’s specific requirements and may include features such as automated doors and lighting, widened hallways and doorways, roll-in showers, adjustable cabinets, countertops, and stovetops, backup generators, and whole-home control through a smartphone or tablet. These specially-designed homes help our most severely injured veterans and first responders regain independence, safety, and dignity in their daily lives. Veterans and first responders who sustained a catastrophic injury in the line of duty that is permanent and significantly limits mobility or the ability to live independently, may be eligible for the Tunnel to Towers Foundatio.

What it reported doing in 2024

In the line of duty programs: 1) smart home program: this program constructs custom, specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured service members and first responders to restore their ability to live a life of independence. 2) fallen first responder home program: the foundation provides mortgage free homes to families with young children left behind when a firefighter or police officer is killed in the line of duty. 3) gold star home program: the foundation provides mortgage free homes to families with young children when a service member dies in the line of duty. 4) homeless veterans program - the foundation is committed to honoring the sacrifice of american service members and helping end homelessness amongst the veteran community. Providing a safe and dignified residence is an integral part of helping veterans who are homeless reclaim their lives. Veterans in this program receive the support they need to help them address any obstacles to living a more independent life. In addition to delivering housing, we provide comprehensive care through our national case management team by connecting veterans who have additional needs with mental health counseling, addiction services, skills training and job placement.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 48% for direct work, and 52% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
020554654
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Staten Island, NY, USA
Phone
7189871931
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards

Official website

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 78
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 60.6%; rating input score 61
  • Program expense ratio: 88%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.35 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 31.9%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.71; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.5%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 30.1% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 29.3% per year; rating input score 100; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 32.9% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 60.6% of revenue deployed · 88% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $335.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $399K · 13 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 42 of 42 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes grants and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 annual filings from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 56 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 43 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • MATTHEW MAHONEY (EXEC VP DEVE): $398,962 total reported compensation
  • JEANNA DELLRAGIONE (COO): $380,021 total reported compensation
  • LAWRENCE OLSON (EXEC VP MARK): $286,022 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.