Bethany Christian Services
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 382822017
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Phone
- 1.800.BETHANY
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $187,106,405
- Expenses
- $179,310,327
- Assets
- $47,687,169
- Liabilities
- $16,946,490
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
32 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- KEITH CURETON (PRESIDENT/CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- KEITH CURETON (PRESIDENT/CEO): $396,533 total reported compensation
- LORITA SHIRLEY (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $281,846 total reported compensation
- SCOTT DEVRIES (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $240,373 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Bethany demonstrates the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by protecting children, empowering youth, and strengthening families through quality social services. Bethany Christian Services is both an equal-opportunity employer and a faith-based Christian organization. We hire without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, familial status, national origin, age, disability (physical or mental), family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. The status of Bethany Christian Services as an equal-opportunity employer does not prevent the organization from hiring staff based on our sincerely held religious beliefs so that all staff share the same religious commitment, which is central to our mission. These protections extend.
What it reported doing in 2024
Family strenthening: bethany christian services impacted thousands of children and families through programs like intact family services that focus on family preservation as well as our safe care and safe families for children programs. These services can provide temporary relief and assistance to the parents of these children. 930 children and 590 parents received a safety net of support through safe families for children. 157 parents & caregivers received in-home skills traning through safecare. 977 children, parents, & families at risk of separation were supported through homebuilders. 299 parents & caregivers were connected through be strong families parent cafes which strengthens parental resilience and other protective factors.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 94% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- Distribution model
- Cannot be determined from the filing. The program-spending lines do not add up, so the filing cannot show reliably whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 84
- Transparency & Controls: 70
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 43
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 84.3%; rating input score 84
- Program expense ratio: 88%; rating input score 88
- Fundraising efficiency: $34.7 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Fail
- Conducts field audits: Fail
- May suspend future funding: Fail
- Requires financial reports: Pass
- Conducts site visits: Fail
- Requires grant agreements: Fail
- May require repayment: Fail
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- 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: 4.2%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.27; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.36; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0.7%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.2% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 1 programs and campaigns described on the official site
- Where the money goes: 84.3% of revenue deployed · 88% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $148.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $397K · 32 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3M reported
- Consistency: 44 of 44 current checks pass
- Schedules: 11 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2010 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 53/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: CEO compensation review process not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.