Brainfutures Incorporated

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
520701916
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2015
Location
Lutherville, MD, USA
Phone
4439011550
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Mental Health Association

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,300,082
Expenses
$2,191,333
Assets
$917,810
Liabilities
$94,650

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GEORGE KIMES (PRESIDENT)
  • LINDA RAINES (CHIEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • LINDA RAINES (CHIEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $255,315 total reported compensation
  • RODNEY HILL (CIO (UNTIL 7/2024)): $133,669 total reported compensation
  • JAZZ GLASTRA (INTERIM EXEC. DIR/OPS BRAINFUTURES): $116,513 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Brainfutures provides rigorous and unbiased information about brain health advances resulting from breakthroughs in understanding of brain neuroplasticity, and leads policy, regulatory and reimbursement work to ensure equitable access to treatment advances.

What it reported doing in 2024

Youth executive functionbrainfutures implements an evidence-based, digital executive cognitive function enhancement program, as a tier 1 intervention for high-risk students within elementary and middle schools. This is a cognitive training program that uses computer-based activities to improve the executive functions of attention and memory and, as a result, student academic performance. Improved academic performance contributes to higher rates of school connectedness, which has been associated with fewer negative mental health experiences. Compromised executive functions are associated with adhd, substance abuse, depression, and suicide attempts; strengthening executive functions can help to prevent and address mental health challenges. Compromised executive functions limit students' ability to engage in and benefit from numerous other mental health interventions; by improving executive function, brainfutures can equip students to benefit from other mental health interventions

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 65% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 94% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 96
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 92.8%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $106.54 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -68.6%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.42; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.5%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 26.1% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.3% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.1% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 92.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $255K · 9 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $426K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 2 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 59/100.