Brightside Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
450948896
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Louisville, KY, USA
Phone
5026450575
Rating
66
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Safety Education

Reported finances

Revenue
$455,069
Expenses
$280,357
Assets
$1,948,083
Liabilities
$46,306

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHELLE BLACK WHITE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHELLE BLACK WHITE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $103,000 total reported compensation
  • AMBER HALLORAN (CFO): $26,583 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Brightside foundation works hand-in-hand with brightside, inc. To solicit and oversee privately-raised funds in support of the environmentally focused activities of brightside inc. Through its fiduciary role, the foundation ensures that donated funds are used as the donor intended.

What it reported doing in 2024

Twenty one (21) mini botanical gardens in public medians were maintained across metro louisville and eighty-seven (87) new canopy trees were planted to increase louisville's tree canopies and beautify various neighborhoods throughout the city along with other beautification and planting projects. Tree planting projects include three years of maintenance.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 78% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 46
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 39.6%; rating input score 40
  • Program expense ratio: 54%; rating input score 54
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 81.8%; rating input score 82; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 38.4%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.95; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 46.2%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -4.3% per year; rating input score 0; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5.9% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 39.6% of revenue deployed · 54% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 11 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $151K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $103K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 40/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 54/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 39/100.