BT Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
852490076
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone
3172361313
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Intergroup, Race Relations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$274,968
Expenses
$150,096
Assets
$402,144
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Connie A Lahn (President)
  • Allen Baum (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • Andrew Detherage (Director)
  • Roscoe Howard (Director)
  • Dawn Rosemond (Director)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The BT Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that all individuals in the communities we serve, regardless of background, orientation, or other inherent characteristics, have access to equitable resources and opportunities to thrive.

What it reported doing in 2025

Barnes & Thornburg LLP established the BT Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, to promote inclusion and provide opportunities for all individuals, regardless of background, orientation, or other inherent characteristics, to thrive. Partners and staff of Barnes & Thornburg LLP (approximately 1,000 individuals) contributed funding, which was used to make grants to three 501(c)(3) organizations during 2025. Those funds have been earmarked to support nonprofit organizations in the communities in which we have offices that work hard to ensure that all individuals have access to equitable resources and opportunities to thrive. Their important missions and powerful triumphs make the world a better place.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

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

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 42
  • Sustainability: 78
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 54.8%; rating input score 55
  • Program expense ratio: 99.9%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 45.4%; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.68; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.7% per year; rating input score 0; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 45.6% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 54.8% of revenue deployed · 99.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 7 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $150K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 16 of 16 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 4 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.