Dr Gertrude a Barber Educational Institute Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
251755526
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2012
Location
Erie, PA, USA
Phone
8144537661
Rating
53
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Adult, Continuing Education

Reported finances

Revenue
$179,143
Expenses
$370,849
Assets
$203,760
Liabilities
$145,710

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN J BARBER III (PRESIDENT/CHAIRMAN)
  • DR MAUREEN BARBER-CAREY (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JOHN J BARBER III (PRESIDENT/CHAIRMAN): $754,763 total reported compensation
  • JEAN NIELSEN (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $250,720 total reported compensation
  • ROBERT W BARBER ESQ (DIRECTOR): $228,444 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Dedicated to increasing opportunity and integration into the community for individuals with disabilities as well as developing healthy communities in which all people are welcomed and fully accepted. The institute's approach to its mission is grounded on three fundamental pillars encompassing mind, body, and spirit. The institute provides state-of-the art learning opportunities and education for persons with disabilities, their families and the entire community. The institute provides education and constructive services to professionals and other people who treat, educate, work with or interact with persons with disabilities. The institute provides healthy activities for all persons encouraging engagement in physical endeavors, to promote a healthy and vibrant lifestyle for persons with disabilities and the entire community. And finally, by increasing involvement and participation of individuals with disabilities in the arts, we weave a richer and more diverse community for all.

What it reported doing in 2024

Since 2013, the dr. Gertrude a. Barber educational institute has organized and presented the barber beast an annual event featuring a specially adapted 1-mile course designed to promote inclusion and provide meaningful participation opportunities for adults with disabilities and a challenging 10-mile obstacle course for all other registrants. Over 12 years, the event engaged more than 13,000 participants and thousands of volunteers, featured 30+ custom designed obstacles promoting teamwork and community involvement and raised approximately $850,000 to support programs and services for adults and children with disabilities. The final event, which received national recognition for the adapted course, was held in sept. 2025, with more than 1,500 participants in the 10-mile course and over 100 adults with disabilities in the adapted course. In the future, the barber beast will consist of only the adaptive course format emphasizing our commitment to inclusion.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue has grown recently. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 50
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 42
  • Sustainability: 10
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 70.6%; rating input score 71
  • Program expense ratio: 33.2%; rating input score 33
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 7th 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: -107%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.55; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.72; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 54.9%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.8% per year; rating input score 0; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13% per year; rating input score 100; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 70.6% of revenue deployed · 33.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 7 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $123K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $755K · 9 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Related organizations: 6 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.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 33/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.