Firefighters Charitable Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
650258322
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Farmingdale, NY, USA
Phone
5162490332
Rating
43
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Rehabilitative Medical Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,131,141
Expenses
$3,318,497
Assets
$403,569
Liabilities
$358,705

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • FRANK TEPEDINO (PRESIDENT)
  • TOM SHERLOCK (VICE PRESIDENT-S. REGION)

Highest reported compensation

  • FRANK TEPEDINO (PRESIDENT): $130,000 total reported compensation
  • LORI TEPEDINO (SECY/TREASURER): $20,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The primary focus is to provide much needed financial assistance for medical care, sustenance, housing, medical supplies, equipment and educational scholarships to individuals, families and children who have been affected by a fire or disaster. The foundation also provides financial assistance to families of former fire service personnel in need, and provides direct aid and/or funds for fire safety and burn prevention education and awareness and to support other disaster or prevention related charities, institutions and volunteer fire departments. The foundation also has a nationwide volunteer brigade that acts as their eyes and ears to identify those in critical need.

What it reported doing in 2024

The organization provided direct aid to approximately 35 qualified fire victims and their families to assist with medical care, housing, rehabilitation, food and clothing. The organization granted funds to approximately 178 institutions. These institutions are comprised of volunteer fire departments, burn centers, other fire prevention related organizations and other charities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 83% 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 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: 8
  • Transparency & Controls: 64
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 17
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 9.1%; rating input score 9
  • Program expense ratio: 8.3%; rating input score 8
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 24.9%; rating input score 25; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 88.9%; rating input score 89; 20th 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: -6%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.12; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.89; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.5%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -4.7% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6.3% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 9.1% of revenue deployed · 8.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $275K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $130K · 9 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.1M reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 37 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 9/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 8/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 25/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 57/100.