Be the Source

Legal name: Foster Source

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
812922749
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Official website data refreshed
Jul 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2019, Form 990-N 2017
Location
Thornton, CO, USA
Phone
303-618-4331
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Children's, Youth Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,247,405
Expenses
$1,420,114
Assets
$340,292
Liabilities
$88,770

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BRIAN BERNHARD (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • RENEE BERNHARD (EXECUTIVE DI): $82,800 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Be the Source works to assure that children needing out of home care receive the best possible therapeutic parenting to begin the healing process and avoid additional trauma and grief.

What it reported doing in 2025

Foster source rebranded to foster source dba be the source in 2025. The agency served well over 4000 foster and kinship caregivers and children, as well as natural parents working to reunify with holistic, wrap-around services that promote healing. In the learning source, 3127 class surveys were received from 1438 caregivers that were active in 2025. 636 unique families submitted 1119 requests for hard good items to make placement possible or to maintain placements. Items provided most were diapers, mattresses and car seats. In therapeutic services, 124 new caregivers began receiving therapy, making the total of all time caregivers referred to therapy to 868. Be the source sponsored 1406 therapy sessions in 2025. Eight equine therapy labs were hosted and included a total of 57 participants. 113 unique users registered in the respite source and 316 possible respite matches were made. 53 families with 64 children in care used the agency's family advocacy services. 14 lived expert ambassadors hosted 100 monthly peer to peer support events for over 1000 caregivers and over 2000 children.

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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 87
  • Sustainability: 16
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.7%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 85%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: $26.93 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -13.8%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.24; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.26; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.8%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 23.6% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 27.7% per year; rating input score 100; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 26.2% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 8 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 96.7% of revenue deployed · 85% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 7 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $83K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 12/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 49/100.