Freedom Aviation Network

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
884065891
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2024, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Nashville, TN, USA
Phone
6152577165
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Transportation Assistance

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$306,294
Expenses
$348,734
Assets
$102,445
Liabilities
$1,205

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Jared Miller ((former) Executive Director)
  • Malinda Billings (Interim Executive Director)
  • Stephanie Lamar (CEO / Founder)

Highest reported compensation

  • Jared Miller ((former) Executive Director): $94,423 total reported compensation
  • Malinda Billings (Interim Executive Director): $83,077 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We are a nationwide network of aviation professionals who volunteer their time, skills, and aircraft to provide safe, rapid, and compassionate transportation - always free of charge. Every mile flown opens the door for survivors to take their first steps toward freedom and restoration. Guided by the principle "For the One," we believe that each life is worth every effort, every resource, and every flight. None of this would be possible without the passionate aviators, advocates, and volunteers who give of themselves so that others may access the freedom they deserve.

What it reported doing in 2025

Direct costs of meetings, conferences, presentations, etc. to aid in the education of and coordination of resources to provide assistance to rescue organizations and their clients.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 61
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 17
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.6%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 67.3%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.46 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -13.9%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.29; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 50.9%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 21.3% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.6% of revenue deployed · 67.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $235K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $94K · 6 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 19 of 20 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 3/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.