Gary Sinise Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 800587086
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Nashville, TN, US
- Phone
- (615) 575-3500
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Public Foundations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $85,518,656
- Expenses
- $82,713,579
- Assets
- $89,011,140
- Liabilities
- $5,612,433
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
23 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DONNA MERCIER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- JAMES RAVELLA (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT)
- CRISTIN BARTTER-KAMPSNIDER (VICE PRESIDENT - MARCOMMS)
- SARAH HOLLIS (VICE PRESIDENT - PHILANTHROPY)
- ROBERT GEORGE (VICE PRESIDENT - OUTREACH)
- HANNAH LUPPINO (VICE PRESIDENT - PROGRAMS)
Highest reported compensation
- DONNA MERCIER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $490,855 total reported compensation
- JAMES RAVELLA (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT): $291,226 total reported compensation
- BARBARA TITUS (SENIOR VP - OPERATIONS/BUSINESSS): $252,322 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 Gary Sinise Foundation honors our nation's defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need.
What it reported doing in 2024
Whether the lt. Dan band is boosting morale on military bases at home and abroad or raising awareness at benefit concerts across the country, the band entertains, educates, inspires and builds communities with its explosive live show everywhere it goes. The mission of every concert remains the same: honor. Gratitude. Rock & roll. The lt. Dan band ended the fiscal year performing 23 concerts for attendees worldwide with more than 48,350 participants.first responders outreach recognized and supports america's firefighters, police and emts nationwide. These men and women are indispensable to maintaining the safety and support of our local communities. Grants assisted first responders with urgent needs from protective gear to safety equipment. In 2024, the program assisted first responder departments throughout the u.s. With over 2,367 pieces of equipment, totaling $5,530,524. Fire departments were also assisted with fire conference attendance, and specialized training for vehicle extrication, rope rescue and mental health support.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 63% for direct work, and 37% for grants.
- 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 87
- Transparency & Controls: 88
- Accountability: 87
- Sustainability: 49
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 92%; rating input score 92
- Program expense ratio: 89.4%; rating input score 89
- Fundraising efficiency: $20.15 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Pass
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 95%; rating input score 95; 27th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 77.8%; rating input score 78; 26th 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: 3.3%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.08; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.5%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 19.1% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 16.5% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 17.6% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 10 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 92% of revenue deployed · 89.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 9 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $73.9M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $491K · 23 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $5.2M reported
- Consistency: 37 of 38 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 182 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 171 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 58/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 49/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 31/100.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.