James Burton Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
542156197
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2019, Form 990-EZ 2025
Location
Shreveport, LA, USA
Phone
3182227403
Rating confidence
Limited
Sector
Performing Arts Centers

Reported finances

Revenue
$40,106
Expenses
$58,858
Assets
$131,766
Liabilities
$11,537

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES BURTON (President & CEO)
  • LOUISE BURTON (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • JAMES BURTON (President & CEO)
  • LOUISE BURTON (Vice President)
  • MELANIE BURTON GREER (Director)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

To increase music education, specifically guitar, in schools by providing guitars and other equipment to the schools.

What it reported doing in 2025

The Foundation was created to promote music education, specifically guitar, in Middle and High Schools in Louisiana. The program was expanded in 2008 to include music programs in Childrens Hospitals in Louisiana and Tennessee and Veterans homes and hospitals. Since the inception of the program over 5000 guitars have been purchased and distributed by the Foundation.

Operating model

Revenue model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: NotEnoughData
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -46.8%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.24; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -5.1% per year; rating input score 0; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -5.9% per year; rating input score 0; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 6 of 6 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 13/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.