JRF Ortho

Legal name: Joint Restoration Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
205839402
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Centennial, CO, US
Phone
877-255-6727
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Organ and Tissue Banks

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$77,141,318
Expenses
$74,708,021
Assets
$20,559,516
Liabilities
$9,388,519

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KEITH BYERS (PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • KEITH BYERS (PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $432,248 total reported compensation
  • DAVID WILKE (CLINICAL RESEARCH DIRECTOR): $358,206 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL PALLESCHI (VP - FINANCE & OPERATIONAL STRATEGY): $350,621 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

We are committed to improving quality of life by redefining the standard for allograft joint restoration.

What it reported doing in 2024

Grants, research and charitable contributions: joint restoration foundation (the organization) sponsors various university research programs with the expectation that through innovation, ingenuity and commitment the best clinical results for patients can be achieved. Based on these research efforts and collaborations with external medical advisors, the organization has ongoing programs for improving the processing of allograft tissue. Typical results are greater amounts of usable tissue, satisfying the desire of donors and their families to help others. The organization also provides allograft tissue for studies to further promote improved patient outcomes through the use of allografts. In addition, joint restoration foundation supports 501(c)(3) organizations by making grants to promote donation awareness and education.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 100% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 83
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 81
  • Sustainability: 34
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.2%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 95.5%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 75%; rating input score 75; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 3.2%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.28; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.46; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 3%; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 92.2% of revenue deployed · 95.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 4 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $71.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $432K · 12 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $620K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 16 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 8 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 48/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 37/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.