Sounds True Foundation
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 461236964
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2019–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2018, Form 990-N 2017
- Location
- Denver, CO, USA
- Phone
- 3036653151
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Public, Society Benefit N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $601,415
- Expenses
- $534,618
- Assets
- $160,946
- Liabilities
- $2,301
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- TAMI SIMON (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- TAMI SIMON (PRESIDENT)
- SIBYL CHAVIS (DIRECTOR)
- ADAM ENGEL (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. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The sounds true foundation shares teachings and practices to empower people on their life journeys. We envision a world where people have the inner wisdom, tools, and growth opportunities to thrive and reach their full potential.
What it reported doing in 2025
The foundation continued its prison outreach project through the print-on-demand book, leaving prison before you get out. In partnership with grip founder jacques verduin, this manual is the most comprehensive tool of its kind. It equips justice-impacted individuals and correctional staff with the essential skills of mindfulness and emotional self-regulation. The foundation prints and distributes leaving prison before you get out exclusively to grip at no cost to the organization. Since its launch in 2024, 1,560 printed copies have been distributed, in addition to its e-book and audio versions.in addition, through our second year of partnership with education over obstacles (edovo), an organization that brings resources and opportunities to people in the prison system, the sounds true foundation reached more than one million justice-impacted individuals nationwide. The foundation donated select digital titles on mindfulness, grief, trauma, self-compassion, emotional regulation, and more.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 58% for direct work, and 42% for grants.
- 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. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 80
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 47
- Sustainability: 48
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 86.4%; rating input score 86
- Program expense ratio: 97.2%; rating input score 97
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 50%; rating input score 50; 14th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- 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: 11.1%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.3; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 0.7% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 0.9% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 86.4% of revenue deployed · 97.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 2 of 4 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $520K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 18 of 18 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Review — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 50/100.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 58/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.