The Backside Learning Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
371803514
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Louisville, KY, USA
Phone
5026346543
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$372,848
Expenses
$324,371
Assets
$2,126,348
Liabilities
$6,031

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHERRY STANLEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • STEPHEN LIN (PRESIDENT)
  • PAOLA MORANTE ESCOBAR (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SHERRY STANLEY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $81,694 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The purpose of the organization is to provide educational, linguistic, social and other charitable services to persons, and their families, engaged primarily in the care, training, and/or any other activity involving thoroughbred race horses housed at racing and training facilities; particularly at churchhill downs in louisville, Kentucky.

What it reported doing in 2025

Learning center adult programs support equine workers and their families in the pursuit of their personal and professional dreams. We provide educational opportunities, assist in navigating and accessing local resources, and create community. In a caring and respectful setting, our clients develop their skills and knowledge with classes, tutoring, and direct assistance tailored to their needs. The adult programs served approximately 600 individuals through classes, workshops and social services, with around 150 walk-ins per week. Programs and services aim to improve quality of live through language development, financial literacy, parenting support, mental health workshops and services to help track workers solve problems and fulfill basic needs such as housing, health care, transportation, etc.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 61% 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.

The verdict

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

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 61
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.5%; rating input score 67
  • Program expense ratio: 72.5%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.71 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 13%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.56; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 25.2%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.4% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.3% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67.5% of revenue deployed · 72.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $235K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $82K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2015 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.