The Birdsong Health Literacy Center of Excellence

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
992924805
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Norfolk, VA, USA
Phone
5136461858
Rating
52
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$612,364
Expenses
$381,307
Assets
$284,345
Liabilities
$53,288

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • George Birdsong (President)

People named in this filing

  • George Birdsong (President)
  • James Hall (Secretary & Treasurer)
  • Milton L Brown (Chairman)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To develop a unique consumer education model that can be replicated across the nation to improve health literacy and build stronger, healthier communities. We are working to achieve this through the power of multi-stakeholder collaboration and effective, community-driven engagement strategies.

What it reported doing in 2024

Access to Technology: BHLCOE entered into a strategic partnership with PCs for People, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization that provides refurbished computers and digital access at no cost to individuals who are economically and socially underserved. As part of this collaboration, BHLCOE allocated funding to support the pre-installation of the EdLogics Rewards for Healthy People platform onto the refurbished computers distributed by PCs for People. The Rewards for Healthy People platform includes evidence-based digital games, quizzes, and learning activities designed to improve health literacy and financial literacy, while simultaneously encouraging behavior change through a rewards-based model. The integration of this platform aligns directly with BHLCOE's mission to promote equitable access to health information and supports the broader public health goals of digital inclusion, preventive care awareness, and community wellness.

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 42% for direct work, and 58% for grants.

The verdict

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 10
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 4.5%; rating input score 4
  • Program expense ratio: 6.8%; rating input score 7
  • Fundraising efficiency: $16.06 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings

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; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 37.7%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.75; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 4.5% of revenue deployed · 6.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $26K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 4/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 7/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 52/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.