The Free Book Bus

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
832436210
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2022
Location
Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phone
4347603737
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Remedial Reading, Reading Encouragement

Reported finances

Revenue
$41,533
Expenses
$43,779
Assets
$41,711

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

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHARON STONE (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • SHARON STONE (PRESIDENT)
  • JUSTINE DONNELLY (TREASURER)
  • ANNE CHAPIN (SECRETARY)

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

The mission of the free book bus is to enable all children and young people to have a home library. Our primary focus is children and young adults who cannot easily afford and/or access books in charlottesville, albemarle, nelson, and surrounding areas.

What it reported doing in 2025

The free book bus traveled to give books, hygiene items, and art/school supplies to those who cannot easily afford/access them.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filed totals do not add up and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.9%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 81.5%; rating input score 81

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: -5.4%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.95; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 30%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -10.2% per year; rating input score 0; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -34.8% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -21.4% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.9% of revenue deployed · 81.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $36K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 5 of 6 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part I part ii net assets crosscheck did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.