The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
273406311
IRS 990-PF coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990-PF 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2126492045
Rating
89
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Private Operating Foundations

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,882,480
Expenses
$11,245,429

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

Overview

Mission

Private Operating Foundations

What it reported funding in 2024

The foundation reported 31 grants totaling $9,774,531. The stated grant purposes included youth and education-"bridgeup" environment grant: purpose: to provide new york city high school youth with the opportunity to learn about environmental conservation, gain professional experience during summers between school years, and to develop, strengthen, and cultivate their skill sets into future conservation leaders., youth and education-"bridgeup" 2.0 grant: purpose: "bridgeup: core", and "bridgeout" programs-to work collaboratively to support selected "bridgeup" scholars from cardinal hayes high school, st. catherine academy, and the academy of mount st. ursula by providing innovative programming, scholarships, post-graduation college prep and job assistance, and alumni support., and youth and education-"bridgeup" theater in the schools grant: purpose: "changing the lives of students in vermont and new hampshire"-to support student and family matinee scholarships and to increase theater access and learning resources for rural and underserved youth in vermont and new hampshire through programs that bring teaching artists into the classroom, support curricular needs in underserved schools, and introduce young people to theater through access to professional productions., plus 23 other reported purposes.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 100% of the foundation's positive operating resources came from recurring investment income.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The foundation distributed 93% of its reported charitable disbursements as grants.
  • Includes asset-sale income: Asset-sale income is shown separately from recurring resources when classifying the revenue model.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes to charitable grants and the filed numbers largely add up. Assets provide a limited cushion relative to annual grants.

Rating breakdown

  • Grant Deployment: 100
  • Cost Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency: 100
  • Compliance: 100
  • Endowment Health: 15

Detailed rating inputs

Grant Deployment

  • Grant deployment ratio: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings

Cost Efficiency

  • Grant expense ratio: 86.9%; rating input score 87; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency

  • Grant recipient disclosure: Yes; rating input score 100

Compliance

  • Part VII-B activity disclosures: 19 of 19 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Property sale or exchange with a disqualified person: Pass
    • Borrowing from or lending to a disqualified person: Pass
    • Goods, services, or facilities involving a disqualified person: Pass
    • Compensation paid to a disqualified person: Pass
    • Assets transferred to a disqualified person: Pass
    • Payment to a government official: Pass
    • Uncorrected prior self-dealing: Pass
    • Prior-year undistributed income: Pass
    • Excess business holdings: Pass
    • Investments that may jeopardize charitable purposes: Pass
    • Uncorrected prior-year jeopardizing investments: Pass
    • Attempt to influence legislation: Pass
    • Attempt to influence an election: Pass
    • Grants to individuals: Pass
    • Grants to organizations: Pass
    • Spending for a noncharitable purpose: Pass
    • Funds received for a personal-benefit contract: Pass
    • Premiums paid on a personal-benefit contract: Pass
    • Prohibited tax-shelter transaction: Pass
  • Filing consistency checks: 9; rating input score 100

Endowment Health

  • Endowment-health comparison: 9.81; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: Financial trends and filed revenue, expense, asset, and liability detail
  • Grants: 100% of grant recipient detail disclosed
  • Payout: At least 100% grant deployment rate
  • Trustees: Filed trustees detail
  • Self-dealing: 100% of reviewed questions answered “No”
  • Investments: 15th percentile for endowment coverage
  • Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 37 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.

  • High — Endowment Health: Endowment-health comparison scored 15/100.