The Orthopedic Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
311700139
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Westerville, OH, USA
Phone
6148906555
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Nerve, Muscle, Bone Diseases Research

Reported finances

Revenue
$497,077
Expenses
$1,811,543
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HEATHER BENJAMIN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

People named in this filing

  • DARYL R SYBERT DO (CHAIRMAN EMERITUS)
  • CARL C BERASI DO (TRUSTEE)
  • MARK E GITTINS DO (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 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The orthopedic foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the quality of patient care and medical services through a commitment to research, education, and prevention of orthopedic and neurologic disorders. We believe that quality medical care and service requires a scientific commitment to excellence, compassionate dedication to service and an enthusiastic willingness to teach. We will primarly utilize qualified physicians and surgeons to accomplish this mission. Research will be conducted and sponsored in the fields of orthopedic surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, pain management, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Educational programs will be provided for patients, physicians and health care providers in various forms, including lectures, seminars, and fellowships. Prevention programs will incorporate our research and educational expertise to impact orthopedic and neurologic problems encountered within our community.

What it reported doing in 2025

Education:1. From 2003 through 2007 the foundation offered an orthopedic adult reconstruction and sports medicine post-residency and fellowship program. Goals were continued medical education post-residency for additional clinical and research training of physicians. Physician time for the fellowship education and program are in-kind donations by physicians of their time and service.2. From 2006, with the completion of the foundation's research pavilion and education and learning centers, through 2013, the foundation, in conjunction with various medical device manufacturers, health providers, and health-service organizations, presented courses and seminars for physicians and other health care professionals. The courses dealt with various neuro-musculoskeletal medical topics and the use of various medical devices. In 2019, we provided 10 Ohio university heritage college of osteopathic medicine summer research internships working with the physicians at orthoneuro. Students worked with the physicians collecting data for several different studies. Many of the students would have presented their research at the Ohio osteopathic symposium in april 2020 had the event not been cancelled due to global pandemic concerns.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 90% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 90% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 93
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 8
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 98.4%; rating input score 98
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 99.8%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -264.4%; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 22.6% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.5% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.6% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 98.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 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.

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 1/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.