The Ruth Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
463647313
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Lake Charles, LA, USA
Phone
7602959278
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Professional Societies, Associations

Reported finances

Revenue
$478,531
Expenses
$422,428
Assets
$127,915
Liabilities
$2

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JENNIFER ROBACK MORSE PHD (FOUNDER & PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • RACHEL GOLDEN (TREASURER): $49,913 total reported compensation
  • JENNIFER ROBACK MORSE PHD (FOUNDER & PRESIDENT): $16,663 total reported compensation
  • ELIZABETH KEREKES (SECRETARY): $14,019 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 ruth institute promotes marriage as a fundamental, lifelong union between a man and a woman. The institute advocates collaboration and cooperation between women and men. Basing the message on high quality scientific research, the institute educates the public as to why marriage matters. The institute advocates for the full participation of women in all aspects of society. With particular emphasis on family friendly, free market, and faith filled forms of participation. The institute views human sexuality as a social force for building up the family. The institute provides speakers and other programs to college campuses and church groups around the country. The institute assists students in forming their own pro-life pro-marriage groups.the institute produces seminars for students and young adults, giving them the tools they need to defend the family to their peers and to prepare for married life. The institute sponsors student essay contests and produces and sells material.

What it reported doing in 2025

See schedule o

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% 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 - 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 48
  • Sustainability: 41
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.6%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 74.3%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $117.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 86; 86th 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: 66.7%; rating input score 67; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 22
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11.7%; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.3; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.1%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.4% per year; rating input score 0; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.6% of revenue deployed · 74.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 6 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $314K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $50K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2014 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 59/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 19/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 54/100.