The Wounded Blue
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 823066282
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2020–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Jul 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
- Phone
- 833-892-8255
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Rehabilitative Medical Services
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $838,939
- Expenses
- $848,614
- Assets
- $152,784
- Liabilities
- $3,382
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JESSE WATTS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
- BRETT RAWSON (VICE PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- JESSE WATTS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $13,700 total reported compensation
- TIM PUTNEY (DIRECTOR PEER TEAM SUPPORT): $8,487 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The Wounded Blue’s Mission is to improve the lives of injured and disabled Law Enforcement Officers through Support, Education, Assistance and Legislative Advocacy.
What it reported doing in 2024
Program 3: Assistance, Advocacy & Legislation SupportDescription: The Wounded Blue provides comprehensive assistance to injured and disabled law enforcement officers and their families, helping them navigate complex benefit systems such as workers' compensation, PSOB claims, EEOC matters, and other administrative, financial, and legislative challenges. In addition to advocacy and awareness efforts that ensure officers are not forgotten or left without support, the organization offers direct financial assistance to bridge critical gaps in existing aid programs. This support includes funding for required medical surgeries needed to recover from physical injuries incurred in the line of duty, as well as advanced surgical procedures, specialty medical treatments, rehabilitative care, long-term recovery therapies, and the acquisition or replacement of prosthetic devices that restore mobility and independence.Recognizing that true recovery extends beyond the physical, The Wounded Blue also prioritizes the emotional and psychological healing of those it serves. The organization provides access to essential mental-health resources such as individual and family counseling, evidence-based trauma therapies, peer support networks, and inpatient programs addressing addiction, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. These comprehensive servicesphysical, emotional, and financialare lifelines that restore stability, strengthen families, and empower wounded officers to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.
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 73% for direct work, and 27% for grants.
The verdict
STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 67
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 31
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 71.2%; rating input score 71
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.02 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -1.2%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.18; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.6%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 25.9% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 22.6% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 72% of revenue deployed · 71.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $604K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $14K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 31/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 32/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 8/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.