Thomas E Smith Foundation Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 993994958
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2025–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2024
- Location
- Marblehead, MA, USA
- Phone
- 9783143020
- Rating
- 65
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Private Grantmaking Foundations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $622,072
- Expenses
- $898,053
- Assets
- $2,023,647
- Liabilities
- $87,713
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
4 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- THOMAS E SMITH (PRESIDENT/CO-FOUNDER & TRUSTEE)
- SARAH MERREFIELD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/COO)
Highest reported compensation
- SARAH MERREFIELD (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/COO): $212,856 total reported compensation
- THOMAS E SMITH (PRESIDENT/CO-FOUNDER & TRUSTEE): $209,386 total reported compensation
- CHRISTOPHER K SMITH (CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER/TRUSTEE): $208,914 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 thomas e. Smith foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to better the lives of those affected by and living with paralysis through financial and emotional support, as well as supporting preventive innovations that decrease the risk of spinal cord injuries.
What it reported doing in 2025
The thomas e. Smith foundation maintains its stronger together program, which supports individuals and families affected by and living with paralysis. In 2025, this program distributed $313,242 in grants for various expenses not covered by insurance, such as: physical therapy, home modifications, nursing care, equipment, and research.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 95% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 43% for direct work, and 57% for grants.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 72
- Transparency & Controls: 79
- Accountability: 56
- Sustainability: 27
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 89.1%; rating input score 89
- Program expense ratio: 61.4%; rating input score 61
- Fundraising efficiency: $4.99 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
- Written employment contract: Pass
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Missing
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 33.3%; rating input score 33; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -44.4%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.25; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 34.6%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 89.1% of revenue deployed · 61.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 1 of 3 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $551K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $213K · 4 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
- 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 — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 33/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 16/100.
- High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.