Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
920152268
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Arlington, VA, USA
Phone
8009598277
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Counseling, Support Groups

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$22,823,255
Expenses
$15,617,356
Assets
$14,168,179
Liabilities
$6,045,394

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • BONNIE CARROLL (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DIANA HOSFORD (VP): $159,059 total reported compensation
  • BONNIE CARROLL (PRESIDENT): $148,449 total reported compensation
  • AUDRI BEUGELSDIJK (VP): $132,719 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 tragedy assistance program for survivors (taps) is america's national nonprofit organization that has cared for the loved ones of our nation's fallen heroes since 1994. Taps ensures these living legacies of service and sacrifice do not grieve alone and have resources that extend far beyond what the government can provide. All military survivors regardless of their relationship to the deceased, the circumstances of the death, or the service member's duty status at the time of death have a place at taps. In 2022 alone, 8,849 new survivors sought the comfort of our peer-based support network, survivor programs, connections to grief resources and community-based care, expert casework assistance, and the 24/7 national survivor helpline. The need for taps programs remains every bit as vital today as it was at the program's origin 29 years ago.

What it reported doing in 2025

Peer-based emotional support and survivor care: taps was founded on the principle of peer-based emotional support survivors helping survivors heal. Through our survivor care team and 24/7 live-answer national military survivor helpline, we continue our 32-year legacy of serving survivors of military loss with compassion and understanding that can only come from a team of peers. Our survivor care team is this team of military survivors; they provide inclusive and professional peer-based emotional support to embrace, engage, and empower survivors at every phase of their grief journey. Our helpline is answered any time, day or night, by a knowledgeable, empathetic peer who is ready to listen and connect survivors to the services they seek. The support and resources taps provides to military survivors are customized to meet the needs of each survivor. We ensure that they are: appropriate to the survivor's age, phase of grief, manner of loss, and relationship to the deceased; effective guides for healthy grieving; and proven to enhance the survivor's quality of life. In 2025, our helpline answered 20,656 calls from survivors each call an opportunity to provide emotional support and connect survivors to vital taps resources. Our casework team resolved 9,790 cases and identified more than $149 million in education benefits for military and veteran survivors.[24/7 national military survivor helpline, survivor care team, peer mentors, resource kits, community resources, counseling connections, casework assistance, education services]

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 73
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57.8%; rating input score 58
  • Program expense ratio: 84.3%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • 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: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 23rd 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: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 31.6%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.91; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.43; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 57.8% of revenue deployed · 84.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $13.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $159K · 22 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $737K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 58/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Audit committee oversight not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 31/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 57/100.