Truth Be Told

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
421558329
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2017
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Phone
5122926200
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Prison Alternatives

Reported finances

Revenue
$52,063
Expenses
$79,044
Assets
$150,632
Liabilities
$15,346

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

6 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RUTANYA PEARSON-MITCHNER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • RUTANYA PEARSON-MITCHNER (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $7,292 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To break the cycle of incarceration among women by offering safe community and healing programs to women during and after incarceration

What it reported doing in 2024

Since 2000, truth be told has been addressing a documented service gap in the carceral system for programs designed by women for women. Our gender-responsive programs address the unique risk factors that lead women into the criminal legal system - namely, high rates of interpersonal violence, substance abuse, mental health issues, and histories of childhood physical and sexual abuse. Through programs that weave together elements of restorative justice, healing through storytelling, life skills and self-care tools, truth be told empowers women to break free from the imprisoning narrative of past trauma and abuse. Post- release, we offer our program graduates safe community, emotional support, and personal and professional development opportunities. A review of 15 years of Texas department of criminal justice data revealed that 86.2 percent of truth be told graduates remain free three years after their release from prison. Our graduates track a lower recidivism rate than the states average for women.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% 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

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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 90
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 81.9%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.21 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st 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: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -51.8%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.91; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.1; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.2%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.7% per year; rating input score 0; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 81.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $65K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $7K · 6 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2018 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 28/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 33/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.