Whats Your Forte Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2013, matt forte, all pro running back for the chicago bears established the matt forte foundation with his co-founder and wife danielle forte after learning that 14.7 % of chicago's high school dropouts were incarcerated, and nearly 42,000 teens did not receive high school diplomas. As a catalyst for change, and to meet the ever-growing need for wrap-around support in southside and westside neighborhoods in chicago, the foundation expanded programming from scholarships for higher education to directly facilitating ongoing programming in violence prevention, mentoring, financial literacy, workforce development programs, and youth empowerment opportunities. The evolution to highly varied, directly operated programming. Motivated the name change from "matt forte foundation" to "what's your forte foundation," as it is known today. The what's your forte foundation's mission is to invest in the equitable economic advancement of youth and families through partnership and purposeful relationships. Our vision is to be a powerful lever for social change, that facilitates transformational development on the south & west sides of chicago. We do this through philanthropy, innovative opportunities, robust engagement, and a continuum of services. The foundation holistically supports the entire community because we are not just about programs but community-based projects. It has been our charge to seek out the forgotten, disconnected (opportunity youth), and marginalized. Centering our outreach on the education of youth in the most underinvested neighborhoods and uplifting the family unit as a whole, we understand that strong families can transform culture in positive ways that last for generations to come. As a proud graduate of tulane university, matt understands the power of education and opportunity and how it changes lives for the better. Matt believes that through awareness, relationship-building and youth -focused empowerment, successful pathways can be chartered, and a transformation of statistics and futures of the youth and communities can be realized.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 52.5%; rating input score 53
• Program expense ratio: 81%; rating input score 81
• Fundraising efficiency: $19.32 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: 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; 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: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 35.1%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.65; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 71.9%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: Limited
• Revenue growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings