Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Aug 2011.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
77 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
11 people listed on the 990; $909K paid to officers and key staff.
Cynthia Germanotta’s $294K as Director, President is at the 95th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1690 $1–10M philanthropy & grantmaking nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maya Enista Smith | — | $91,034 | $321,801 | $317,340 | $261,587 |
| Cynthia Germanotta | $293,978 | $290,355 | $285,716 | $304,450 | $264,491 |
| Rachel Martin | $250,951 | — | — | — | — |
| Getenesh M Yilma | $155,913 | $143,928 | $130,266 | $116,660 | — |
| Gary a Aide | $153,942 | $141,661 | $128,167 | $119,657 | — |
| Claudia Fernandes | $152,281 | — | — | — | — |
| Rachel Martin COO | — | $142,338 | — | — | — |
| Susan Horrell | — | — | $139,423 | $128,514 | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
See Born This Way Foundation executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2Yes
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Empowering young people to build a kinder, braver world through wellness support.
Questions for Born This Way Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. Born This Way Foundation answers here, for everyone.
We engage with young people directly through programs like channel kindness and #BEKIND365 that amplify their stories, elevate their perspectives, and celebrate the kinder, braver world they are already building.
Young people recognize mental health as a priority, but lack access to resources to support it. Our grantmaking and other community support efforts help close this gap by funding and amplifying community based organizations that provide free and accessible services that support youth wellbeing.
Be there certificate is a free, interactive course designed to enhance mental health literacy and equip young people with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to support someone struggling with their mental health.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2023 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY23 | End FY23 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $2.0M | $4.6M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $2.9M | $2.2M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $10K | $7K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $5.8M | $9.6M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $118K | $107K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $5.7M | $9.5M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $345K | $345K | ||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $155K | $155K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $309K | $211K | $63K | $35K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $1.4M | $995K | $230K | $154K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $39K | $39K | ||
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $113K | $85K | $16K | $11K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $126K | $89K | $24K | $14K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $47K | $34K | $5K | $7K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $156K | $156K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $3K | $3K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $465K | $431K | $6K | $28K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $97K | $79K | $8K | $11K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $6K | $3K | $491 | $2K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $25K | $25K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $151K | $139K | $3K | $10K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $6K | $4K | $648 | $782 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $6K | $4K | $644 | $681 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $165K | $165K | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $3.6M | $2.8M | $554K | $274K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 LatestFiled with the IRS Nov 12, 2025 | $6.0M | $6.9M | −$907K | $8.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 ViewingFiled with the IRS Nov 8, 2024 | $7.1M | $3.6M | $3.5M | $9.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Oct 26, 2023 | $5.3M | $4.9M | $430K | $5.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Nov 14, 2022 | $3.5M | $3.3M | $286K | $5.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Nov 11, 2021 | $4.6M | $2.7M | $1.9M | $5.7M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $7,129,796 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 5 of 6 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $7,129,796 across 6 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $3,591,699 across 18 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $9,611,826 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $9,505,032 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
Similar organizations you could support · Compare with another nonprofit
Names, privacy, and removal requests More
The names, titles, and compensation shown on this page are reproduced from IRS Form 990 filings, which are public records.
Philanthropy.org does not alter the content of those filings. All information appears exactly as reported by the filing organization for the tax year shown.
We publish only information contained in the public IRS filing — and less than the filing contains. Our profile pages do not display street addresses, telephone numbers, personal email addresses, or other personal contact information, even where the filing includes them.
Many people share the same name. A name shown on this page reflects only what one organization reported in one IRS filing for one tax year. It should not be interpreted as identifying any other individual with the same or a similar name.
If you are no longer affiliated with the organization, your name will generally stop appearing in future IRS filings once the organization no longer reports you. Pages for tax years in which you were reported remain published because those filings remain part of the public record.
Philanthropy.org does not alter or remove IRS filing records. Removing a page from this website would not remove the underlying IRS filing, which remains publicly available from the IRS and other publishers of the same information.
If you believe the IRS filing itself is inaccurate, corrections must be made by the filing organization or the IRS directly.