Gary Sinise Foundation EIN 80-0587086 Form 990 (PDF) Claim this org

Gary Sinise Foundation FY2022 filing

Not yet claimed Claim this org →

Supports military members, veterans, first responders, and their families through community programs, entertainment, education, and critical financial aid during times of crisis. For fiscal year 2022 it reported $61.3M in revenue, $59.2M in expenses, and $74.3M in net assets.Pt I

Founded
2010
Type
Public foundation / grantmaker · Foundations & Grantmakers
Location
Franklin, TN
Website
www.garysinisefoundation.org
Filings
5 on file (2020–2022)
Revenue
$61.3MFY2022
Expenses
$59.2M
Net assets
$74.3M
People
26
Filings
5
Updates
0
More identity details & actions ⌄
EIN  80-0587086 Public foundation / grantmaker Franklin, TN Founded 2010
Form 990 (PDF)
You’re viewing the FY2022 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →
Compare with another nonprofit →
Figures match the IRS filing checked 7/7/26 · see original: IRS
Is this your organization?
Claim this profile to manage it and share your story.
Claim
Provided by the organization

This section is blank until Gary Sinise Foundation claims this page.

Know this organization? Claim it to add your story

Size
$10–100M
What they do
Supports military members, veterans, first responders, and their families through community programs, entertainment, education, and critical financial aid during times of crisis.
Leadership
Donna E Palmer · Executive Director (from 08/2022) · $319K
Money in and out
$61.3M revenue, $59.2M expenses
Bottom line
82% program efficiency
Grants paid & assets · FY2022
Total revenue
$61.3M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$59.2M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$74.3M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $2.2M
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.82 Management & general $0.11 Fundraising $0.07
Program efficiency
82%
of spending reaches programs
Operating runway
14.8mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate
Surplus margin
+4%
revenue over expenses, this year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2022 · Form 990
Revenue
$61.3M
FY2022▲ +6%
Expenses
$59.2M
FY2022▲ +61%
Total assets
$83.9M
FY2022▲ +5%
Total liabilities
$9.6M
FY2022▲ +840%
Total revenue
$61.3M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$59.2M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$74.3M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$2.2M
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$83.9M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B82%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 310
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 48
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

3 program services account for $44.4M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2022.
01

Relief and resiliency outreach supports our nation's defenders, WOUNDED/ILL/INJURED veterans, their loved ones and families of fallen heroes as they cope with trauma and loss. The foundation provided over 405 grants to these individuals in their time of urgent need.

$28.7Mprogram expense
02

Through our R.I.S.E (restoring independence, supporting empowerment) program we're constructing one-of-a-kind specially adapted smart homes for our nation's most severely wounded veterans and first responders.

$10.6Mprogram expense
03

Community outreach and education worked hard to bring joy & relief to so many across the country, including providing critical financial aid following hurricane ian. The program also documented oral history stories from wwii veterans and through continued sponsorship of a historian from the world war ii museum, GSF has helped to develop…

$5.1Mprogram expense

Run this program? Claim this org to tell your story

Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CGary Sinise Foundation
EINHdr · item D80-0587086
Principal addressHdr · item CFranklin, TN
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.garysinisefoundation.org
Year of formationHdr · item L2010
State of legal domicileHdr · item MTN
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFFoundations & Grantmakers (T30)
Ruling yearIRS BMFOct 2010

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a10
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b8
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2Yes

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation
Executive Director (from 08/2022)
$319,321Pt VII · Sec A
CEO (until 08/2022)
$281,231Pt VII · Sec A
$262,234Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Philanthropy
$245,737Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Marketing
$199,867Pt VII · Sec A
Senior Philanthropic Advisor
$187,499Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Programs
$178,119Pt VII · Sec A
HR Director
$166,996Pt VII · Sec A

Donna Mercier’s $454K as Executive Director is at the 90th percentile of top reported officer pay among 658 $10–100M 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

NameFY2025FY2024FY2022FY2021FY2020
Donna Mercier$454,103$376,287
Donna E Palmer$93,975$319,321
Robin Rand$155,729$287,500
Michael R Thirtle$281,231$215,075
Robert Kilduff$75,284$262,234$19,195
James Ravella$259,128$51,425$178,119$166,717$159,198
Elizabeth Fields$246,292$230,000
Shannon Woodward$163,631$245,737

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 Gary Sinise Foundation executive salaries →

Are you one of these people? Claim this org to confirm your role

Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$60.4M · 98%
Investment income$820K · 1%
Contributions & grants98%$60.4M
Investment income1%$820K
Other revenue$157K
— government grantsLn 1e$101K
Total revenueLn 12$61.3M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.82 Management & general $0.11 Fundraising $0.07
Program services82%$48.5M
Management & general11%$6.3M
Fundraising7%$4.4M
Total functional expensesLn 25$59.2M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$32.7M
Total assetsLn 16$83.9M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$9.6M
Total net assetsLn 32$74.3M
Months of cash on handcomputed6.6

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2022 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $69.7M · Operating expenses (Pt IX) $59.2M · Less non-cash grants $2.5M · Cash operating expenses/yr $56.7M
14.8 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $48.5M · Total expenses $59.2M
82%
Management & General
Management & general $6.3M · Total expenses $59.2M
11%
Fundraising
Fundraising $4.4M · Total expenses $59.2M
7%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $2.8M · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $54.8M
$0.05 to raise $1 (3-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $60.4M · Total revenue $61.3M
98%
Government reliance
Government grants $101K · Total revenue $61.3M
0.2%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $0 · Total revenue $61.3M
0%
Investment reliance
Investment income $820K · Total revenue $61.3M
+1%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $0 · Total expenses $59.2M
0%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $61.3M · Prior year $58.1M
+6%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $74.3M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $61.3M · Expenses $59.2M
+4%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $83.9M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $74.3M · Total assets $83.9M
89%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) $37.0M · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $83.9M
44%
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Donna E Palmer · Reported title EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (FROM 08/2022) · Highest reported compensation $319K · Total expenses $59.2M
0.5%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $6.0M · Total expenses $59.2M
10%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 82%
Overhead ratio 11%
Fundraising cost ratio 7%
Revenue growth 6%
Investment management fee ratio 0.2%
Legal fee ratio 4%
Accounting fee ratio 0.5%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
See all 41 funders →
Grants paid · 652 grants · $79.8M · 2020–2024
Boulder Crest FoundationVA · FY2024$4,500,000
Unitemized GrantFY2024$3,339,410
Hyperformance Foundation INCTN · FY2024$2,000,000
Metanoia Films LLCFY2024$1,841,750
Unitemized GrantFY2024$1,833,737
Friends of Firefighters INCNY · FY2024$570,000
Training to Perform Under Pressure LLCFY2024$427,254
Unitemized GrantFY2024$350,000
Travis Mills FoundationME · FY2024$350,000
Lighthouse Family Retreat INCGA · FY2024$284,625
Centerstone of Tennessee INCTN · FY2024$250,000
Mes Service Company LLCFY2024$229,920
Never Alone Widows INCGA · FY2024$220,500
Warriors Heart VirginiaFY2024$200,000
Valor Partners FoundationKS · FY2024$200,000
The Gratitude InitiativeTX · FY2024$150,000
See all 652 grants →

Similar Organizations

Closest in mission — by what they do
See all organizations like Gary Sinise Foundation →

Compare

Search another nonprofit to view revenue, expenses, assets, key metrics, and leaders side by side

Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2025 (Latest)$85.5M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2024$81.4M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023not on file
FY2022$61.3M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$58.1M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2020$48.9M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

Want to add your own materials alongside these filings? Claim this org

Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2022IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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.

If you ARE the filing organization, claim this org and add context

Made it to the end? Claim this organization

All figures are derived from public IRS Form 990 filings and are presented without evaluation of any organization. philanthropy.org does not rate, score, or rank organizations, including the peer-cohort and compensation comparisons above.