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Explorers Bible Study Association

Tax-deductible

Dickson, TN501(c)(3)Arts & Culture EIN 87-0400516Revenue $1.0M in FY2025

On file with the IRSexplorerbiblestudy.orgPo Box 425, 37056-0425 · Dickson, TNTax-exempt since Jul 1985Publicly supported charity — 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)

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Explorer's Bible Study is a non-denominational organization whose purpose is to invite all to a closer walk with god through in depth Study of the Bible. Courses are taught by volunteer teachers in community based classes.

501(c)(3) charity; gifts are tax-deductible.
56¢ of each $1 spent went to programs.
Run by 6 volunteers and 5 employees.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Programs: Part IX · People: Part I, lines 5–6

Before you give

FY2025 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(3)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
Yes
Donations are tax-deductible
Looks good: the IRS lists gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
4 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $177K a year · 33% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Spent on programs
56%
of spending
Worth a look: 56% of spending went to programs; under 65%.
Pt IX · Ln 25 · col B
Pay to officers and key staff
$91K
to officers and key staff · 24% of spending
Top officer’s pay lower than 77% of similar orgs
Worth a look: pay to officers and key staff is 24% of spending; over 20%.
Pt VII · Sec A
Cash reserves
10 mo
of spending, in cash
Plus $1.1M in investments, Pt X · Ln 11–13
Looks good: 9.8 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Named funders
2
named funders · $30K
Fine: 2 funders name it on their filings; under 3.
Funders’ Sch. I, 990-PF
Liabilities
$12K
0.8% of total assets
Looks good: liabilities are 1% of assets; 50% or less.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
8
of 9 voting members
Looks good: 8 of 9 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$1.0M
+229% vs prior year
Spent
$379K
To programs
56%
Net assets
$1.5M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$1.0M
FY2025▲ +229%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$478K
FY2021$552K
FY2022$498K
FY2023$323K
FY2024$317K
FY2025$1.0M
Expenses
$379K
FY2025▲ +19%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$369K
FY2021$380K
FY2022$349K
FY2023$352K
FY2024$319K
FY2025$379K
Net assets
$1.5M
FY2025▲ +80%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$564K
FY2021$735K
FY2022$884K
FY2023$855K
FY2024$856K
FY2025$1.5M

From the FY2025 Form 990 (year ending August 2025) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jul 1985.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Where the money goes

56 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.

Program services 56% · $212K Management & general 41% · $155K Fundraising 3% · $12K

Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.

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Who runs it and what they're paid

10 people listed on the 990; $91K paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
Melinda Burnette
Executive Di
$87,600Pt VII · Sec A
Lisa Schlaack
Brd Memb/Soc
$3,700Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Tabitha Lackey
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Laura Clark
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A
Beth Lail
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Melinda Burnette’s $88K as Executive Di is at the 23rd percentile of top reported officer pay among 3924 $1–10M arts & culture 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2021FY2020
Melinda Burnette$87,600$84,677——
Mike Harding——$1,456$27,630
Lisa Schlaack$3,700———

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 Explorers Bible Study Association executive salaries →

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Invites all to a closer walk with God through in-depth Bible study in community classes.

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Provided by the organization

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1 program · $212K · in their own filed words · FY2024
01

1. To bring individuals closer to god through in-depth study of the bible, understanding god through the reading of his revelation of himself in the bible, coming to know his son jesus christ in all his fullness through the power of the holy spirit. 2.

$212Kprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2023
Vanguard Charitable Endowment ProgramFY2023$30K
Amazonsmile FoundationFY2023$96
Total grants receivedfrom 2 funders$30K
Grants paid · 1 grant · $6K · 2022–2022
Unitemized GrantFY2022$6,418

By the numbers

The FY2025 990, line by line.

Download 990
from philanthropy.org
1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$1.0M
Ln 12
Investment incomeLn 3$753K
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$168K
Other incomeLn 4–11$122K
Money outPt IX
$379K
Ln 25
Programscol B$212K
Managementcol C$155K
Fundraisingcol D$12K
Owns and owesPt X
$1.5M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$310K
Total assetsLn 16$1.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$12K
PeoplePt VI, VII
10
listed · VII A
PaidVII A2
Voting boardVI 1a9
IndependentVI 1b8
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Gifts and grantsLn 1h$168K
Investment incomeLn 3$753K
Other incomeLn 4–11$122K
Gains on assetsLn 7$750K
Total revenueLn 12$1.0M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$12K
SavingsLn 2$298K
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$310K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$1.1M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$3K
Total assetsLn 16$1.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$12K
Net assetsLn 32$1.5M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 55
VolunteersI 66
Fiscal year endsHeaderAugust
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY25End FY25
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$330K$310K
InvestmentsLn 11–13$54K$1.1M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$263K$3K
Total assetsLn 16$876K$1.6M
LiabilitiesLn 26$19K$12K
Net assetsLn 32$856K$1.5M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$4K$4K
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$106K$59K$42K$4K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$117K$89K$23K$5K
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$3K$3K$637$133
Payroll taxesLn 10$15K$11K$4K$688
Accounting feesLn 11c$23K$23K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$15K$15K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$7K$7K
Office expensesLn 13$28K$14K$11K$3K
Information technologyLn 14$22K$1K$21K
OccupancyLn 16$2K$720$1K
TravelLn 17$4K$3K$384
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$6K$3K$4K
InsuranceLn 23$5K$2K$3K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$21K$15K$6K
Total functional expensesLn 25$379K$212K$155K$12K

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 Latest Viewing $1.0M$379K$664K$1.5M 990 PDF
FY2024 $317K$319K−$2K$856K 990 PDF
FY2023 $323K$352K−$29K$855K 990 PDF
FY2022 $498K$349K$148K$884K 990 PDF
FY2021 $552K$380K$171K$735K 990 PDF
FY2020 $478K$369K$109K$564K 990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support O · Explanations
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,042,664 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $155,347$167,763
I-9 Program service revenue$0
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $1,528$752,602
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $160,469$122,299
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $317,344$1,042,664
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $3,120$4,421
I-14 Benefits paid to members$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $195,637$241,231
I-16a Professional fundraising fees$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $120,216$133,495
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $318,973$379,147
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year −$1,629$663,517
Part VI · Governance 8 of 9 board members independent, no flags
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body9
VI-1b Independent voting members8
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,042,664 across 8 lines filed
Lines not itemized here account for $110,044 of total revenue; see the IRS return.
VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$167,763
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$167,763
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $2,594$2,594
VIII-5 RoyaltiesRelated to mission $716$716
VIII-6 Net rental income or lossExcluded from tax $3,475$3,475
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax $750,008$750,008
VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Excluded from tax $8,064$8,064
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $110,760 · Excluded from tax $764,141$1,042,664
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $379,147 across 15 lines filed
IX-2 Grants to domestic individualsPrograms $4,421$4,421
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $59,020 · Management $42,201 · Fundraising $4,417$105,638
IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $89,335 · Management $22,735 · Fundraising $4,711$116,781
IX-8 Pension plan contributionsPrograms $2,546 · Management $637 · Fundraising $133$3,316
IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $11,100 · Management $3,708 · Fundraising $688$15,496
IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $23,435$23,435
IX-11g Other fees for servicesManagement $15,346$15,346
IX-12 Advertising and promotionPrograms $6,730$6,730
IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $13,661 · Management $11,322 · Fundraising $2,521$27,504
IX-14 Information technologyPrograms $1,375 · Management $20,619$21,994
IX-16 OccupancyPrograms $720 · Management $1,352$2,072
IX-17 TravelPrograms $3,455 · Management $384$3,839
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $2,586 · Management $3,878$6,464
IX-23 InsurancePrograms $1,926 · Management $3,423$5,349
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $15,229 · Management $5,533$20,762
IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $212,104 · Management $154,573 · Fundraising $12,470$379,147
Part X · Balance sheet $1,555,213 assets, 15 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $6,200$12,199
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $323,745$297,705
X-3 Pledges and grants receivable$15,810
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $108,930$94,894
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $120,147$59,798
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $263,052$3,172
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $53,568$1,071,635
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $875,642$1,555,213
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $10,556$4,354
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $8,837$7,827
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $19,393$12,181
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $851,249$1,530,285
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $5,000$12,747
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $856,249$1,543,032
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $875,642$1,555,213
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,543,032 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$1,042,664
XI-2 Total expenses$379,147
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$663,517
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$856,249
XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$23,266
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$1,543,032

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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