GOVERNORS EARLY LITERACY FOUNDATION Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

GOVERNORS EARLY LITERACY FOUNDATION

EIN 20-1115704 · Remedial Reading & Encouragement (B92)

What they do

THE MISSION of GOVERNORS EARLY LITERACY FOUNDAION (GELF) is to STRENGTHEN EARLY LITERACY IN TENNESSEE. GELF EQUIPS TENNESSEES CHILDREN WITH BOOKS and INNOVATIVE LITERACY TOOLS THAT ENCOURAGE LIFELONG LEARNING for A BRIGHTER FUTURE. WE DO THIS BY SERVING AS A THOUGHT LEADER, ADVISOR, and CATALYST to SUSTAIN EARLY LITERACY PROGRAMS for CHILDREN ACCROSS THE STATE, INCLUSING BIRTH-3 BOOK DELIVERY, K-3 HOME LIBRARIES, CAREGIVER ENGAGEMENT, STORYBOOK TRAILS, BOOK BUSES, and THE STATEWIDE EARLY LITERACY EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE of TENNESSEE.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $87.50 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders18 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

60.61%of revenue went to mission work87.5% of expenses · Program services

4.94%of revenue went to fundraising7.1% of expenses

$69.23spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

3.68%of revenue went to management and office costs5.3% of expenses

$1.69in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

77.8%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $273,371 for JAMES POND (PRESIDENT). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$22,624,791

Mission workProgram services$13,712,09360.61% of revenue87.5% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$832,8583.68% of revenue5.3% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$1,117,4904.94% of revenue7.1% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$6,962,35030.77% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$15,662,44169.23% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 87.5% mission · 5.3% management · 7.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 69.23% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 90.9% mission · 4.0% management · 5.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.88% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 94.4% mission · 2.4% management · 3.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 93.06% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 91.5% mission · 3.8% management · 4.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 93.79% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 94.3% mission · 2.6% management · 3.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.27% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 92.9% mission · 3.2% management · 3.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 104.20% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 94.6% mission · 2.8% management · 2.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.98% of revenue

2016Expense mix: 94.8% mission · 2.9% management · 2.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.75% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$22,624,791

Expenses$15,662,441

Annual surplus $6,962,350 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$13,712,093 · 87.5% of expenses

Management and office costs$832,858 · 5.3% of expenses

Fundraising$1,117,490 · 7.1% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$22,624,791

Expenses$15,662,441

Assets$26,456,237

Income$23,634,609

Contributions$17,610,034

Mission work (program services)$13,712,093

Fundraising$1,117,490

Grants given$270,944

Average grant$10,421

Management and general$832,858

Stocks and bonds$10,877,109

Accounting fees$31,695

Investing fees$43,475

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

JAMES PONDPRESIDENT · 38 hrs/week $273,371Base $220,654 · Other $52,717

DEAN HOSKINSVICE PRESIDENT · 38 hrs/week $205,479Base $169,887 · Other $35,592

ABIGAIL SANDERSONDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT · 38 hrs/week $134,561Base $104,784 · Other $29,777

ANGEL BEBOUTCFO · 38 hrs/week $124,066Base $94,289 · Other $29,777

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (18)

JAMES PONDPRESIDENT

DEAN HOSKINSVICE PRESIDENT

ABIGAIL SANDERSONDIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

ANGEL BEBOUTCFO

WILLIAM FRANKLINBOARD MEMBER

NICOLE WATSONBOARD MEMBER

NANCY DISHNERCHAIR

MATT GORNICKBOARD MEMBER

JENNIFER COLQUITTBOARD MEMBER

JEFF BALLARDBOARD MEMBER

JAMES WILDMANBOARD MEMBER

JAMES NICHOLSONVICE CHAIR

JAKE BYNUMBOARD MEMBER

DENINE TORRBOARD MEMBER

DEBORAH REEDBOARD MEMBER

DANIELLE BARNESSECRETARY

BRYAN JONESBOARD MEMBER

BRANDON GIBSONBOARD MEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2004
Location: 710 JAMES ROBERTSON PARKWAY, NASHVILLE, TN 37219
County: Davidson
In care of: JAMES POND
Primary officer: JAMES POND, PRESIDENT & CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(866) 368-6371

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: LBMC PC
NTEE classification: Remedial Reading & Encouragement (B92)
IRS tax category: Remedial Reading & Encouragement
Grant-giving organization: Yes