500 FESTIVAL INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

500 FESTIVAL INC

EIN 35-1004320 · Recreation & Sports (N)

What they do

The Mission of The 500 Festival is to Produce Life-enriching Events and Programs That Celebrate The Spirit and Legacy of The Indianapolis 500 and Foster A Positive Impact On The City of Indianapolis and State of Indiana.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $83.00 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 leaders37 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

85.25%of revenue went to mission work83.0% of expenses · Program services

11.19%of revenue went to fundraising10.9% of expenses

$102.75spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

6.31%of revenue went to management and office costs6.1% of expenses

$1.54in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

15.4%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.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $170,973 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $525,841 for ROBERT C BRYANT (PRESIDENT & CEO). 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$6,210,110

Mission workProgram services$5,294,16785.25% of revenue83.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$391,7286.31% of revenue6.1% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$695,18811.19% of revenue10.9% of expenses

Total expenses$6,381,083102.75% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

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: 83.0% mission · 6.1% management · 10.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 102.75% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 80.6% mission · 7.2% management · 12.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.48% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 81.6% mission · 7.7% management · 10.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 95.60% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 86.7% mission · 6.2% management · 7.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.87% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 83.5% mission · 8.3% management · 8.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.84% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 80.9% mission · 9.1% management · 10.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.67% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 88.3% mission · 5.8% management · 5.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 102.12% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 90.6% mission · 9.4% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.16% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$6,210,110

Expenses$6,381,083

Annual shortfall $170,973 Expenses were higher than revenue 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)$5,294,167 · 83.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$391,728 · 6.1% of expenses

Fundraising$695,188 · 10.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$6,210,110

Expenses$6,381,083

Assets$9,800,776

Income$6,322,506

Contributions$958,185

Mission work (program services)$5,294,167

Fundraising$695,188

Management and general$391,728

Stocks and bonds$3,175,507

Accounting fees$29,600

Investing fees$12,501

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

ROBERT C BRYANTPRESIDENT & CEO · 40 hrs/week $525,841Base $444,559 · Other $81,282

JENNIFER LOWESVP ADMINISTRATION · 40 hrs/week $217,300Base $176,796 · Other $40,504

LINDSAY H LABASVP MARKETING · 40 hrs/week $164,881Base $120,371 · Other $44,510

PATRICK J MERNAVP STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS · 40 hrs/week $120,553Base $106,738 · Other $13,815

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 (37)

ROBERT C BRYANTPRESIDENT & CEO

JENNIFER LOWESVP ADMINISTRATION

LINDSAY H LABASVP MARKETING

PATRICK J MERNAVP STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

SCOTT BOVEDIRECTOR

RON PENCZEKDIRECTOR

ROGER VANDERSNICKDIRECTOR

ROGER HARVEYTREASURER

TOM KILIANDIRECTOR

TROY GILSTORFDIRECTOR

PATRICIO DANERIDIRECTOR

NICOLE PAULKDIRECTOR

MIKE BOATRIGHTDIRECTOR

TRAVIS BROWNDIRECTOR

LARRY JONESDIRECTOR

KEVIN SPEERDIRECTOR

JUAN GONZALEZDIRECTOR

JOHN GAUSEDIRECTOR

BALI HEIRDIRECTOR

DR ALEESIA JOHNSONDIRECTOR

BLAKE SCHULZDIRECTOR

BOWMAN ELDERDIRECTOR

BRANDI DAVIS - HANDYDIRECTOR

CASSE TATEDIRECTOR

CHRISTINA MOUNGEYVICE CHAIR

CINDY MORSEDIRECTOR

DOUG BOLESDIRECTOR

DOUG HEATHDIRECTOR

JJ NELSONDIRECTOR

DR JIM CALLAGHANCHAIR

DR PATRICK MCGILLDIRECTOR

ELLEN SAULDIRECTOR

ERIK MINERDIRECTOR

ERIK SKJODTDIRECTOR

JACK GOODPASTUREDIRECTOR

JASON ECKERLEDIRECTOR

JEFF HARRISONDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1960
Location: 1125 BROOKSIDE AVENUE, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46202-3587
County: Marion
In care of: % JENNIFER LOWE
Primary officer: David Neff, President and CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(317) 927-3378

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BARNES DENNIG & CO LTD
NTEE classification: Recreation & Sports (N)
IRS tax category: Recreation & Sports