Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation

The information for Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation is as of the organization's most recent filing in December 2020. This organization is located in Staten Island, NY and has been in existence since 2003, making it 17 years old.

Organization Classification

The IRS classifies organizations according to the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) system. The NTEE system helps the IRS assign a 3-character code to each organization to describe the organization's activities.

The Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation's NTEE code is B82. The "B" tells us that the organization is classified along with Education. The "82" tells us that the organization is a Scholarships & Student Financial Aid organization. The NTEE describes Scholarships & Student Financial Aid organizations as those that enable students who demonstrate financial need to obtain the financial assistance required to meet their educational and living expenses while in school.

Every organization is also governed by a specific section of the Internal Revenue Code. The most common type is a 501(c)(3) organization. However, there are actually 29 different types of organizations that are identified by the Internal Revenue Code. This organization happens to be a 501(c)(3) organization. The IRS describes these organizations as those engaged in Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Public Safety, Amateur Sports, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals work.

The mission of the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation is to honor the sacrifice of Firefighter Stephen Siller, who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001. They also honor our military and first responders who continue to make the supreme sacrifice of life and limb for our country.

Program Areas

Program Area 1: In the Line of Duty Programs, the organization provides custom, specially adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured service members, pays off the remaining mortgages for families with young children left behind when a firefighter or police officer is killed, provides mortgage free homes for families with young children who are left behind when a service member dies in the line of duty, and provides PPE to support front line health care workers and first responders throughout the pandemic.

Program Area 2: The Never Forget Programs are memorial events established to honor those who perished on 9/11, first responders, and military personnel. The program also includes a traveling exhibit to provide interactive education and artifacts, as well as providing support to local community children in need and families of injured or fallen first responders.

Organization Staffing

Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation is run by Sarah Siller, who is the President. The organization has 67 employees, of whom none are paid more than $100k per year (according to the organization's most recent 990 tax filing). Supporting the paid staff are more than 131 volunteers.

Board Governance

The Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation has a well-governed structure, with 8 voting members and 7 independent members. The organization has taken steps to address potential conflicts of interest, with a conflict of interest policy and disclosure requirements. Board and committee meetings are documented, and the organization has a written whistleblower policy and document retention policy. The organization also provides copies of the 990 to the board prior to filing. However, the organization does not substantiate and review leadership or officer's salaries. This is a potential area of improvement for the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation.

Grant History

Our dataset has six years of grant history for the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation. In that time, they have awarded 68 grants, with an average check size of $61,238. The majority of grants were awarded in the Education sector. Additionally, the organization most frequently awards grants in the state of New York (47) followed by Georgia (3), Michigan (5), Virginia (1), Pennsylvania (1), California (6), South Carolina (1), Texas (1), Minnesota (1), and Tennessee (2).

Organization Growth

The Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation has experienced significant growth over the past five years. Contributions and Grants Received increased from $7.5M in 2015 to $112.3M in 2020, while Total Revenue increased from $11.7M to $113.7M. Grants Paid, Employee Salaries, and Total Expenses all increased significantly over the same time period. Total Employees also grew from 37 in 2015 to 67 in 2020. On the other hand, Program Service Revenue decreased from $3.9M in 2015 to $1.3M in 2020, Other Revenue decreased from $329.2K to a negative figure, and Total Volunteers decreased from 6.5K to 131. Overall, the Stephen Siller Tunnel To Towers Foundation has grown substantially over the past five years.