Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
Create and support mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. In 2024, we served 2,649 children and youth in the 11-county Metro Atlanta area. The mentoring relationship has a profound impact on young people, often changing the trajectories of their lives.
- Income
- $6.8 million
- Spending
- $8.7 million
- Spent on programs
- 75%
- Reserves
- 9.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 67%
- Employees
- 125
- Volunteers
- 1,220
- Highest pay
- $345,494, president & ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 69 out of 100.
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 9.3 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 18% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 28% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 9% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1575% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 21 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100.
Independent board
25 of 2524 of 24 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $3.6 million spent. Level Up: Future-focused In-school Mentoring in Middle Schools:Level Up is a large-scale mentoring program that utilizes paid mentors embedded full-time in middle schools. We created this innovative program in response to the needs expressed by principals, counselors and administrators for mentoring at scale in middle schools. They wanted trained positive adult role models to provide consistent and direct mentoring for students to address unprecedented levels of classroom disruptions, student conflicts and other behavior issues. The program is designed to serve 100 students per grade at partner middle schools through small group and 1:1 mentoring. We continue to serve these students through eighth grade, when possible, while adding a new group of sixth grade students each year. Mentoring sessions take place weekly during the school day in a designated space at each school and follow a curriculum aligned with these outcome areas: Mental Health, Sense of Belonging, Vision for the Future and Avoidance of Risky Behaviors.In the 2023-24 school year we served a total of 1,472 Level Up students at four Atlanta Public Schools (APS) middle schools: Bunche, Price, Young and Russell middle schools and at Lithonia middle school in DeKalb County. In continuation of the growth that aligns with our strategic plan, we recently launched a pilot to serve our first cohort of 75 9th grade students at KIPP Atlanta Collegiate. We have created a curriculum that addresses the specific needs of students in the critical 9th grade year to help build a foundation for success in high school and beyond.Level Up has garnered significant interest from local governments and school districts which has led to continued growth and expansion.
- $2.4 million spent. 1:1 Mentoring with Volunteers:In our traditional 1:1 mentoring program we match children and youth (Littles) with caring adult volunteers (Bigs). The program is individualized for each child to meet their social, emotional and academic needs. Parents/guardians enroll their children in our program and work with program staff to identify issues their child may be dealing with, areas of concern and goals for the mentoring relationship. Our staff then create a personalized match plan for each youth outlining specific goals that can be monitored and supported for the duration of the match. Volunteers and youth are matched based on a range of criteria including geographic proximity, personality, life experiences and shared interests. The Big Brother/Sister and Little Brother/Sister spend quality time together engaged in enrichment activities at times that are most convenient for them and their families. In some cases, Bigs and Littles meet at the Little's school during the school day. A one-year commitment of two meetings/month on average is required. Each mentoring match is supported by a dedicated Program Specialist who provides ongoing resources and support to the Big, the Little and parents/guardians. Young people can remain in our program until they graduate from high school. In 2024, we served 962 children and youth ages 8-18 in our 1:1 Mentoring with Volunteers program.An enhancement to our core mentoring programs, Big Futures programming is designed to ensure that all High School youth are highly engaged and supported with tailored programming, resources and support. Our goal is that our high school Littles graduate both high school and our program with a concrete plan for their future, a sense of confidence as they enter adult life and a support system to help them navigate the transitions to and through high school. We offer a suite of resources and connections to other community partners who support high school youth. Through consistent and tailored communications to our High School matches and families, we provide ongoing opportunities such as college application and preparation support, college tours, and corporate behind-the-scenes visits. We continuously solicit feedback from high school Littles and their Bigs and families as part of our ongoing evaluation and assessment of Big Futures to ensure our programming is meeting the needs of the high school students in our program. In 2024, we served more than 554 high school students with our Big Futures activities and resources. We are very proud of the outcomes the young people we served in 2024 were able to achieve, at school and in the community: 98% of high school seniors in our program graduated on time 98% of our Littles avoided involvement in the juvenile justice system 99% of our Littles were promoted to the next grade level on time 88% of our Littles maintained or improved academic performance/school grades 86% of our Littles reported decreased or no depressive symptoms 90% of our Littles maintained or improved emotional regulation 94% of our Littles avoided risky behaviors and school discipline events 94% of graduating seniors reported post-graduation plans that align with the Four Es outcome measures: Enrollment Employment Entrepreneurship Enlistment
- $589,855 spent. Beyond School Walls workplace mentoring program:In our Beyond School Walls workplace mentoring program, high school students (Littles) are matched with corporate volunteers (Bigs) in 1:1 mentoring relationships. Matches meet as a group for two hours/month at the mentor's workplace and engage in sessions facilitated by BBBSMA staff. The curriculum focuses on career and college readiness, along with relational skill development. Sessions allow a Big and Little to participate in a shared activity while building relationship and conversation. Each year of the curriculum correlates to the next, but is designed so that a Little can enter the program at any year within the cycle. This allows us to continue engaging the Littles throughout all four years of their high school career and as part of a cohort. Mentoring relationships are created and supported adhering to the same evidence-based best practices as those in our traditional 1:1 mentoring program.In the 2023-2024 school year, we served 233 high school littles through six Beyond School Walls partnerships -- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and North Atlanta High School; NCR Voyix and Booker T. Washington High School; Google, Inc. and Benjamin Mays High School; UPS and Therrell High School; Cox Enterprises and Chamblee High School and Insight Global and Cross Keys High School.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since January 1962.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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