Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
TO ENABLE ALL YOUNG PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO NEED US MOST, TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL AS PRODUCTIVE, CARING AND RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS.
- Income
- $15.6 million
- Spending
- $14.4 million
- Spent on programs
- 80%
- Reserves
- 10.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 57%
- Employees
- 485
- Volunteers
- 221
- Highest pay
- $310,693, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Good: 88 out of 100. Higher than 76% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 9% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 8% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1580% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 28% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2536 of 37 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 June 30, 2025, 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 (1)
- $11.6 million spent. BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY (BGCTNV) PROVIDES A WIDE VARIETY OF PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF TODAY'S YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES. THERE ARE FOUR PRIORITY OUTCOMES TO FULFILL THE MISSION: (1) HEALTH & WELL-BEING, (2) CHARACTER & LEADERSHIP, (3) ACADEMIC SUCCESS, AND (4) LIFE AND WORKFORCE READINESS. TO SUPPORT YOUTH DEVELEOPING POSITIVE, LIFELONG PRACTICES IN EACH OF THESE FIELDS, A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS ARE SHARED WITH YOUTH TO DEVELOP THEIR CHARACTER, OPINIONS, AND EXPERIENCES. THESE PROGRAMS, WHICH ARE RESEARCH AND EMPIRICALLY BASED, ARE PRESENTED TO YOUTH IN SMALL GROUPS OR ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS. MANY ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS OFFERED BY BGCTNV ARE BASED ON DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GUIDELINES AND FUNDING. THE MAJORITY OF CLUBS IMPLEMENT 21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER GRANTS FOR YOUTH WHO ARE ACADEMICALLY AT-RISK. THROUGH THE 21ST CENTURY GRANTS, CLUBS FOCUS ON TUTORING, HOMEWORK HELP, AND ENRICHMENT GAMES AND ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT LEARNING. LOCAL TEACHERS WITH YOUTH REGISTERED AT CLUBS REPORTED THAT THEIR STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED SUPPORT WITH HOMEWORK HAD FEWER MISTAKES, WITH NOTABLE IMPACT ON MATH AND READING SKILLS. THE PROJECT LEARN STRATEGY IS A DEVELOPED TECHNIQUE, RESEARCHED BY THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA, TO COMBINE REGULAR SCHOOL BASED TOPICS WITH THE ADDED INGREDIENT OF FUN WITHIN THE CLUBS. THERE ARE ALSO ACADEMIC PROGRAMS FOR TEENS TO DISCUSS COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS, INCLUDING PIPELINE, TALENT SEARCH, AND YOUTHFORCE. EACH OF THESE PROGRAMS FOCUSES ON DIFFERENT SECTORS OF TEENS WITH THE INTENT OF IMPROVING THEIR CURRENT HIGH SCHOOL WORK AND DEVELOPING SKILLS THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR THEIR COLLEGE AND PROFESSIONAL LIFE. IN THE PIPELINE PROGRAM, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED TEENS OR POTENTIAL FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE THE PRIMARY TARGET. OF THE OVER 506 PARTICIPANTS, 100% OF NON-SENIOR PARTICIPANTS ADVANCED IN GRADE LEVEL DURING THE PROGRAM AND 98% OF SENIORS GRADUATED IN FOUR-YEARS. TALENT SEARCH, A DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FUNDED PROGRAM, SUPPORTS ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED TEENS TO PURSUE POST-SECONDARY ACADEMICS. 502 YOUTH PARTICIPATED, WITH 94% OF NON-SENIORS MOVING ON TO THE NEXT GRADE LEVEL, AND 61% OF SENIORS ENROLLING IN A POST SECONDARY PROGRAM. FINALLY, YOUTHFORCE PROVIDES CAREER BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SKILLS TRAINING. 332 TEENS COMPLETED A 60-HOUR INTERNSHIP. 217 MEMBERS PARTICIPATED IN TECHNICAL TRAINING CAMPS, SUCH AS CERTIFICATE IN GOOGLE ANALYTICS, TO EARN AN ADDITONAL CERTIFICATION. HEALTHY LIFESTYLES PROGRAMS, INCLUDING TEAM SPORTS (FLAG FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL, SOCCER, CHEERLEADING), HARVESTING FOOD IN COMMUNITY GARDENS, AND REGULAR FITNESS ACTIVITIES IN CLUB GYMS, PROVIDE GUIDED ACTIVITIES FOR HONING PHYSICAL SKILLS. CLUBS ALSO PRESENT SMART MOVES, A DRUG PREVENTION PROGRAM, AND UTILTIZE THE MEMBER EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL HEALTH (MESH) TEAM, REFERENCED BELOW, TO HELP MEMBERS BUILD STRONG CHARACTER. GOOD CHARACTER AND CITIZENSHIP PROGRAMS ARE LED BY MEMBER EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL HEALTH (MESH) PROGRAMS. SOCIAL WORKERS STAFF THESE PROGRAMS, LED BY FOUR (4) LICENSED MASTERS SOCIAL WORKERS (LMSW) WITH ADDITIONAL PART-TIME SUPPORT. MESH DIRECTLY SERVED 518 YOUTH. 170 WERE SERVED IN FOCUSED SMALL GROUPS AND 47 HAD INDIVIDUAL, ONGOING COUNSELING SUPPORT. BASED ON EXIT SURVEYS, 100% REPORTED AN INCREASE IN SELF-CONFIDENCE AND "HAPPY DAYS" AFTER PARTICIPATING IN RELATED MESH PROGRAMS AND 91% REPORTED STRONGER SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL SKILLS. BGCTNV ALSO PROVIDES HIGH-QUALITY ART TRAINING IN THE YOUTH ARTS INITIATIVE (YAI). THIS PROGRAM WAS LED BY PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS IN VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS. LESSONS INCLUDED EMPHASIS ON TOOLS, MATERIALS, AND FEEDBACK IN FOCUS MEDIUMS LIKE ACRYLIC AND WATERCOLOR PAINTING, PRINTMAKING, DRAWING, MIXED-MEDIA, MUSIC, AND DANCE. OVER 2,300 MEMBERS ATTENDED YAI PROGRAMS. BGCTNV CONTINUED TO EXPAND PROGRAMMING FOR PREK STUDENTS THIS YEAR TO ADDITIONAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. THIS EXPANSION ASSISTS IN DEVELOPING A MORE EFFECTIVE CHILDCARE SOLUTION FOR OUR COMMUNITY WHILE PRODUCING POSITIVE ACADEMIC OUTCOMES FOR MORE STUDENTS. DATA SHOWS THAT STUDENTS IN OUR PREK PROGRAMS HAVE A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RATE AND ARE PREPARED FOR KINDERGARTEN WITH NECESSARY ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL SKILLS AT A HIGHER RATE THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION. BGCTNV PROVIDES A SAFE PLACE FOR YOUTH TO PLAY AND LEARN DURING OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIMES. DEPENDING ON THE SEASON, CLUBS OPEN FOR FULL OR HALF DAYS TO COMPLEMENT THE SCHOOL SCHEDULE. STAFF PLAY AND ENGAGE WITH YOUTH IN SMALL, INCREMENTAL WAYS OVER THE DURATION OF A YOUNG PERSON'S MEMBERSHIP THROUGH THE AFOREMENTIONED FRAMEWORK OF EMPIRICALLY BASED AND RESEARCHED PROGRAMS. CLUBS PROVIDE VARIOUS SPACES TO ENSURE YOUTH ARE HAVING FUN IN AS MANY WAYS AS POSSIBLE THROUGH SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL ENGAGEMENT. THE FOCUSED PURPOSE OF LIVING WELL AND HAVING FUN ENCOURAGED OVER 7,500 YOUTH TO ENROLL. ON ANY GIVEN DAY, THERE WILL BE ROUGHLY 1,700 KIDS PLAYING, LEARNING, AND GROWING IN CLUBS THROUGH OUT THE AREA. ALL PROGRAMS AT BGCTNV AIM TO FOSTER ACTIVE, INTELLIGENT, AND WELL-ROUNDED CHILDREN. THE PROFESSIONAL TRAINED STAFF SUPPORT KIDS DAILY WITH THE GOAL OF SHARING A SAFE SPACE WHERE KIDS CAN MATURE INTO THEIR OWN ADULTHOOD. THE CLUBS, STAFF, AND PROGRAMS CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH TO BECOME THEIR BEST VERSION. IT IS BECAUSE OF THE VAST FUNDERS AND DONORS THAT THESE MOMENTS CAN OCCUR FOR LOCAL YOUTH.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 November 6, 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 June 2025.
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 August 1947.
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 November 4, 2026.
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