What percentage of Tunnel to Towers Foundation donations go directly to program services?
Executive summary
Tunnel to Towers reports that roughly 93% of cash expenses go to program services—“93 cents out of every dollar” per the Foundation and CharityWatch’s analyses of its 2022 filings [1] [2] [3]. Independent calculators that used the 2023 Form 990 put the program share slightly lower—about 90.4% of a $272 million budget—showing some variance by year and by methodology [4].
1. What the Foundation and major evaluators say
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation states its program service percentage averages 93%—framed as “93 cents out of every dollar” going to programs and services—and highlights repeated four‑star ratings from Charity Navigator [1]. CharityWatch likewise gives Tunnel to Towers an “A+” grade and reports the charity spent 93% of its cash expenses on programs in its 2022 analysis of IRS Form 990 and audited statements [2] [3]. CharityWatch also notes Tunnel to Towers spent about $5 to raise every $100 of cash support in fiscal 2022, reinforcing its efficiency claim [3].
2. Independent calculations and year-to-year differences
Third‑party site Charities for Veterans calculated a 90.4% program share for 2023 based on that year’s tax return, with 9.6% allocated to overhead on a $272 million budget [4]. MeasurementSupply, a fundraising partner, cites a 95% program rate for “past several years,” illustrating that some outside summaries use different multi‑year averages or include/exclude certain expense categories [5]. These differences underscore that reported percentages shift by fiscal year and by whether analyses use a single year’s Form 990, multi‑year averages, or different accounting treatments [4] [5].
3. Why percentages vary: methodology matters
CharityWatch explicitly calculates program percent using cash expenses and excludes in‑kind goods when computing its metric, a methodological choice that raises its program percentage figure for Tunnel to Towers [3]. Other evaluators or calculators that include in‑kind donations, capital projects, or different allocations between program and management line items can lower or raise the program share [3] [4]. Available sources do not provide a single standardized reconciliation of every discrepancy across these reports.
4. What the numbers mean in practice
High program percentages—90% to 95% depending on source and year—indicate a large majority of reported cash expenses are recorded as program service spending, consistent with Tunnel to Towers’ mission activities such as mortgage‑free homes and veteran housing programs [6] [7]. Charity Navigator’s four‑star mentions appear in the Foundation’s materials as evidence of operational efficiency, although Charity Navigator’s Impact & Measurement score for Tunnel to Towers was not available for some analyses and certain impact measures were not evaluated there [1] [6].
5. Competing perspectives and limitations
Sources disagree modestly on the precise percentage—93% per Tunnel to Towers and CharityWatch for 2022, 90.4% per Charities for Veterans for 2023, and other outlets or partners citing 95% averages—because of different years, accounting choices, and whether in‑kind or noncash items are included [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Available sources do not mention a consolidated, audited one‑page reconciliation that shows a single, definitive “percentage of donations to program services” across all fundraising streams and fiscal years.
6. Practical takeaways for donors
If you prioritize overhead ratios as a decision metric, Tunnel to Towers consistently reports and is independently rated as directing about nine‑tenths of cash expenses to programs by multiple evaluators, with CharityWatch and the Foundation citing 93% for 2022 and other calculations near 90% for 2023 [2] [3] [4]. Donors should review the charity’s most recent Form 990 and audited statements to see line‑item detail and note whether an evaluator’s percentage is based on a single year, a multi‑year average, or excludes noncash items [3] [4].
7. Final judgment and reporting note
Tunnel to Towers consistently presents itself as a high‑program‑spend charity and independent watchdogs corroborate that claim for recent years, though the exact percentage fluctuates by year and analytical method [1] [2] [3] [4]. Readers seeking the single most accurate, current figure should consult the Foundation’s financials page and the latest Form 990/audited statements; the sources cited above document the main published figures and the methodological reasons for their differences [1] [3] [4].