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Fact check: How does the Tunnel to Towers Foundation use its donations?
Executive Summary
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation directs the vast majority of donations to programs supporting first responders, military members, and their families, prominently delivering mortgage-free homes, “smart” adaptive homes for injured veterans, and emergency relief for families of the fallen, with organizational materials and audits asserting high program spending. Public filings and watchdog summaries claim about 93% of cash budgets go to programs and fundraising cost efficiency is strong, while audited financial statements and Form 990 data provide transparency for independent review [1] [2] [3]. Below is a multi-source, date-aware account that reconciles claims, validations, and potential gaps in public reporting.
1. How the Charity Describes Its Use of Donations — A Clear Program Focus
The foundation’s own reports and press releases emphasize direct assistance activities: mortgage-free homes for injured veterans, emergency grants to first-responder families, and construction of smart homes tailored to severe disabilities. The 2017 annual report and recent press releases explicitly list these program types and show continuity of mission through at least September 2025, indicating sustained program prioritization and public storytelling built around concrete, high-cost gifts like homes [1] [4]. This internal narrative frames donations as materially transforming beneficiaries’ lives rather than funding small-scale aid, which is important context for donors weighing impact.
2. Financial Transparency and External Audit Support — Paperwork That Backs the Claims
Independent, audited financial statements and available Form 990 filings show the foundation maintains conventional nonprofit transparency and has had auditors express unmodified opinions on its financial statements, meaning independent accountants found reporting aligned with U.S. GAAP. The organization’s financial pages assert a 93% allocation of funds to programs and publish supporting documents, which lets donors and watchdogs verify line-item spending and trends across years [5] [2]. This level of disclosure helps corroborate program claims, although audits verify accounting presentation rather than programmatic merit or long-term outcomes.
3. CharityWatch and Efficiency Metrics — Third-Party Ratings That Matter
Third-party summaries, including a January 2024 CharityWatch rating, report that the foundation spent 93% of its cash budget on programs and reported a low fundraising cost of about $5 to raise $100, signaling high alleged efficiency in converting donations into services [3]. These ratios are headline-friendly and useful for quick donor comparisons, but they depend on accounting definitions (cash budget vs. full accrual) and how large, one-time capital expenditures like home construction are treated. The rating provides an efficiency snapshot but should be read alongside audited statements to understand methodology.
4. Notable Fundraising Events and Demonstrated Capacity to Attract Large Gifts
Public reporting includes examples of high-profile fundraising results, such as a Barrett-Jackson auction that netted $2.5 million for the foundation, demonstrating its ability to attract significant single-event donations that can underwrite costly programs like home builds [6]. These events illustrate both fundraising reach and donor enthusiasm, and they materially affect program capacity when directed to targeted initiatives. Large gifts can distort year-to-year percentages, so readers should note whether headline program ratios reflect recurring revenues or one-off windfalls.
5. Points Where Information Is Less Clear — What Donors Should Probe Further
While filings and audits support the basic financial picture, available materials in the dataset do not provide detailed breakdowns of per-home costs, long-term maintenance plans, or beneficiary follow-up outcomes, leaving gaps about cost-effectiveness per recipient and sustainability of constructed homes. The 93% program figure is compelling but requires donors to examine line-item schedules and definitions used in Form 990 and audited statements to confirm how capital projects and administrative costs are classified [7] [5]. Donors should also check the timing and consistency of program spending across multiple years.
6. Potential Agendas and How They Shape Public Messaging
The foundation’s messaging and donor-facing materials understandably highlight high-impact, emotional programs—mortgage-free homes and support for fallen families—which are compelling narratives that can both reflect true impact and serve fundraising aims. Independent auditors and watchdogs validate financial presentation but do not assess narrative emphasis; therefore, the combination of strong storytelling and favorable efficiency metrics can create a powerful fundraising message that merits scrutiny for selective emphasis and timing of gifts [4] [3]. Awareness of this dynamic helps readers separate program reality from promotional framing.
7. Bottom Line for Donors — What the Evidence Collectively Shows
Taken together, audits, public filings, watchdog ratings, and press accounts present a consistent picture: the Tunnel to Towers Foundation focuses donations on direct, large-scale programs, claims high program-spending ratios (around 93%), and attracts substantial fundraising support for costly projects like homes [1] [2] [3]. This consolidated evidence supports the conclusion that donations are primarily used for the stated mission, but prudent donors should review recent audited statements and Form 990 schedules for specifics on capital project accounting, recurring program costs, and beneficiary follow-up to fully assess long-term effectiveness [5] [7].