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Tax Status Governance Fund Raising Financial

Name:	Bridges To Life
Address:	9426 Katy Freeway, Building 7
	Houston, TX 77055
Phone:	713-463-7200
Web Address:	www.bridgestolife.org
Also known as: BTL

Bridges To Life does not meet the following Standard for Charity Accountability.

Standard 11: Financial Statements - Make available to all, on request, complete annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. When total annual gross income exceeds $250,000, these statements should be audited in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. For charities whose annual gross income is less than $250,000, a review by a certified public accountant is sufficient to meet this standard. For charities whose annual gross income is less than $100,000, an internally produced, complete financial statement is sufficient to meet this standard. Bridges To Life does not meet this Standard because: It states it does not have audited financial statements for the past fiscal year. Charity Response: Bridges to Life plans its first official audit in early 2012 for the 2011 fiscal year.

Bridges To Life meets the remaining 19 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Bridges To Life (BTL) was founded in 1998 by Houstonian John Sage after the brutal murder of his sister, Marilyn, in 1993. Based on the principals of Restorative Justice, the BTL program takes crime victims into the prison system with the intent of reducing crime in the community and lowering the recidivism (re-offending) rate of the offenders who complete the program. BTL accomplishes its goal of empowering victims and rehabilitating inmates by educating offenders about the impact that their actions have had on their victims, families, and the community. This is accomplished through an intensive, 14 week program that is almost completely volunteer driven. Bridges To Life serves both the adult and juvenile justice system, and has completed 321 projects in 34 Texas prisons and juvenile facilities. Offenders who participate in the BTL program recidivate at a lower rate than the national average, making our communities safer. The BTL program has two main goals: (1) to reduce recidivism rates of program graduates and (2) to facilitate the healing process for both victims and offenders. To date, 11,364 inmates have completed the BTL program since 2000. Of the 3,673 released inmates currently in our recidivism study, only 639 (17.4%) have returned to prison (compared to a nationwide recidivism rate of 40-50%). Only 1.2% has returned for a violent crime. And, while the average cost of re-incarcerating an offender is approximately $90,000, the average cost of the BTL program per offender in 2010 was $263. 2,098 inmates/participants graduated from the BTL program in 2010.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, Bridges To Life's program expenses were:

Total:	425,033
Total Program Expenses:	$425,033

Chief Executive : John Sage, Executive Director

Compensation*:

$104,656

Chair of the Board: Philip Burguieres
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: CEO of EMC Holdings

Board Size: 9

Paid Staff Size: 10

*Compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:

direct mail, invitations to fund raising events, grant proposals, internet, membership

Fund raising costs were 7% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $537,710, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Bridges To Life's IRS Form 990 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.

Source of Funds
Contributions and grants	537,710
Investment income	5,102
Other revenue	-5,537
Total Income	$537,275

Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 86%  Fund Raising: 8%  Administrative: 6%

Total income				$537,275
	Program expenses			$425,033
	Fund raising expenses			39,251
	Administrative expenses			29,081
Total expenses				$493,365
Income in Excess of Expenses				43,910
Beginning net assets				452,273
Ending net assets				496,298
Total liabilities				115
Total assets				$496,183