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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: March 2026 Expires: March 2028

The Backside Learning Center

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards
(502) 634-6543
3716 Oakdale Ave.
Louisville, KY, 40214
http://www.backsidelearningcenter.org/
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

The Backside Learning Center meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
The Backside Learning Center (BLC) is an independent non-profit organization providing support and resources in a safe, welcoming environment for the diverse community of racetrack workers and their families.

Year, State Incorporated:
2016, KY

Also Known As:
Backside Learning Center

Centrally based on the backside of Churchill Downs Racetrack, BLCs staff provides essential support to the 1,000+ racetrack employees who are the backbone of the horse racing industry. With its location in the heart of the workplace, BLC staff members are equipped to provide a multitude of walk-in services and programming, including but not limited to, translation and interpretation services, legal advocacy, community financial resource access, housing support, and mental health workshops. For more intensive needs, the BLC provides comprehensive case management for individuals and families, with BLC case managers supplying holistic support, guidance, and resource planning to approach sensitive situations in a healthy way.  

Since 2004, adult education has been a crucial component of the organizations mission. With adult English classes and 1-on-1 tutoring, adult racetrack workers are given the tools and resources necessary to thrive both within and beyond the backstretch. 

While its on-site support has been crucial for those living and working on the backside day-to-day, the organization also provides programming to families of racetrack workers. Its after-school program, Front Runners, provides educational, social, and emotional support for K-12 children of racetrack workers. Throughout the year, members of its youth team staff additionally act as educational advocates to help identify backside youth who require intensive support, facilitate communication between the childs family and JCPS, and advocate to connect the child with the supports and resources they need. BLC also provides access to summer camps throughout the city and have begun implementing a summer literacy camp to prevent summer slides for young readers. 

Over the last few years, the BLCs early childhood education and development initiative has grown rapidly. This support includes a weekly early childhood classroom, parent-child together time, referrals to speech and occupational therapy, and connections to community resources such as the YMCA.

For the year ended September 30, 2024, The Backside Learning Center's program expenses were:

Family education programs $410,574
Learning center adult programs $286,664
Total Program Expenses $697,238

Chief Executive
Sherry Stanley, Executive Director

Chair of the Board
Caton Bredar

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Horseracing Analyst, TV-G

Board Size
15

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Television, Grant proposals, Planned giving arrangements, Cause-related marketing (affinity credit cards, consumer product sales, etc.)

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 The Backside Learning Center's unaudited financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2024.

Source of Funds
Contributions $996,130
Special events $312,758
Investment gains and income $230,492
Net assets released from restrictions $222,087
Grants $204,565
Non-cash contributions $34,986
Net assets released from restrictions $-222,087
Total Income $1,778,931

Programs: 66% Fundraising: 18% Administrative: 9%

Total Income $1,778,931
Total expenses: $1,050,865
  Program expenses $697,238
  Fundraising expenses $186,142
  Administrative expenses $93,074
  Other expenses $74,411
Income in Excess of Expenses $728,066
Beginning Net Assets $1,156,625
Other Changes In Net Assets $2
Ending Net Assets $1,884,693
Total Liabilities $4,712
Total Assets $1,889,405
Ending net assets as reported above include $1,684,980 without donor restrictions and $199,713 with donor restrictions.

Total assets as reported above include $39,216 in property and equipment, net.

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

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Report completed by:
BBB serving Greater Kentucky and South Central Indiana