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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: January 2026 Expires: January 2028

Bridges To Life

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards
(713) 463-7200
PO Box 570895
Houston, TX, 77257
https://www.bridgestolife.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

Bridges To Life meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
The mission of BTL is to connect communities to prisons in an effort to reduce the recidivism rate (particularly that resulting from violent crimes), reduce the number of crime victims, and enhance public safety.

Year, State Incorporated:
1998, TX

Also Known As:
BTL

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 principles of restorative justice, the BTL program reduces crime in the community by lowering the recidivism rate of the offenders who complete our 14-week program. Along with curriculum topics from accountability to restitution, the BLT program brings crime victims into the prisons to share their stories. This process sparks empathy in offenders as they come to understand the true impact of crime, not only on victims, but also on the victim's family, friends, and the community at large. 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. Bridges To Life has served both the adult and juvenile justice systems, and has conducted its program in over 235 prisons and alternative facilities. The Bridges To Life curriculum has been used in 19 states and 7 foreign countries, graduating more than 93,000 men and women from the program since 1999, with a program cost of under $300 per graduate!

In 2026, the Bridges To Life program will be conducted in over 100 prisons and alternative facilities, with over 7,000 participants completing the program. 

For the year ended December 31, 2024, Bridges To Life's program expenses were:

Community program services $3,548,180
Total Program Expenses $3,548,180

Chief Executive
John Sage, Founder and CEO

Chair of the Board
John Sage

Board Size
9

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Television, Grant proposals, Internet, 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 Bridges To Life's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Source of Funds
Volunteer house income $2,109,637
Revenues, Gains and Other Support Contributions $1,429,837
Fundraising $82,800
Investment $77,003
Sales of publications $6,611
Total Income $3,705,888

Programs: 94% Fundraising: 4% Administrative: 1%

Total Income $3,705,888
Total expenses: $3,767,920
  Program expenses $3,548,180
  Fundraising expenses $163,990
  Administrative expenses $55,750
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $-62,032
Beginning Net Assets $2,656,159
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $2,594,127
Total Liabilities $40,000
Total Assets $2,614,577

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 of Greater Houston and South Texas