2024-01-24T10:34:40-07:00 2022-12-31 990 2022-01-01 981103828 INDEPENDENT ORDER OF FORESTERS GROUP RETURN INDE 4164293000 789 Don Mills Road Floor 22 Toronto Ontario CA M3C1T9 Rene Zanin Global Chief Legal Officer 4163717008 2024-01-26 1 1 11 1 AAL2 2022 2023-04-26 12:10:37Z Rene Zanin 789 Don Mills Road Toronto Ontario CA M3C1T9 1786495 1 1 1783 X www.foresters.com X Fraternal Benefit Society 2012 CA The Independent Order of Foresters (Foresters) is a fraternal benefit society that provides financial services products and unique benefits to its members and their families. Through its member-governed Branch network, Foresters members are provided opportunities to organize and participate in local volunteer activities and fun member events. Within this model of community service, Foresters lives its purpose of enhancing the well-being of its members, their families and their local communities. The Granting program in 2022 saw an increase in the number of member engagement across the entire Membership base, and across all three regions in the U.S. In particular, the 2022 program year granted $1,836,174 to local volunteer, Fun Family activities, Foresters Care and Branch Matching and Fraternal Funding programs. A total of 1,562 activities were held across the U.S., engaging 19,100 members and their families in delivering Foresters purpose. 6 6 0 265 0 0 1525900 1785200 0 0 0 0 1572 1295 1527472 1786495 1271108 1828108 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1271108 1828108 256364 -41613 3903915 3862302 0 0 3903915 3862302 Foresters offer quality life insurance products, unique member benefits and inspiring community activities to fulfill its purpose of improving the overall well-being of its members and their communities. Within the Branch system, the fraternal benefits are delivered at the local level through local involvement programming. In large part, this is done through Foresters Community Grants, which allows members to apply for funds to organize local activities that make a difference in their communities. The main objective of the Granting program is to engage members in Foresters purpose of enhancing the well-being of families and communities by funding local community volunteer and fun family activities. 0 0 909074 909074 Community Volunteer Activities (CV): Each of the 35 U.S. Branches allocates funds towards local volunteer activities that make a difference in member communities, referred to as Community Volunteer (CV) activities. In 2022, there were a total of 495 CV events across the U.S., receiving $909,074 in Branch funding, which engaged thousands of local members in volunteerism and community service. These activities all served a real need in local communities and /or supported charitable organizations such as local schools, shelters and children's hospitals. A few examples of Community Volunteer activities include: building and cleaning playgrounds, creating care kits for shelters, cooking meals at senior residences and running arts and crafts activities for families staying in children's hospitals. The impact of these activities extends beyond our members and exemplifies Foresters commitment to its purpose of serving local communities. 747144 747144 Fun Family Activities (FF): Foresters also gives its members the opportunity to apply for funding through their local Branches to organize or participate in Fun Family activities with the goal of creating family time, which is another way Foresters contributes to building stronger families and communities. In 2022, 813 Fun Family (FF) activities were held across the US, providing families with the opportunity to spend quality time together at amusement parks, movies, zoos etc. Foresters allocated $747,144 in funding, which resulted in thousands of members engaged in Foresters purpose. 150136 150136 The Foresters Care grant benefit allows members to enjoy the full experience of preparing, organizing, and executing their meaningful volunteering activities to help make a difference in their local communities. Foresters Care leverages the power and potential of social media so members can share their success stories and motivate each other to get involved in Foresters member benefits, helping those in need. In 2022, Foresters allocated $150,136 in funding to this program in the US. The resulted in thousands of members engaged in the Foresters purpose. 21754 21754 In 2021, Membership introduced the Branch Matching and Fraternal Funding program. The objective of the Branch Matching Program is to provide annual funding to Branch Councils allowing them to organize activities to help local communities in need. The objective of the Fraternal Funding Program is to provide annual funding at a Regional level to support the ability to connect and socialize with other members within their Region. In 2022, $21,754 was awarded in grants for the Branch Matching - Fraternal Funding program across the three US regions. 21754 21754 0 1828108 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 6 6 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 X Independent Order of Foresters Independent Order of Foresters 6479881408 789 Don Mills Road Floor 22 Attn - Denzil Mckenzie Toronto Ontario CA M3C1T9 Linda Foster Regional President, Central US Region 1 0 X 0 0 0 Susan Panepinto Regional Vice President, Central US Region 1 0 X 0 0 0 Philip Kelsey Regional President, Eastern US Region 1 0 X 0 0 0 Constance Mullen Regional Vice President, Eastern US Region 1 0 X 0 0 0 Debbie McMillen Regional President, Western US Region 1 0 X 0 0 0 Gwendolyn Hicks Regional Vice President, Western Region 1 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1785200 0 0 0 1785200 0 0 0 0 0 0 Interest Revenue 525920 1295 1295 0 0 0 0 0 0 1295 1786495 1295 0 0 1828108 1828108 0 0 0 3891905 3852941 12010 9361 3903915 3862302 0 0 X 3903915 3862302 0 0 3903915 3862302 3903915 3862302 -41613 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 1 (1) Fun Family (FF) grants - Foresters also gives its members the opportunity to apply for funding through their local Branches to organize or participate in Fun Family activities with the goal of creating family time, which is another way Foresters contributes to building stronger families and communities. Fun Family (FF) activities were held across the US, providing families with the opportunity to spend quality time together at amusement parks, movies, zoos etc. (2) Community Volunteer (CV) grants - these grants engaged thousands of local members in volunteerism and community service and included local communities activities such as local schools, shelters and children's hospitals. (3) Foresters Care grant - This benefit allows members to enjoy the full experience of preparing, organizing, and executing their meaningful volunteering activities to help make a difference in their local communities. 1562 1806354 0 Schedule I, Part I, Line 2 The Foresters Community Grants Program has a regular audit process in place to monitor the use of grant funds received by member applicants. Members who have submitted and awarded a grant funds are informed a report is required after the local activity has taken place; this report is to ensure the member has used the awarded funds as approved. The member will include receipts as part of the post activity report. Foresters Grants Team monitors all post activity reports and if the report or receipts are not provided or deviate from the original approved use of funds an audit of expenditures and delivery to recipient, benefiting organization, will take place. Members are requested to keep receipt for audit purposes. When an audit is conducted, Foresters Grants Team reviews all receipts against reported expenses and cash outlays. Where discrepancies are found, the Grants team requests further information and clarification from the member and or benefitting organization and a pass, conditional pass or fail is scored based on the established process. Audits that score a fail or "non-compliant" will result in the member applicant being suspended for a period of time from utilizing Foresters grant benefit. In addition to auditing individual grants, Internal Audit also performs an annual audit on the banking elements of the Granting program to ensure that the internal controls and processes are in place and to validate the reports that have been provided to the Trustees. As the program evolves, internal financial processes will continue to be revisited and refined to maintain this objective. There are also several measures built into the process to ensure program accountability. Foresters maintains a reporting process to monitor the use of granting funds with several different reports issued at various intervals, each geared at specific Foresters stakeholders: Monthly Branch Reports - Summary and detailed reports on each grant (approved, pending, cancelled) at the Branch level provided to member leaders (those involved in Foresters Governance system). Regional Reports - Summary and detailed reports on each grant (approved, pending, cancelled) at the Regional level provided to elected Regional officers. Executive Leadership Team (ELT) Report - A high-level summary of engagement numbers and program metrics including applications received, funds granted and planned activity attendance numbers. Quarterly Report to the Board - A memo outlining the important program activities over the quarter including a break-down of program metrics, activity trends, important issues related to the program and upcoming changes and enhancements. Bi-Annually Report to the Trustees - Twice a year granting funding reports are provided to the Trustees detailing the Granting program receipts and payments on the in-trust bank accounts. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 3 Certain responsibilities associated with the Governance structure as well as the Granting program have been delegated to a range of Foresters employees. Administrative tasks associated with the execution of meetings including the circulation of meeting materials and minutes, financial reporting and documentation retention are performed by the Membership Department's Governance team. The delivery of the Granting program, including program guidelines, reviewing online applications, grant approvals, criteria assistance and coaching, payments administration and tracking, etc. are the duty of the Membership Operations team. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 6 Yes, as a Fraternal Benefit Society, Foresters U.S. Branch is a member-based organization. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7a Yes, Foresters U.S. Branch maintains a member-based elected form of leadership. Form 990, Part VI, Section A, Line 7b Any decisions by Foresters U.S. Branch are subject to approval by the Foresters International Board of Directors in line with the Constitution. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 11b This Form 990 was prepared by the Membership Department staff responsible for the management of Branch Trust Bank Accounts and the related Foresters Granting Program. This Form 990 was then reviewed by key Foresters executives, including the signatories on the US Trust Agreements and the US Branch Trust Bank Accounts. Finally, this Form 990 was shared electronically with the voting members of the governing body, providing them with oversight and the ability to provide comments and feedback. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, Line 12c All members declaring themselves or nominated for an elected position within the Foresters U.S. Branch Governance structure are required to sign a Volunteer Code of Ethics declaration containing a clear conflict of interest policy. Officers are required to sign this form at the beginning of each term and adhere to the principles throughout their tenure. A number of mechanisms are in place to ensure adherence to the Volunteer Code of Ethics and the associated conflict of interest policy. Processes exist throughout all programs within Foresters U.S. Branch to ensure compliance to the Code and to facilitate the reporting of concerns, including a system of random and triggered audits. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, Line 19 Foresters U.S. Branch makes all governing documents and our Code of Ethics (containing a conflict-of-interest policy) available to the public on Foresters.com in the "About Foresters" section under "Corporate Governance." U.S. Branch Group Return financial statements are contained within this Form 990, which is available upon request, as noted in 18 above. The Independent Order of Foresters (Parent) 789 Don Mills Road Toronto Ontario CA M3C1T9 980000680 Fraternal CA 501(c)8 N/A 0 Foresters Equity Services Inc 789 Don Mills Rd Toronto Ontario CA M3C1T9 330178144 Broker/Dealer CA The Independent Order of Foresters C 1 0 Foresters Financial Services Inc 789 Don Mills Rd Toronto Ontario CA M3C1T9 132608328 Broker/Dealer NY The Independent Order of Foresters C 1 0 Foresters Investment Management Company Inc 789 Don Mills Rd Toronto Ontario CA M3C1T9 136120357 Holding Company NY The Independent Order of Foresters C 1 0 Foresters Investor Services Inc 789 Don Mills Rd Toronto Ontario CA M3C1T9 132790515 Transfer Agent NY The Independent Order of Foresters C 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Schedule R, Part IV The Independent Order of Foresters (IOF) Group Return is the return for the 35 Branches and Regions ("Group Lodge System") of the IOF required lodge system required under IRS s.501(c)(8). As listed in the attachment for item H(b), the IOF, which files a separate 990. as a Fraternal Benefit Society, owns several taxable US Subsidiaries, which are listed on Schedule R, Part IV. These Subsidiaries are not owned by those entities listed in the IOF Group Return. They are disclosed in answer to Part VI, Question 34 as related parties to the Group Lodge System. The Group Lodge System does no business with these corporate entities, it does not own or control any of these entities, nor does it interact with them in any way. The filing was done via Form 990 Online and was rejected because "The Names and EINs in your affiliate list did not match what the IRS has on file". For each entry in the "Affiliate Listing" [Affiliate Listing], (Affiliate Listing is attached to Item H(b)), the combination of EIN, Name Control, and GEN (provided in Form 990), must match data in the e-file database. We have been trying since May 2021 to get through to the IRS to have this resolved however it has been a very difficult and challenging process especially since we are calling from Canada and the toll free number provided by the IRS does not work. We have written many letters regarding the issue but this avenue have been unsuccessful. Most recently, on January 4, 2024, we called the 267-941-1000 and was successful in speaking with someone however she was unable to provide me any details. We did managed to go through the 38 Subordinate names listed and found out that one of them was not on the IRS record. Called back a week later and spoke with a different individual who said she was not comfortable releasing the information despite my faxing the POA. I couldn't understand why it was so difficult despite having faxed in the POA so she referred me to the Tax Exempt department and to the International Tax Payers Association. Again I was not able to get the information required for us to complete the filing. Will definitely have to speak with someone in the IRS in order for this to be resolve. On January 17, 2024 we resubmitted the filing after removing the Subordinate that was not on the list and the filing was successful. Now submitted the 2022 filng since 2021 was accepted.