Steppingstone Foundation
Steppingstone Foundation reported $11.4 million in revenue and $7.9 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $71.67 went to program services, $11.35 to management and general costs and $16.98 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 82.1% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $226,939 (PRESIDENT & CEO). 7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 125% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $7.9MFor context, the median across 5,499 covered education charities: $85.56 programs, $13.59 management, $0.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $11M- Contributions & grants (non-government)$81.92 $9.4M
- Program service revenue$4.25 $487K
- Investment income$13.83 $1.6M
Other revenue was negative: −$31,523. The bar shows the positive sources only.
The 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 71.7% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 11.4% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 17.0% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.14 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 82.1% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 4.3% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $226,939 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.87% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 7 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 59.3 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 28 of 28 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseThe steppingstone scholars program in boston admits motivated fifth- and sixth-graders to participate in an intensive after-school and summer academic program designed to help them gain admission to an independent or public exam school in the sixth or seventh grade.after completing the academic component, support services such as mentoring, extracurricular activities, and college guidance are provided to ensure that the students succeed in school and ultimately graduate from a four-year college, career ready. Each year, the steppingstone scholars program serves approximately 1,250 scholars in…
The national partnership for educational access (npea), which the Steppingstone Foundation formally launched in 2007, is a membership organization for programs and schools working to eliminate barriers to educational access and college and career success. At the end of fiscal year 2025, npea had 232 members from all across the country, including educational nonprofits, schools, and colleges & universities, and more than 850 educators in the network. Npea members have access to best practice sharing, networking, professional development opportunities, including an annual conference, regional…
The organization receives contributions to provide college scholarships to scholars to to fill a financial need or significantly reduce the family's financial aid gap. There is a robust selection process each year for the scholarships. We look at financial impact, academic readiness/effort and engagement with steppingstone in the selection process. Scholarship info is shared with the entire scholar community. All scholarship applications are pre-screened for eligibility and awards are determined by a selection committee
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRESIDENT & CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $213,301 | $0 | $13,638 | $226,939 |
| CAO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $178,752 | $0 | $32,822 | $211,574 |
| CFOO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $156,718 | $0 | $32,543 | $189,261 |
| CPO Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $134,973 | $0 | $22,566 | $157,539 |
| VP ACADEMIC PROGRAMS Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $123,306 | $0 | $25,024 | $148,330 |
| EXEC DIRECTOR, NPEA Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $119,861 | $0 | $7,801 | $127,662 |
| EVP PROGRAMS Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $109,096 | $0 | $6,954 | $116,050 |
7 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Steppingstone Foundation (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $785K (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b28 · 28 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18Yes
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5142
- Volunteers Part I, line 6334
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Steppingstone Foundation's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Steppingstone Foundation, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Steppingstone Foundation spent in FY2025, $71.67 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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All education charities · Largest charities in Massachusetts
Questions people ask
How much of Steppingstone Foundation's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Steppingstone Foundation reported that 71.7% of its $7.9 million in expenses went to program services, 11.4% to management and general and 17.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Steppingstone Foundation pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Steppingstone Foundation reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $226,939, for the role of PRESIDENT & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Steppingstone Foundation get its money?
Of $11.4 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 82.1% came from contributions and grants and 4.3% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Steppingstone Foundation a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 04-3086666 as a 501(c)(3) organization (school), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202610749349300406 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202530939349301413 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202401309349302910 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202331359349314138 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202200979349300745 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202100749349300030 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 04-3086666: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.