Children First
Children First reported $14.0 million in revenue and $15.0 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $87.32 went to program services, $5.36 to management and general costs and $7.32 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 87.5% of the total. Government grants made up 67.9%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $331,662 (President & CEO). 5 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 24% between 2019 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $15MFor 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
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $14MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 87.3% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 5.4% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 7.3% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.09 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 87.5% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 67.9% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 6.7% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $331,662 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 2.21% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 5 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 4.9 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 14 of 14 | 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
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseHead Start - Serving at-risk and economically vulnerable families with young children, Head Start is a program tailored for children three to five years of age which provides early education, health, dental, vision, hearing and developmental screenings, and coordination of appropriate therapies to address the individual childs needs. Services also include support for the entire family through family strengthening classes and individual family goal setting to achieve economic self sufficiency. 262 children were served during the 2024 calendar year (for the 2023-24 academic year - 172 children…
Early Head Start - Also serving at-risk and economically vulnerable families with very young children, Early Head Start is a program designed for expectant families and their children, birth to three years of age. Following the comprehensive Head Start model, program provides children and families with a wide array of early childhood development, health, and support services. 276 children were served during the 2024 calendar year (for the 2023/24 academic year - 196 children were served from Jan - June; 80 additional children were enrolled from August - December). This is an unduplicated…
Early Childhood Education - The Early Childhood Education program is based on the Head Start/Early Head Start model This program is for children six weeks to five years of age. The children and families receive high quality services and are provided very significant scholarship support. In addition to the 14 full time Early Childhood Education clients, Children First served 76 children in extended before and after care programs on average each month. The summer learning program served 223 children (duplicated count), which includes children who were served during the school year in Head Start…
Highest reported compensation
2024 · 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 | $277,754 | $0 | $53,908 | $331,662 |
| Highest Compensated Employee Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $236,212 | $0 | $24,149 | $260,361 |
| Highest Compensated Employee Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $156,745 | $0 | $11,017 | $167,762 |
| Highest Compensated Employee Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $122,242 | $0 | $17,870 | $140,112 |
| Highest Compensated Emp-loyee Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $101,341 | $0 | $7,139 | $108,480 |
5 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Children First (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $332K (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
2024 · 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–1b14 · 14 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 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5224
- Volunteers Part I, line 6772
Largest outside contractors
2024 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses onlyIndividuals listed as contractors are left out. 2 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
31 private foundations reported grants to Children First totaling $515K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Children First's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Children First, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Children First spent in 2024, $87.32 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Questions people ask
How much of Children First's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Children First reported that 87.3% of its $15.0 million in expenses went to program services, 5.4% to management and general and 7.3% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Children First pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Children First reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $331,662, for the role of President & CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Children First get its money?
Of $14.0 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 87.5% came from contributions and grants (including 67.9% from government grants) and 6.7% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Children First a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 59-0968249 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), 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
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202502379349300655 · read the filing
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202412049349301016 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202313129349303531 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202241929349300019 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202111539349300606 · read the filing
- 2019: Form 990 for calendar year 2019, object 202012269349300801 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 59-0968249: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.