South Carolina First Steps To School Readiness Board of Trustees is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Columbia, South Carolina, registered in 2000, with $66,207,541 in FY2023 revenue. CharityIndex grades it A, and it directs about 96% of spending to programs.
Revenue (FY2023)
$66.2M
▲ 15.9% vs prior year
Education median: $200K
Expenses (FY2023)
$69.1M
Net assets
$12.5M
Employees
138
Measures how much of every dollar spent actually reaches programs, plus what it costs to raise $100 of donations. The worse of the two measures sets the letter (85%+ to programs is an A; under $15 to raise $100 is an A), averaged over the three most recent filings. For South Carolina First Steps To School Readiness Board of Trustees: 96% to programs · $0 to raise $100 earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Measures whether the organization is built to last: how many months its reserves would cover expenses (3+ months earns an A-range score, but hoarding 5+ years of budget is capped) and whether it runs a surplus or a deficit. For South Carolina First Steps To School Readiness Board of Trustees: 2 mo reserves · -4% margin earns a B on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Checks how the organization is run, from its own Form 990: an independent board majority, a board of five or more, conflict-of-interest, whistleblower and document-retention policies, and independently audited financials. The share of disclosed checks that pass sets the letter. For South Carolina First Steps To School Readiness Board of Trustees: 6 of 6 checks met earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
Counts five disclosure signals: a recent filing, a mission statement, program descriptions, a listed website, and the full expense breakdown. More disclosure, better letter. For South Carolina First Steps To School Readiness Board of Trustees: 5 of 5 disclosure signals earns a A+ on this criterion. See the exact thresholds →
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Per south carolina code section 59-152-10: "there is established the south carolina first steps to school readiness, a comprehensive, results-oriented initiative for improving early childhood development by providing, through local partnerships, public and private funds, and support for high-quality early childhood development and education services for children by providing support for their families' efforts toward enabling their children to reach school ready to succeed."
South carolina department of education and south carolina first steps administer the 4k program. the 4k program utilizes a public-private service delivery model so that parents may enroll their child in either a public school or an approved private child care center.
Revenue grew from $35.4M (FY2013) to $66.2M (FY2023) across 11 reported years.
Financial snapshot
Operating margin
-4.4%
Spent more than it raised in the latest fiscal year.
Total assets
$34.8M
Total liabilities
$22.3M
Net assets
$12.5M
Salaries & benefits
$7.9M
11% of expenses
Board members
23
23 independent
| Fiscal year | Revenue | Expenses | Net assets | Total assets | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $66,207,541▲15.9% | $69,094,204▲24.9% | $12,496,004▼18.8% | $34,794,688▼6.4% | 990 |
| 2022 | $57,127,894▼9.3% | $55,319,536▲6.7% | $15,382,667▲13.3% | $37,189,070▲13.5% | 990 |
| 2021 | $62,957,264▲39.0% | $51,854,091▲37.7% | $13,574,309▲449% | $32,777,753▲59.9% | 990 |
| 2020 | $45,278,924▲21.9% | $37,665,399▼6.2% | $2,471,135▲148% | $20,496,794▲66.5% | 990 |
| 2019 | $37,132,014▲2.0% | $40,175,669▲9.6% | -$5,142,390▼145% | $12,313,458▼31.0% | 990 |
| 2018 | $36,397,435▼16.8% | $36,644,235▼14.4% | -$2,098,735▼13.1% | $17,853,288▼5.3% | 990 |
| 2017 | $43,742,102▼24.1% | $42,801,079▼18.7% | -$1,855,984▼136% | $18,846,113▲26.5% | 990 |
| 2016 | $57,635,788▲30.2% | $52,630,939▲3.8% | $5,128,237▲4056% | $14,902,052▲73.5% | 990 |
| 2015 | $44,256,571▲7.8% | $50,694,785▲46.8% | $123,388▼98.1% | $8,587,064▼36.3% | 990 |
| 2014 | $41,071,059▲16.0% | $34,524,313▲6.9% | $6,561,602▲22.8% | $13,490,710▲113% | 990 |
| 2013 | $35,402,628 | $32,290,883▲24.7% | $5,343,088▲139% | $6,324,554▲91.6% | 990 |
| 2012 | — | $25,897,815 | $2,231,343 | $3,300,782 | 990 |
Original Form 990 PDFs (the Form column) are served by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, as filed with the IRS. Create a free account to download the CSV report.
Highest-paid: Georgia Mjartan — $141,686 (0.21% of total expenses)
| Name | Title | Hours/week | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Mjartan | Exec Dir Thr | 40 | $141,686 |
| David O'kelly | Chief Finan | 40 | $109,908 |
| Mark Barnes | Director-adm | 40 | $107,466 |
| Martha Strickland | 4k State Dir | 40 | $96,527 |
| Betty Gardner | Direct-grant | 40 | $90,216 |
| Derek Cromwell | Chief Partne | 40 | $84,803 |
| Amy Williams | Medical Prov | 0.25 | — |
| Brenda Williams | Medical Prov | 0.25 | — |
| Constance Holloway | Ddsn, Direct | 0.25 | — |
| Dave Morley | Governor Des | 0.25 | — |
| Edward Simmer | Dhec Directo | 0.25 | — |
| Gerald Malloy | Senate | 0.25 | — |
| Greg Hembree | Senate | 0.25 | — |
| Jack Mcbride | Business Co | 0.25 | — |
| Jacque Curtin | Business Com | 0.25 | — |
| Janie Neeley | Parent - You | 0.25 | — |
| Jesica Mackey | Parent-term- | 0.25 | — |
| John Hayes | Early Childh | 0.25 | — |
| Mary Anne Scott | Ear Educ-ap | 0.25 | — |
| Mary Lynne Diggs | Head Start C | 0.25 | — |
| Contractor | Services | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Manley Garvin LLC | Accounting | $556,385 |
| Chernoff Newman LLC | Marketing | $403,638 |
| University of South Carolina | Program Service | $379,759 |
| Anlar LLC | Systems Develop | $268,210 |
| Department of Administration | Admin & It Serv | $240,446 |
15 grants to South Carolina First Steps To School Readiness Board of Trustees totaling $236K, reported by foundations on their Schedule I filings.
| Grantmaker | Purpose | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Save the Children Federation Inc | Education activity | 2024 | $14,898 |
| Network For Good Inc | Unrestricted | 2023 | $17,435 |
| Save the Children Federation Inc | Education activity | 2023 | $16,465 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2023 | $11,000 |
| Save the Children Federation Inc | Education activity | 2022 | $23,281 |
| Network For Good Inc | Unrestricted | 2022 | $11,734 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2022 | $10,000 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2021 | $13,500 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2021 | $13,500 |
| Save the Children Federation Inc | Education activity | 2021 | $9,925 |
| Network For Good Inc | Unrestricted | 2021 | $7,172 |
| Network For Good Inc | Unrestricted | 2020 | $51,941 |
| Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc | General | 2020 | $15,000 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2020 | $10,000 |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | For grant recipient's exempt purposes | 2019 | $10,000 |
47 grants totaling $53.0M in FY2023 — showing the 15 largest. All grants made by South Carolina First Steps To School Readiness Board of Trustees →
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Data for South Carolina First Steps To School Readiness Board of Trustees (EIN 57-1087576) comes from the IRS Business Master File and e-filed Form 990 returns, via CharityIndex. Figures reflect what the organization reported to the IRS for each fiscal year.