Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jun 2002.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
89 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
21 people listed on the 990; $1.9M paid to officers and key staff.
Lynn Margherio’s $325K as CEO (until 2/2025) is at the 80th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3122 $10–100M human services nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn Margherio | $325,352 | $300,515 | $266,963 | $245,976 | $202,873 |
| Bernard Cherkasov | — | — | $237,403 | $227,487 | $213,163 |
| Connie Olson | $231,773 | — | — | — | — |
| Karen Gallahue | $227,908 | $226,304 | $212,240 | $203,172 | $178,438 |
| Karen Grant | $219,811 | $211,051 | $203,794 | $220,265 | $172,581 |
| Aubrey Henderson | — | $202,963 | $199,642 | — | — |
| Dawn Melchiorre | $197,960 | $185,917 | — | — | — |
| Michal Smith | $195,747 | $182,483 | $176,436 | $167,808 | $154,040 |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Supplies children in need with essential items for home, school, and play.
Questions for Cradles to Crayons INC
Your first name shows with your question. Cradles to Crayons INC answers here, for everyone.
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The organization executes its mission by mobilizing widespread community and civic participation. At the community level, the organization partners with schools, corporations, faith-based organizations, and other community groups to conduct drives for children's goods and to obtain volunteers in its warehouse.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $2.1M | $764K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $15.8M | $16.3M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $13.4M | $12.6M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $35.5M | $33.1M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $8.5M | $8.1M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $27.0M | $25.0M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $1.0M | $528K | $320K | $192K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $7.8M | $5.3M | $720K | $1.7M |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $160K | $110K | $14K | $36K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $1.2M | $795K | $126K | $262K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $675K | $448K | $79K | $148K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $6K | $5K | $1K | $208 |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $42K | $32K | $8K | $1K |
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $38K | $38K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $320K | $209K | $95K | $17K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $720K | $576K | $144K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $224K | $107K | $67K | $49K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $467K | $207K | $114K | $146K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $955K | $867K | $19K | $69K |
| TravelLn 17 | $88K | $58K | $10K | $19K |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $1.0M | $658K | $121K | $227K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $133K | $88K | $15K | $29K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $34.8M | $34.7M | $23K | $119K |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $850K | $421K | $285K | $144K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $50.5M | $45.1M | $2.1M | $3.3M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $48.9M | $50.5M | −$1.6M | $25.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $42.5M | $43.5M | −$992K | $27.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $40.1M | $38.7M | $1.4M | $27.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $35.9M | $31.6M | $4.3M | $25.8M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $20.3M | $19.6M | $664K | $21.6M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $48,850,142 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 11 of 12 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $48,850,142 across 7 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $50,463,522 across 18 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $33,139,298 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $25,033,309 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2025 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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