Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in May 1971.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
92 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
Something off? Claim to add context
Who runs it and what they're paid
21 people listed on the 990; $201K paid to officers and key staff (Part VII, Section A).
Brian McMahon’s $124K as Executive Director is at the 47th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1245 $1–10M employment 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 · 5 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian McMahon | $124,424 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Gregory Markle | — | $96,967 | $100,767 | $84,045 | $74,128 | $74,128 |
| Karen Pritchard | $77,026 | $49,651 | — | — | — | — |
| Charlynn Wood | — | — | $74,068 | $65,801 | $50,052 | — |
| Nina Dehaven | — | — | — | — | — | $51,087 |
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.
See Operation Fresh Start INC executive salaries →Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2Yes
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Helps disconnected youth gain skills for independent living.
Questions for Operation Fresh Start INC
Your first name shows with your question. Operation Fresh Start INC answers here, for everyone.
Drive to Succeed
The drive to succeed program offers mentoring to support young adults with past or current involvement in the justice system. Through partnerships with the dept. Of corrections and metro high school (located within the dane county jail), ofs supports young people in navigating the criminal justice process, satisfying fines to obtain…
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2024. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 23-7108090) · Dispute this lineThe Academies
The academies are ofs programs for those young people who show real promise and interest in the trades or conservation work. Build academy is full-time, hire-for-service crews which work on residential and commercial construction projects throughout the community.
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2024. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 23-7108090) · Dispute this lineFunders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
Federal money
Plus 5 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 2 smaller programs.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 1 smaller program.
The auditor reported no findings.
Plus 2 smaller programs.
The auditor reported 3 findings: a material weakness in money controls.
By the numbers
The FY2025 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY25 |
|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $50K |
| AddedLn 1b | $50K |
| Line | Start FY25 | End FY25 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $331K | $1.9M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $50K | |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $498K | $407K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $7.3M | $10.2M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $730K | $1.3M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $6.6M | $8.9M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of officers and key staff (Part IX, line 5)Ln 5 | $217K | $198K | $20K | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $2.3M | $2.1M | $85K | $183K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $33K | $33K | ||
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $398K | $376K | $17K | $5K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $196K | $179K | $14K | $3K |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $30K | $30K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $90K | $90K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $93K | $90K | $3K | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $4K | $4K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $156K | $156K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $83K | $83K | ||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $42K | $42K | ||
| InterestLn 20 | $110 | $110 | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $101K | $101K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $111K | $111K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $2.7M | $2.7M | ||
| All other expensesLn 24e | $58K | $58K | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $6.7M | $6.1M | $346K | $210K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest ViewingFiled with the IRS Aug 13, 2026 | $9.0M | $6.7M | $2.3M | $8.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024Filed with the IRS Jul 24, 2025 | $6.3M | $5.8M | $447K | $6.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS Jul 15, 2024 | $4.9M | $4.7M | $147K | $6.1M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Aug 14, 2023 | $4.6M | $4.3M | $303K | $6.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Aug 15, 2022 | $3.6M | $2.9M | $713K | $5.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Aug 16, 2021 | $2.9M | $2.5M | $441K | $5.0M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990
Part I · Summary $8,972,554 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 16 of 16 board members independent, 1 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $8,972,554 across 10 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $6,656,724 across 17 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $10,232,257 assets, 18 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $8,883,504 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file FY2025 from the IRS (about our sources) · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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