Step Forward EIN 34-0965350

Step Forward

EIN  34-0965350 Public charity (501(c)(3)) Cleveland, OH Founded 1964
Form 990 (PDF) Compare with another nonprofit →
Verified accurate 7/9/26 · see original filing: IRS
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Size
$10–100M
What they do
Helps eliminate poverty in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
Leadership
Jacklyn Chisholm · President & CEO · $216K
Money in and out
$44.2M revenue, $43.8M expenses
Bottom line
89% program efficiency

Helps eliminate poverty in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. For fiscal year 2025 it reported $44.2M in revenue, $43.8M in expenses, and $4.6M in net assets.Pt I

Where the money goes · FY2025
Total revenue
$44.2M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$43.8M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$4.6M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): $414K
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
Program services $0.89 Management & general $0.11 Fundraising $0.00
Program efficiency
89%
of spending reaches programs▼ -2% vs prior filing year
Operating runway
0.5mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate▲ +150% vs prior filing year
Surplus margin
+1%
revenue over expenses, this year▲ +166% vs prior filing year

Summary of the Filing

Part I · fiscal year 2025 · Form 990
Revenue
$44.2M
FY2025▼ -17%
Expenses
$43.8M
FY2025▼ -19%
Total assets
$26.4M
FY2025▲ +16%
Total liabilities
$21.8M
FY2025▲ +17%
Total revenue
$44.2M
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$43.8M
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$4.6M
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19$414K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$26.4M
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B89%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 314
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 414
Mission & Programs · Part III

Where the work happens

3 program services account for $38.6M of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2024.
01

Child Education

Step forward's head start program served 1,741 children throughout the greater cleveland community. In partnership, step forward and its partners deliver high-quality early childhood programs in safe, nurturing environments.

$25.4Mprogram expense
02

Community service and housing assistancestep forward helps individuals and families in cuyahoga county overcome barriers to employment, housing, and financial stability. In 2024, the agency distributed $4 million in remaining covid relief funds, bringing total home relief assistance to more than $36 million since the pandemic.

$7.4Mprogram expense
03

Energy assistance -step forward helps low-income households maintain essential utility services through the home energy assistance and percentage of income payment plan programs. In 2024, the agency received 34,580 applications and provided services to 34,134 individuals, with 98.7 percent receiving assistance.

$5.8Mprogram expense

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Identity & Classification

Form 990 Header · IRS Business Master File
Legal nameHdr · item CStep Forward
EINHdr · item D34-0965350
Principal addressHdr · item CCleveland, OH
WebsiteHdr · item Jwww.ceogc.org
Year of formationHdr · item L1964
State of legal domicileHdr · item MOH
Exempt statusHdr · item I501(c)(3) · active
NTEE classificationIRS BMFHuman Services (P200)
Ruling yearIRS BMFSep 1966

Governance & Policies

Part VI
Voting members of the governing bodyPt VI · Ln 1a14
Independent voting membersPt VI · Ln 1b14
Conflict-of-interest policyPt VI · Ln 12aYes
Whistleblower policyPt VI · Ln 13Yes
Document retention policyPt VI · Ln 14Yes
CEO/top-official compensation independently reviewedPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Family or business relationships among officers/directorsPt VI · Ln 2No

Officers, Directors & Key Employees

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2024); the FY2025 filing did not itemize Part VII
President & CEO
$215,719Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Children & Families
$186,388Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Human Resources
$178,483Pt VII · Sec A
VP of Community Services
$169,269Pt VII · Sec A
Chief Financial Officer
$166,757Pt VII · Sec A
VP of External Affairs
$155,278Pt VII · Sec A
Senior Director, Planning
$137,573Pt VII · Sec A
Board Member
$0Pt VII · Sec A

Jacklyn Chisholm’s $216K as President & CEO is at the 52nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 3123 $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

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021
Jacklyn Chisholm$215,719$204,121$200,900$197,677$195,476
Derek Cluse$166,757$189,398$173,631$142,306$73,918
Dr Thea Wilson$186,388$183,485$176,936$168,992$165,654
Madeline Corchado$178,483$168,224$166,171$147,646$136,879
Jacqueline Boehnlein$169,269
Mark Batson$160,466$169,246
Douglas Bennett$155,278$152,308
Douglas Bennet$150,376$148,252$143,849

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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Statement of Revenue

Part VIII
Contributions & grants$43.7M · 99%
Program service revenue$473K · 1%
Contributions & grants99%$43.7M
Program service revenue1%$473K
Other revenue$41K
— government grantsLn 1e$43.5M
Total revenueLn 12$44.2M

Statement of Functional Expenses

Part IX · allocated across program, management, and fundraising
Allocation · columns B–D
Program services $0.89 Management & general $0.11 Fundraising $0.00
Program services89%$39.2M
Management & general11%$4.6M
Fundraising$36K
Total functional expensesLn 25$43.8M

Balance Sheet

Part X · end of year
CashLn 1$1.9M
Total assetsLn 16$26.4M
Total liabilitiesLn 26$21.8M
Total net assetsLn 32$4.6M
Months of cash on handcomputed0.5

Financial Metrics

Form 990 · FY2025 · each ratio shown with the dollars behind it
Liquidity & Payout
Operating runway
Highly liquid reserves $1.9M · Operating expenses (Pt IX) $43.8M · Less non-cash grants $26K · Cash operating expenses/yr $43.8M
0.5 months
Where the money goes
Program services
Program services $39.2M · Total expenses $43.8M
89%
Management & General
Management & general $4.6M · Total expenses $43.8M
11%
Fundraising
Fundraising $36K · Total expenses $43.8M
0%
Cost to raise $1
Fundraising expense (3-yr avg) $35K · Solicited contributions (3-yr avg) $128K
$0.27 to raise $1 (3-yr avg)
Where the money comes from
Contribution dependence
Contributions & grants $43.7M · Total revenue $44.2M
99%
Government reliance
Government grants $43.5M · Total revenue $44.2M
98%
Earned-income share
Program service revenue $473K · Total revenue $44.2M
1%
Investment reliance
Investment income $0 · Total revenue $44.2M
0%
Program self-sufficiency
Program service revenue $473K · Total expenses $43.8M
1%
Growth & trend
Revenue growth (YoY)
This year $44.2M · Prior year $53.3M
-17%
Revenue CAGR
FY2020 $42.5M · FY2024 $44.2M
+1%
Net-asset trend (YoY)
End of year $4.6M · Beginning of year —
Beginning net assets not meaningfully positive — showing dollar change
Balance sheet
Surplus Margin
Revenue $44.2M · Expenses $43.8M
+1%
Liabilities-to-Assets
Total liabilities — · Total assets $26.4M
Net-asset ratio
Net assets $4.6M · Total assets $26.4M
17%
Marketable Investment Share
Publicly traded securities (Pt X, ln 11) — · Other securities (Pt X, ln 12) — · Total assets (Pt X, ln 16) $26.4M
Excludes program-related investments (Pt X, ln 13)
People & payroll
Highest Reported Total Compensation
Individual Jacklyn Chisholm · Reported title PRESIDENT & CEO · Highest reported compensation $216K · Total expenses $43.8M
0%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $25.4M · Total expenses $43.8M
58%
Peer comparison

Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.

MetricThis orgPeer medianPercentile
Program ratio 89%
Overhead ratio 11%
Fundraising cost ratio 0%
Revenue growth -17%
Legal fee ratio 0%
Accounting fee ratio 0%

Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.

Grants

Schedule I · received and paid
Grants received · FY2025
Total grants receivedfrom 1 funder$40K
Grants paid · 5 grants · $73.9M · 2020–2024
Unitemized GrantFY2024$4,976,870
Unitemized GrantFY2023$15,670,295
Unitemized GrantFY2022$29,058,367
Unitemized GrantFY2021$17,661,058
Unitemized GrantFY2020$6,525,840

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Filings & Schedule Manifest

Part IV
III · Programs I · Grants R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons A · Public support F · Foreign M · Noncash
FY2025 (Latest)$44.2M revenue · viewing · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2024$53.3M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2023$69.7M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2022$54.2M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF
FY2021$42.5M revenue · ⤓ 990 PDF

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Sources

Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2025IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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