Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Nov 1973.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
67 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
5 people listed on the 990; $108K paid to officers and key staff (Part VII, Section A).
Mary Sue Wilson’s $84K as Executive Dir. is at the 21st percentile of top reported officer pay among 3868 $1–10M 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 · 2 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Sue Wilson | $84,416 | $108,283 | $108,283 | — | — | — |
| Sue Wilson | — | — | — | $55,069 | $54,124 | $52,684 |
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 First Step 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 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Offers affordable childcare for low-income families.
Questions for First Step
Your first name shows with your question. First Step answers here, for everyone.
The center promotes and encourages the optimal intellectual, social and physical development for children of boone county, city of rockford, and the city of mchenry including, but not limited to, those children of families with limited income.
Form 990 Part III, line 4, FY2023. The organization’s own words, as filed with the IRS. Find it at the IRS (EIN 36-2740242) · Dispute this lineFunders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2024 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY24 | End FY24 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $381 | $5K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $0 | |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $16K | $11K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $17K | $15K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $33K | $100K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | −$16K | −$84K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $0 | |||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $0 | |||
| Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3 | $0 | |||
| Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4 | $0 | |||
| Pay of officers and key staff (Part IX, line 5)Ln 5 | $108K | $65K | $22K | $21K |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $0 | |||
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $555K | $335K | $110K | $109K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $0 | |||
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $0 | |||
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $66K | $40K | $13K | $13K |
| Management feesLn 11a | $0 | |||
| Legal feesLn 11b | $2K | $2K | $208 | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $0 | |||
| Lobbying feesLn 11d | $0 | |||
| Professional fundraising feesLn 11e | $0 | |||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $0 | |||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $0 | |||
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $1K | $1K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $3K | $3K | ||
| Information technologyLn 14 | $0 | |||
| RoyaltiesLn 15 | $0 | |||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $70K | $70K | ||
| TravelLn 17 | $20 | $20 | ||
| Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18 | $0 | |||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $0 | |||
| InterestLn 20 | $8K | $8K | ||
| Payments to affiliatesLn 21 | $0 | |||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $6K | $6K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $25K | $25K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $76K | $76K | ||
| All other expensesLn 24e | $8K | $7K | $922 | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $927K | $625K | $158K | $144K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Feb 25, 2026 | $1.1M | $1.0M | $39K | −$45K | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 ViewingFiled with the IRS Jul 23, 2025 | $895K | $927K | −$32K | −$84K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023Filed with the IRS May 15, 2024 | $993K | $1.0M | −$13K | −$16K | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $892K | $919K | −$27K | −$3K | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Mar 7, 2022 | $961K | $841K | $119K | $24K | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Feb 5, 2021 | $703K | $839K | −$136K | −$95K | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990
Part I · Summary $895,419 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 4 of 4 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $895,419 across 11 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $927,029 across 31 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $15,455 assets, 23 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets −$84,264 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file FY2024 from the IRS (about our sources) · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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