Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Feb 1942.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
71 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
15 people listed on the 990; $124K paid to officers and key staff.
Michele Mackey’s $213K as Executive Director is at the 92nd 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 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michele Mackey | $213,239 | $123,976 | $124,524 | $124,306 | — |
| Kenneth Taylor | — | — | — | — | $119,049 |
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 Kids Forward 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 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Advocates for children and families, promoting their well-being across Wisconsin.
Questions for Kids Forward INC
Your first name shows with your question. Kids Forward INC answers here, for everyone.
State Education and Public Issues
Kids forward advocates for effective, long-lasting solutions that break down barriers to success for children and families in wisconsin, notably children and families of color and those furthest from opportunity.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2023 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY23 | FY22 | FY21 | FY20 | FY19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $621K | $588K | $722K | $688K | $653K |
| Given inLn 1b | $461 | $398 | $255 | $956 | |
| SpentLn 1d–1f | $38K | $40K | $40K | $48K | $37K |
| Line | Start FY23 | End FY23 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $743K | $1.2M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $608K | $0 |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $26K | $28K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $2.7M | $2.2M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $324K | $292K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $2.4M | $1.9M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $65K | $65K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $139K | $69K | $55K | $14K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $765K | $603K | $87K | $75K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $23K | $17K | $4K | $2K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $85K | $64K | $13K | $8K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $68K | $51K | $11K | $7K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $408 | $408 | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $63K | $63K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $2K | $2K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $350K | $291K | $39K | $20K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $7K | $56 | $7K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $18K | $9K | $7K | $2K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $6K | $4K | $2K | $721 |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $54K | $39K | $11K | $5K |
| TravelLn 17 | $30K | $24K | $6K | $260 |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $40K | $2K | $38K | $87 |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $9K | $9K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $8K | $5K | $2K | $932 |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $19K | $6K | $9K | $4K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $1.8M | $1.2M | $365K | $138K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 LatestFiled with the IRS Nov 13, 2025 | $1.5M | $2.0M | −$494K | $1.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 ViewingFiled with the IRS Sep 12, 2024 | $1.3M | $1.8M | −$500K | $1.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Jul 18, 2023 | $2.2M | $1.8M | $412K | $2.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Sep 19, 2022 | $2.1M | $1.5M | $630K | $1.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Sep 23, 2021 | $1.9M | $1.8M | $79K | $1.3M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $1,252,189 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 12 of 12 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $1,252,189 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $1,752,296 across 19 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $2,151,233 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $1,859,372 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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