Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Jan 1969.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
80 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; $970K paid to officers and key staff.
Ben Houltberg’s $218K as President and CEO is at the 72nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 2832 $1–10M community development 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 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Houltberg | $218,456 | $224,482 | $220,000 | $206,923 | — | — |
| Kent Pekel | — | — | — | — | $111,835 | $201,574 |
| Alison Olig | $169,697 | $165,977 | $140,000 | — | — | — |
| Cheryl Mayberry | — | — | — | $165,665 | $155,827 | $152,479 |
| Ben Houtlberg | — | — | — | — | $164,782 | $92,707 |
| Joanna Williams | $159,520 | $151,214 | — | — | — | — |
| Eugene Roehlkepartain | $122,189 | $154,919 | $156,800 | $141,361 | $138,415 | $139,531 |
| Gabriela Keefer | $151,242 | $148,566 | $129,440 | — | — | — |
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
Improves youth development by researching needs and providing resources for adults and organizations.
Questions for Search Institute
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Search institute studies and works to strengthen youth outcomes in schools, youth programs, families, and communities. Founded in 1958, search institute was a pioneer in using social science to understand the lives, beliefs, and values of young people.
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 | $409K | $331K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $3.6M | $3.2M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $36K | $18K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $5.6M | $3.9M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $607K | $519K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $5.0M | $3.4M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $418K | $234K | $135K | $49K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $2.2M | $2.0M | $129K | $34K |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $41K | $37K | $3K | $886 |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $221K | $199K | $19K | $3K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $211K | $183K | $21K | $6K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $37K | $1K | $36K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $193K | $193K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $816K | $643K | $172K | $1K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $56K | $56K | ||
| Office expensesLn 13 | $108K | $80K | $23K | $5K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $29K | $29K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $98K | $85K | $12K | $760 |
| TravelLn 17 | $117K | $107K | $8K | $2K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $16K | $6K | $11K | |
| InterestLn 20 | $5K | $4K | $914 | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $11K | $10K | $1K | $329 |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $24K | $24K | ||
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $34K | $16K | $18K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $4.6M | $3.7M | $836K | $102K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest Viewing | $2.9M | $4.6M | −$1.7M | $3.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $1.9M | $6.6M | −$4.7M | $5.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $4.2M | $5.7M | −$1.5M | $9.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $5.8M | $5.1M | $793K | $10.7M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $10.5M | $3.9M | $6.6M | $10.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $3.1M | $3.5M | −$417K | $3.4M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2025 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $2,892,505 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 13 of 13 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $2,892,505 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $4,642,128 across 18 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $3,928,083 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $3,408,604 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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