Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Feb 1975.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
82 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
19 people listed on the 990; $821K paid to officers and key staff.
Berta Sailer’s $281K as Founder is at the 61st percentile of top reported officer pay among 3683 $10–100M education 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 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berta Sailer | $280,856 | $304,152 | $271,194 | $142,865 | $132,802 |
| Mary Esselman | $198,995 | $200,139 | $195,344 | $189,643 | $172,181 |
| Mike Thomas | — | — | $136,082 | $138,521 | — |
| James Michael Thomas | — | — | — | — | $124,991 |
| Mary Mulkey | $120,499 | $112,192 | $102,136 | $101,546 | — |
| Kimmikka Brown | $114,518 | — | — | — | — |
| Patricia Thompson | $110,054 | — | — | — | — |
| Corita Bussanmas | — | — | — | — | $107,900 |
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 Breakthrough 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
Provides early childhood education, after-school enrichment, and supportive family services to help low-income children and their families thrive in a safe, nurturing environment.
Questions for Operation Breakthrough INC
Your first name shows with your question. Operation Breakthrough INC answers here, for everyone.
Early Childhood, School Age, and Parent Services
During fiscal 2023, operation breakthrough operated at or near capacity serving approximately 400 preschoolers and infants in its early childhood education programs, 250 school aged children in its BEFORE/AFTER school enrichment programs, and 300 high school students in its youth programs.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
Federal money
The auditor reported no findings.
The auditor reported no findings.
The auditor reported no findings.
The auditor reported no findings.
By the numbers
The FY2023 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | FY23 | FY22 | FY21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of yearLn 1g | $1.9M | $1.5M | $879K |
| Given inLn 1b | $312K | $780K | $878K |
| SpentLn 1d–1f | $5K |
| Line | Start FY23 | End FY23 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $6.4M | $4.4M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $2.4M | $5.9M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $15.0M | $14.7M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $34.4M | $42.9M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $1.8M | $8.5M |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $32.6M | $34.4M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1 | $20K | $20K | ||
| Grants to domestic individualsLn 2 | $231K | $231K | ||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $309K | $111K | $156K | $42K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $8.9M | $7.2M | $1.3M | $449K |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $1.4M | $1.2M | $194K | $49K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $703K | $550K | $116K | $37K |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $6K | $6K | ||
| Investment management feesLn 11f | $11K | $11K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $816K | $590K | $122K | $104K |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $553K | $461K | $56K | $36K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $42K | $33K | $5K | $4K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $1.4M | $1.3M | $111K | $20K |
| TravelLn 17 | $74K | $74K | $162 | |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $106K | $89K | $5K | $12K |
| InterestLn 20 | $31K | $28K | $3K | $627 |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $859K | $788K | $40K | $30K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $217K | $207K | $950 | $9K |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $517K | $445K | $4K | $68K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $16.2M | $13.2M | $2.1M | $861K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 LatestFiled with the IRS Jul 25, 2025 | $19.5M | $17.7M | $1.8M | $37.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 ViewingFiled with the IRS Sep 16, 2024 | $18.0M | $16.2M | $1.8M | $34.4M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022Filed with the IRS Sep 14, 2023 | $16.7M | $17.4M | −$719K | $32.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021Filed with the IRS Sep 14, 2022 | $19.1M | $15.0M | $4.1M | $33.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020Filed with the IRS Aug 10, 2021 | $15.9M | $14.0M | $1.8M | $29.5M | 990 PDF |
Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $17,987,372 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 14 of 14 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $17,987,372 across 12 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $16,219,873 across 18 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $42,895,521 assets, 17 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $34,383,281 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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