Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Feb 1994.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
87 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
20 people listed on the 990; $341K paid to officers and key staff.
Heather Higgins’s $147K as Executive Di is at the 62nd percentile of top reported officer pay among 3395 $1–10M 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 · 6 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heather Higgins | $146,735 | $152,150 | $153,994 | $139,603 | $138,469 | $127,805 |
| Karla Garig | $109,475 | $108,510 | $98,165 | $86,848 | $82,384 | $75,435 |
| Beverly Grant | $100,162 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chelsea Freemon | — | — | — | $39,248 | $77,689 | $4,370 |
| Kelli Hazen | — | — | — | $75,792 | $73,813 | — |
| Kelli J Hazen | — | — | — | — | — | $69,033 |
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
Provides education and therapy for children with special needs, helping them reach developmental goals.
Questions for First Steps INC
Your first name shows with your question. First Steps INC answers here, for everyone.
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Since 1957, first steps has served children with special needs and medical conditions while supporting their families. We serve families from many different socio-economic backgrounds and ETHNICITIES.OUR inclusive mcwhorter family children's center offers full time care and education to children with special needs alongside their…
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2022 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY22 | End FY22 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $695K | $882K |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $1.2M | $1.0M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $1.9M | $1.8M |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $4.1M | $4.0M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $454K | $421K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $3.6M | $3.6M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $425K | $150K | $153K | $122K |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $1.4M | $1.4M | ||
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $13K | $11K | $834 | $750 |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $74K | $64K | $5K | $4K |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $130K | $114K | $9K | $8K |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $277K | $272K | $5K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $123K | $99K | $25K | |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $145K | $137K | $9K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $9K | $9K | ||
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $28K | $15K | $13K | |
| InterestLn 20 | $16K | $15K | $945 | |
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $66K | $62K | $4K | |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $28K | $27K | $2K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $125K | $115K | $10K | |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $2.8M | $2.5M | $236K | $135K |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 Latest | $3.5M | $3.4M | $77K | $4.2M | 990 PDF |
| FY2024 | $3.7M | $3.7M | $18K | $4.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $3.3M | $3.1M | $171K | $3.9M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 Viewing | $3.0M | $2.8M | $182K | $3.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $3.2M | $2.8M | $443K | $3.6M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $2.6M | $2.6M | $29K | $3.0M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2022 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $3,009,347 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 15 of 15 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $3,009,347 across 9 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $2,827,820 across 14 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $4,032,709 assets, 15 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $3,612,189 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2022 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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