Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Nov 2017.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
86 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
12 people listed on the 990; $201K paid to officers and key staff.
Lisa Shotts’s $72K as Executive Director is at the 64th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1613 $100K–1M 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 | FY2024 | FY2024 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa Shotts | $72,203 | $57,634 | $52,231 | $39,660 | $13,750 |
| Rita Long | $62,938 | — | — | — | — |
| Nikki Vardaman | $49,731 | $24,375 | — | — | — |
| Kirby Mackenzie | — | — | $16,635 | $12,000 | — |
| Ashley Kirby Mackenzie | $16,346 | $15,052 | — | — | — |
| Kirby McKenzie | — | — | — | — | $8,500 |
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 15aNo
Programs and updates
Provides families with engaging literacy experiences and books to develop readers, thinkers, and leaders.
Questions for Gaining Ground Corporation
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Out of School Programs
Through project-based learning opportunities, students are empowered to take ownership of their learning. They use their voices to advocate for issues they care about and make tangible community changes.
Home Libraries
Gaining Ground increases book access for over 5,000 children across the Tulsa community. Through our free book fair at seven partner schools, book bus program, and community events, we are dedicated to ensuring that children can choose books that represent their life experiences and have characters who look like them.
Family Engagement
Gaining Ground partners with parents, guardians and family members to provide guided programs and project-based units and literacy camps. These allow the students to use their voices and lead themselves and others to reach their literacy goals.
Funders
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 | $540K | $294K |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $121K | $115K |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $661K | $408K |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $0 | $897 |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $661K | $407K |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4 | $0 | |||
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $431K | $352K | $79K | |
| Pay of disqualified personsLn 6 | $0 | |||
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $47K | $34K | $13K | |
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $20K | $10K | $10K | |
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $49K | $36K | $13K | |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $1K | $1K | $14 | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $300K | $299K | $2K | |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $6K | $6K | ||
| OccupancyLn 16 | $14K | $6K | $7K | |
| TravelLn 17 | $33K | $33K | ||
| Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22 | $6K | $6K | ||
| InsuranceLn 23 | $8K | $4K | $4K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $41K | $35K | $5K | $0 |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $4K | $4K | ||
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $958K | $819K | $139K | $0 |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | $1.1M | $855K | $295K | $661K | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | Not on file | ||||
| FY2022 | $772K | $507K | $264K | $0 | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 | $454K | $321K | $133K | $0 | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $348K | $289K | $59K | $91K | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2024 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $721,939 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 7 of 7 board members independent, 3 to look at
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $721,939 across 9 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $958,214 across 15 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $408,307 assets, 14 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $407,410 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2024 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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