Children's Literacy Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

The children's literacy foundation (clif) operates seven literacy programs for under-resourced children up to age twelve in New Hampshire and Vermont to support success in learning and life. Serving 20,000 children each year, through partnership with over 150 community organizations, each of clif's programs provides literacy experiences and new books to children who may not have access to such opportunities. Over 50,000 books were given away to children this past year. Clif provides new books to classrooms, community- based organizations, and correctional facilities, and new library books to school and community libraries. Clif provides support to community partners for creative literacy projects with the students and children they serve. Clif also provides information, resources, and seminars to parents and caregivers so that they may encourage reading and writing for children. Additionally, clif offers professional development for teachers, librarians, and others through conferences and an array of online resources. Clif programs are as follows: year of the book: this comprehensive program provides ten selected schools with 25,000 in literacy programs with authors/illustrators, educator support and new books for students over the course of the school year. Only schools with more than 35% of their students on free or reduced lunch are eligible. All year of the book partners are eligible for 1000 in free programming in the subsequent year to maintain momentum in literacy engagement. Rural libraries: this program supports libraries that service towns of less than 5,000 people. Selected libraries receive 2,000 in new books as well two literacy events, including one at the local elementary school along with books for the school's library and a book giveaway for the students. Children of incarcerated adults: this program works with five prisons in nh and vt, providing seminars to the inmates on the importance of children's literacy, book donations to the family visiting room, and free books chosen by the inmates and sent home to their children. Community literacy (formerly known as "at-risk youth"): this program partners with 20 community-based organizations serving children, including: low-income housing, after-school programs, childcare centers, summer camps, and ell classrooms. The children attend an author/illustrator presentation and receive new books, caregivers are offered information of children's literacy, and the organization receives new books to keep on-site. Summer readers: this program is offered to any eligible summer program in nh or vt which serves children from under-resourced communities. The program provides an author/illustrator presentation and a book giveaway. Literacy enrichment (new in 2024): this program provides up to 1,000 in funding to any eligible community partner for experiential and/or creative programming designed to bring "literacy to life" for children. Spark (formerly known as "revive"): this program is offered to any clif community partner who has worked with clif within the past three years, providing 500 for the organization to use in literacy programming as they choose.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 80.5%; rating input score 80
• Program expense ratio: 81.5%; rating input score 82
• Fundraising efficiency: $13.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 7.6%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.59; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 9.4%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 17.5% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings