Kind to Kids Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
800641000
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2012
Location
Newark, DE, USA
Phone
3026545440
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Children's, Youth Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,172,105
Expenses
$1,118,813
Assets
$2,539,799
Liabilities
$344,935

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CAROLINE JONES (PRESIDENT & FOUNDER)

Highest reported compensation

  • CAROLINE JONES (PRESIDENT & FOUNDER): $120,964 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Kind to kids foundation provides life-changing education and essential support services to children and youth in foster care during some of the most difficult times in their lives. Through our signature programs--including ugrad academy, lifeskills, and my blue duffel--we offer trauma-informed academic advocacy, emergency resources, and consistent, caring relationships that help children heal, grow, and succeed in school and beyond. Based in Delaware, kind to kids serves children from kindergarten through college with compassion, dignity, and proven results. We are committed to becoming a statewide and national leader in foster care education and support.

What it reported doing in 2024

Educational programskind to kids foundation delivers transformative educational programs for children and youth in foster care, low-income households, and other high-risk situations. Our signature services--ugrad academy and lifeskills--provide individualized academic support, real-world skill-building, and caring guidance to help students overcome significant challenges and thrive in school and beyond.ugrad academyugrad academy is a comprehensive educational case management program that supports foster children and youth from kindergarten through college. The program helps students improve academic achievement, advance to the next grade level, graduate from high school, and successfully transition to college, trade school, or career. Each student receives one-on-one support through school visits, advocacy, tutoring coordination, and planning for life after high school.a cornell university research study found that ugrad academy achieves a 97% high school graduation rate--one of the highest in the nation for foster youth--compared to 53% in Delaware and 56% nationally (kidscountde, 2024). Ugrad academy is the only program of its kind in Delaware designed to walk alongside youth through the aging-out process and into young adulthood, providing consistent encouragement and practical support when it matters most.lifeskillslifeskills is a structured skill-building program that teaches students how to make healthy choices, form positive relationships, and plan for a successful future. Designed for youth in foster care and those facing adversity, the curriculum includes emotional awareness, communication, job readiness, financial literacy, and conflict resolution. Outcome evaluations show that 95% of participants demonstrate growth in knowledge and application of key life skills. The program equips young people with the confidence and tools they need to succeed in school, work, and life.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 99% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 52
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 68.1%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 70.9%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $37.69 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 12th 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: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 4.5%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.27; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 10.8%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.4% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.5% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 21.5% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 68.1% of revenue deployed · 70.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $793K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $121K · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 49/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 38/100.