South Carolina First Steps

Legal name: South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness Board of Trustees

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
571087576
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Columbia, SC, US
Phone
803-734-0479
Rating
92
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$72,391,847
Expenses
$72,706,141
Assets
$34,656,167
Liabilities
$23,416,413

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

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • MARK BARNES (DIRECTOR-ADM): $122,935 total reported compensation
  • MARTHA STRICKLAND (4K STATE DIR): $109,189 total reported compensation
  • BETTY GARDNER (DIRECT-GRANT): $101,026 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To close the opportunity gap for South Carolina's youngest learners by ensuring all children start school ready to reach their highest potential.

What it reported doing in 2024

South Carolina first steps also administers the state's 4k program. The 4k program utilizes a public-private service delivery model so that parents may enroll eligible children who turn 4 on or before september 1st in an approved private child care center, charter or private school. Sc first steps provides training and oversight for almost four hundred 4k sites across sc. The 4k model supports high quality curriculum, learning environments and teacher-child interactions. The model also includes a parent-caretaker engagement component.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 100% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 79% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 97
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.8%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 96.3%; rating input score 96
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1,008.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th 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: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.4%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.48; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.68; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0.8%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 7 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 96.8% of revenue deployed · 96.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 25 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $70M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $123K · 31 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.3M reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 53 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 92 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 17/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.