StepUp Ministry
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 561655255
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Jul 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Raleigh, NC, United States
- Phone
- 919.781.0156
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Homeless Centers
- Affiliation
- Christianity
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,225,525
- Expenses
- $1,893,769
- Assets
- $2,018,029
- Liabilities
- $41,342
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
28 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- COLISHA STANFORD (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)
Highest reported compensation
- COLISHA STANFORD (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $125,941 total reported compensation
- KELLY L HUNTER (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $119,705 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Founded in 1988 by White Memorial Presbyterian Church, **StepUp Ministry** is a non-profit organization that helps hundreds of individuals each year in Wake County transform their lives through employment and life skills training. Our Mission To provide pathways for people to overcome barriers and transform their lives. StepUp Ministry** provides pathways to transformation. Our Mission.
What it reported doing in 2024
Life skills - children: our children's program provides age-appropriate life skills training tailored to their specific needs to grow and develop into the next stages of their life. Our baby and little steps equip children ages 0-5 with the essential building blocks and foundational tools to take life's next steps. Middle ground provides children aged 5-15 with a safe and nurturing environment to grow, learn, and explore their individuality. For young adults, ages 16-21, the real-world program prepares young adults to the transition into adulthood by teaching the skills needed to make responsible choices, maintain positive attitudes, value education, strengthen communication skills, and establish meaningful, long-lasting relationships. Between july 1, 2024 and june 30, 2025, 120 children attended the life skills program, and 131 young adults participated in real world outreach events.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 97% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 56
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 57
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 56.6%; rating input score 57
- Program expense ratio: 65.9%; rating input score 66
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.4 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 19; 19th 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 14.9%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.07; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.7% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 56.6% of revenue deployed · 65.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 26 of 26 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.2M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $126K · 28 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 19/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 39/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.