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← BRIGHT BEGINNINGS

Form 990 for tax year 2025

Filed by BRIGHT BEGINNINGS.

Totals

Total revenue
$1,316,845
Total expenses
$1,831,781
Contributions and grants received
$495,417
Grants paid
$0
Program service revenue
$729,622
Investment income
$91,806
Other revenue
$0
Total assets, end of year
$2,615,453
Total liabilities, end of year
$325,153
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$2,290,300
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$1,539,992
Management and general expenses
$212,310
Fundraising expenses
$79,479
Program service expenses (Part III)
$1,539,992

Program services were 84.1% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1c · Fundraising events

    $12,818

  • 1e · Government grants (contributions)

    $302,809

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $179,790

  • 2a · Program service revenue: TEXT PLATFORM SUBSCRIPTIONS

    total $729,622 · related or exempt $729,622

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $91,806 · excluded $91,806

  • 8a · Fundraising events: gross income

    $6,861

  • 8a · Fundraising events: contributions included on line 1c

    $12,818

  • 8b · Fundraising events: direct expenses

    $6,861

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $212,084 · program services $106,042 · management and general $53,021 · fundraising $53,021

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $392,620 · program services $314,834 · management and general $68,524 · fundraising $9,262

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $8,240 · program services $6,535 · management and general $1,456 · fundraising $249

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $11,097 · program services $9,320 · management and general $1,777

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $53,637 · program services $37,644 · management and general $10,757 · fundraising $5,236

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $53,375 · management and general $53,375

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $1,015,453 · program services $1,007,424 · management and general $2,676 · fundraising $5,353

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $29,553 · program services $17,304 · management and general $10,212 · fundraising $2,037

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $1,018 · program services $865 · management and general $51 · fundraising $102

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $5,532 · program services $4,702 · management and general $277 · fundraising $553

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $31,053 · program services $26,395 · management and general $1,553 · fundraising $3,105

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $6,287 · management and general $6,287

  • 24a · Other expenses: OTHER EXPENSES

    total $11,832 · program services $8,927 · management and general $2,344 · fundraising $561

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $54,431 · end of year $35,195

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $1,500,561 · end of year $2,459,265

  • 3 · Pledges and grants receivable

    beginning of year $56,693

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $116,686 · end of year $48,345

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $32,654 · end of year $11,486

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $13,548

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $13,242

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $931 · end of year $306

  • 12 · Investments: other securities

    beginning of year $1,431,059

  • 14 · Intangible assets

    beginning of year $91,284 · end of year $60,856

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $107,467 · end of year $55,606

  • 19 · Deferred revenue

    beginning of year $373,804 · end of year $269,547

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $2,621,969 · end of year $2,109,241

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $181,059 · end of year $181,059

Mission and programs · 2025

Mission

LANTERN'S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE A BRIGHT BEGINNING FOR EVERY CHILD TO REALIZE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. WE ARE COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING FAMILIES WITH TRUSTED INFORMATION AND CONNECTIONS TO THEIR COMMUNITY.

  • LANTERN DELIVERS TRUSTED, EVIDENCE-BASED INFORMATION TO PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS THROUGH A FREE TEXT MESSAGING PROGRAM. EACH MESSAGE PROVIDES AGE- AND DEVELOPMENTALLY-APPROPRIATE GUIDANCE, PRACTICAL TIPS, ACTIVITIES, AND CONNECTIONS TO TRUSTED RESOURCES, WITH LINKS TO LANDING PAGES WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, VIDEOS, AND COMMUNITY SERVICES. MESSAGES ARE TAILORED TO THE CHILD'S AGE AND STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT AND CAN ALSO BE CUSTOMIZED BASED ON A FAMILY'S ZIP CODE TO PROVIDE LOCAL RESOURCES, EVENTS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATION. IN ADDITION TO ITS CORE AGE-BASED PROGRAM, LANTERN OFFERS SPECIALIZED CONTENT CHANNELS ADDRESSING TOPICS SUCH AS PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH, FOOD SECURITY, AUTISM, FEEDING, AND SUPPORT FOR FAMILY, FRIEND, AND NEIGHBOR CAREGIVERS. LANTERN SERVES CAREGIVERS IN ALL 50 STATES WITH TRUSTED RESEARCH-BASED CONTENT AND LOCALIZED COMMUNITY INFORMATION. DURING 2025, LANTERN PARTNERED WITH MORE THAN 100 ORGANIZATIONS AND SERVED MORE THAN 565,000 FAMILIES NATIONWIDE.

    Expenses $1,539,992 · Revenue $723,622

As filed on the 2025 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

  • KATHERINE S RICHARDSON MD

    PRESIDENT &

    Total calculated
    $212,083
    From this org
    $194,540
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $17,543
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $194,540
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    $3,833
    Nontaxable benefits
    $13,710
    Filer's total
    $212,083

  • JEN DALE

    VP OF FINANC

    Total calculated
    $126,761
    From this org
    $116,281
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $10,480
    Hours/week
    40

  • ALLY PACHELLI

    DIRCT.OF PAR

    Total calculated
    $116,946
    From this org
    $113,333
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $3,613
    Hours/week
    40

  • AMANDA DEMAREST

    CHAIR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • TIM MCCORMACK

    VICE CHAIR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • RUBEN BRAVO

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • MARISSA DOCKENDORF

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • BEN SEYDEN

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

  • CELIA E VAN LENTEN

    DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    2

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee

Answered no

  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2025
IRS schema version
2025v4.0
Source object
202642129349300624

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