Form 990 for tax year 2025

Totals

Total revenue

$3,761,099

Total expenses

$4,658,851

Contributions and grants received

$2,782,615

Grants paid

$0

Program service revenue

$330,091

Investment income

$188,908

Other revenue

$459,485

Total assets, end of year

$13,442,286

Total liabilities, end of year

$681,350

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$12,760,936

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$3,244,246

Management and general expenses

$579,861

Fundraising expenses

$834,744

Program service expenses (Part III)

$3,244,246

Program services were 69.6% 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.

Mission and programs · 2025

• HISTORY: WAY TO GROW HAS BEEN A LEADING MODEL FOR EARLY LEARNING, HEALTH AND EDUCATION PROGRAMMING IN THE TWIN CITIES SINCE 1989. WE BELIEVE THAT PARENTS ARE THEIR CHILDREN'S PRIMARY EDUCATORS, AND STRUCTURE OUR PROGRAMS TO EFFECTIVELY ENGAGE PARENTS IN THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION. WAY TO GROW'S SECOND-GENERATION APPROACH HAS REACHED APPROXIMATELY 60,000 PEOPLE OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 36 YEARS. SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 1989, WE HAVE SOUGHT TO REVERSE NEGATIVE EDUCATIONAL TRENDS BY BUILDING TRUSTED, COMMUNITY-BASED SUPPORT FOR THE PARENTS AND CHILDREN WHO ARE AMONG THE MOST ISOLATED FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. IN 2005, WE FORMALIZED OUR HEALTH EDUCATION PROGRAM, AND IN 2006, LAUNCHED A FORMAL TEEN PARENT PROGRAM. IN 2007, WE OPENED OUR NATIONALLY ACCREDITED, 4-STAR PARENT AWARE RATED PRESCHOOL PALS PROGRAM, AND IN 2009, LAUNCHED GREAT BY EIGHT, WHICH IS NOW THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR WORK. GREAT BY EIGHT EXPANDED OUR EFFECTIVE AND STATISTICALLY PROVEN HOME VISITING MODEL TO INCLUDE CHILDREN FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD GRADE, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PUBLIC, CHARTER AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT MINNEAPOLIS AND BEYOND. IN 2016, WE LAUNCHED AN ONSITE HUB FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD, ELEMENTARY, AND PARENT ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMMING AT THE LUCY C. LANEY COMMUNITY SCHOOL IN NORTH MINNEAPOLIS. IN 2018, WE EXPANDED OUR HOME VISITING PROGRAM TO BROOKLYN PARK AND BROOKLYN CENTER AND HAVE SERVED HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OSSEO PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT.IN 2020 DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE PIVOTED OUR SERVICES TO INCLUDE VIRTUAL HOME VISITING AND EXPANDED OUR REACH TO SERVING FAMILIES FROM 11 DIFFERENT COUNTIES. WAY TO GROW WAS THE FIRST HOME VISITING MODEL TO OFFER TUTORING SERVICES FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD GRADE STUDENTS, WITH THE GOAL TO HELP ALL CHILDREN REACH GRADE LEVEL LITERACY BY THE END OF THE THIRD GRADE. IN 2023, WAY TO GROW RECEIVED A ONE-TIME GRANT IN RECOGNITION OF HIGH-QUALITY, EVIDENCE-BASED HOME VISITING MODEL.OUR FOUNDERS CREATED WAY TO GROW WITH THE VISION THAT EVERY CHILD HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL AND IN LIFE. OUR INNOVATIVE GREAT BY EIGHT HOME VISITING MODEL PAIRS FAMILIES WITH HIGHLY TRAINED FAMILY EDUCATORS TO PROVIDE IN-DEPTH, EVIDENCE-BASED, IN-HOME EDUCATION AND SUPPORT. FAMILY EDUCATORS HELP PARENTS TO PREPARE THEIR CHILDREN FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND SUPPORT FAMILIES BY PROVIDING WRAP-AROUND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES THROUGH YEAR-ROUND HOME VISITS AND IN-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SUPPORTING SCHOOL READINESS, ELEMENTARY EDUCATION ACTIVITIES, CENTER-BASED LEARNING ACTIVITIES, PARENT ENGAGEMENT AND ADVOCACY, AND WRAPAROUND FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES, INCLUDING HEALTH AND WELLNESS EDUCATION, AND SUPPORTS FOR YOUTH PARENTS COUPLED WITH FAMILY STABILIZATION SERVICES. 2025 IMPACT: SINCE THE PANDEMIC, LEARNING RECOVERY HAS STALLED IN THE UNITED STATES. THE TIME IS NOW TO ALLOCATE RESOURCES AND IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES THAT INCLUDE HIGH INTENSITY, HIGH DOSAGE TUTORING WITH HIGH-QUALITY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCELERATE LEARNING RECOVERY FOR OUR CHILDREN.IN 2025, WAY TO GROW PROVIDED 11,574 IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL HOME VISITS TO 2,320 CLIENTS (1,368 CHILDREN AND 952 PARENTS) AND HELPED TO STABILIZE 830 FAMILIES THROUGH 1,212 REFERRALS TO SERVICES TO SUPPORT ACCESS TO EARLY EDUCATION, MEDICAL NEEDS, AND ECONOMIC SUPPORT SUCH AS HOUSING AND FOOD. OUR FAMILIES ARE DEMONSTRATING STRONG RESILIENCE DURING A TIME OF UNCERTAINTY.DURING THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR, 72% OF EARLY LEARNERS WERE DEEMED READY FOR KINDERGARTEN; 83% OF K-3 STUDENTS COMBINED DEMONSTRATED GROWTH IN READING LEVEL ASSESSMENTS, AND 88% OF PARENTS ATTENDED AT LEAST ONE OF THEIR CHILDREN'S PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES. LEARNING DISRUPTIONS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVE AFFECTED CHILDREN'S LITERACY GAINS, WITH WAY TO GROW CREATING NEW INTERVENTIONS AND CURRICULUM UPDATES TO TARGET LITERACY FOUNDATIONS MOST IMPACTED. DURING THIS TIME, WE CONTINUED TO WORK WITH PARENTS TO ENSURE HEALTHY BIRTHS, WITH 100% OF NEWBORNS BORN AT OR ABOVE A HEALTHY BIRTH WEIGHT WHEN ENROLLED PRIOR TO 28 WEEKS GESTATION. WAY TO GROW FAMILIES ARE EXPERIENCING MULTI-GENERATIONAL IMPACT.

  Expenses $3,244,246 · Revenue $330,091

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

Listed in Part VII

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

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

Filed

1 May 2026

IRS schema version

2025v4.1

Source object

202621219349301212

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