Form 990 for tax year 2025

Totals

Total revenue

$8,028,926

Total expenses

$7,838,334

Contributions and grants received

$7,620,895

Grants paid

$458,581

Program service revenue

$395,482

Investment income

$12,549

Other revenue

$0

Total assets, end of year

$6,259,994

Total liabilities, end of year

$1,402,091

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$4,857,903

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$6,365,904

Management and general expenses

$1,472,430

Fundraising expenses

$0

Program service expenses (Part III)

$6,365,904

Program services were 81.2% 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

• Education1) KOOTASCA Head Start is a comprehensive preschool program for low-income children (birth through five years old) in Itasca and Koochiching Counties. It provides children with a developmentally appropriate early childhood education. The program ensures that young children receive health checkups, medical treatment, oral health screenings, and nutritious meals every day. Parents also receive benefits when their children attend our Head Start program. The parents receive guidance from our family advocates and teachers to help support their children at home and to help eliminate barriers to self-sufficiency. Parents learn to create stimulating home environments and engage in educational activities with their children. Head Start services are provided through a variety of program options, including Early Head Start which may serve pregnant women and children up to age three. We have classroom-based programming that is 4-5 days per week for children 3- to 5-years old. Parents of Head Start children are encouraged to volunteer within the program in a variety of ways and can build leadership skills by participating in the Parent Policy Council. Policy Council members are parents of currently enrolled Head Start children. The members act as a link between KOOTASCA Head Start staff and the families that the program serves. The Policy Council must work in partnership with key Head Start management and the KOOTASCA Board of Directors to develop, review, and approve policies; create strategic program directions and decisions; develop criteria for the recruitment, selection, and enrollment of children; and approve funding applications along with personnel and other business-orientated activities that require Policy Council's approval. KOOTASCA Head Start serves 8 infant and toddlers and 187 preschool children with Federal Funding and another 19 children with State funding across Itasca and Koochiching Counties. 2) The Teenage Parent Program (TAPP) began in the Grand Rapids school district in 1971. School districts were mandated by the State of Minnesota to provide educational opportunities to pregnant and parenting teens. In 1993, KOOTASCA Community Action assumed the operation and management of the Teenage Parent Program as the funding allocations to the local school districts for the program declined. The population that TAPP serves is one of our communitys most vulnerable. Pregnant and parenting teens are the most likely to drop out of school, potentially leading to a life in poverty for the teenage parent and his or her child. KOOTASCAs TAPP program provides educational opportunities that count towards credit hours for high school graduation in a variety of settings that best fit the needs of the participant. TAPP provides additional education on topics geared to the pregnant and parenting teen, including: labor and delivery, prenatal nutrition, sudden unexpected infant death syndrome (SUIDS), shaken baby syndrome, birth control and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), cooking, nutrition, personal finances, and budgeting.3) KOOTASCA reviews and updates the community needs assessment annually to determine the greatest areas of local need and adjusts to meet those needs. The 2023 Community Assessment indicated that Koochiching County lacked childcare facilities for infants and toddlers, despite a growing number of infants and toddlers residing in the County. To best meet the needs of families with young children, KOOTASCA Head Start converted 13 Preschool Head Start slots into 8 Infant-Toddler Early Head Start slots. An Infant-Toddler classroom has been in operation since 2021 in International Falls. This has been a positive step in meeting the needs of families.

  Expenses $3,866,482

• Asset Development and Housing: The goal is to build community and organizational capacity allowing all Low to Moderate Income (LMI) households the opportunity for safe affordable housing and increased development of assets. The accomplishments of this strategy for 2025 are as follows:1) The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides primary heat funding to reduce energy burden for LMI households through direct payments to energy vendors. As an assistance program, the payments are made to help keep the households heat on and are targeted to those vendors essential to maintaining the households primary heat source. A crisis component of the program makes additional Crisis funding available to prevent utility disconnections or disruptions in service for delivered heating fuels. An Energy Related Repair (ERR) component of the program provides emergency repair or replacement of non-functioning primary heat sources in emergency (no heat) situations or where health and safety hazards exist. In Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025/EAP PY25, 3069 households experienced reduced energy burden and safe continuous heat through primary heat funding, 1205 households avoided interruptions in service through crisis funding, and 220 households maintained safe heat through ERR emergency furnace services.2) The federal Department of Energy Weatherization Program (DOE WAP) provides funding to reduce energy burden for LMI households through building shell and mechanical system energy conservation upgrades. Insulation, air infiltration reduction, heating source(s), base loads, and indoor air quality are all addressed through a comprehensive energy audit process. The program also provides client education for low- or no-cost energy savings measures and occupant behaviors. LIHEAP Weatherization and utility-based funds are often braided with DOE WAP and occasionally used independently of DOE WAP allowing for additional unit completions. At the time of this report within the State Fiscal Year of 2025/Wx PY24, a reduced energy burden has been realized for: 14 households utilizing DOE with LIHEAP, and an additional 2 households utilizing LIHEAP only.3) The 2022 Weatherization Assistance Program Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides us additional funding (DOE BIL), which moved into the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) at the federal level in March 2025, through the Department of Energy to serve additional LMI households in reducing their energy burden through building shell and mechanical system energy conservation upgrades. Insulation, air infiltration reduction, heating source(s), base loads, and indoor air quality are all addressed through a comprehensive energy audit process. The program also provides client education for low- or no-cost energy savings measures and occupant behaviors. LIHEAP Weatherization funds are often braided with DOE IIJA funds. At the time of this report within the State Fiscal Year of 2025/Wx PY24, a reduced energy burden has been realized for: 14 households utilizing DOE IIJA with LIHEAP.The goal is to build community and organizational capacity allowing all Low to Moderate Income (LMI) households the opportunity for safe affordable housing and increased development of assets. The accomplishments of this strategy for 2025 are as follows:5) KOOTASCAs Crisis Housing services include the Transitional Housing program and Crisis Rent Assistance program. The Transitional Housing program serves homeless clients with time-limited housing, case management services, and assistance with building skills for self-sufficiency. This program consists of two separate duplex locations dedicated to families and one location dedicated to male housing. Transitional Housing program funds are provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Homelessness, Housing, and Support Services Administration (HHSSA). The Crisis Rent Assistance program provides financial assistance for unhoused or at-risk families and individuals to obtain or maintain rental housing. Minnesota Housing and the Homelessness, Housing, and Support Services Administration provide funding for this program to assist Itasca and Koochiching County clients. Minnesota DHS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development provide funding for assisting unhoused households navigate a path to obtaining a safe and affordable rental unit.In fiscal year 2025, the Transitional Housing program served 6 single men and 5 families with children. 52 un-housed households were moved into permanent housing and homelessness was prevented for an additional 69 households. The total number of households served was 121. 6) Through the MNsure program, KOOTASCAs trained and certified Health Care Navigators assist clients in navigating health care insurance options. Funding for this program is made available through MNsure, Minnesotas health insurance marketplace. In 2025, KOOTASCAs MNsure program successfully navigated health insurance option for 61 clients and assisted an additional 354 individuals with health care eligibility questions.7) In 2025, KOOTASCA helped 10 households attain housing stability through S.O.A.R (SSI/SSDI Outreach Access and Recovery program). 8) During 2025, KOOTASCAs Community Living Infrastructure navigation program housing navigators assisted 16 households with applications, referrals, and support services funded through the Homelessness, Housing, and Support Services Administration through MN DHS. With KOOTASCAs HUD Unsheltered program housing navigators assisted 6 Itasca County household with housing supportive services funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.The continued goal is to build community and organizational capacity, allowing all Low- to Moderate-Income (LMI) households the opportunity for safe, affordable housing and increased development of assets. The accomplishments of this strategy for 2025 are as follows:Through Housing Development, KOOTASCA directly develops and supports communities in creating and preserving high-quality affordable housing for very low- and moderate-income individuals and families in rural northeastern Minnesota. This includes housing opportunities for individuals living with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness, ensuring compliance with applicable federal and state housing regulations, including LIHTC and other funding requirements.In 2025, Housing Developments primary focus has been on the asset management and long-term sustainability of the jointly owned and co-developed Alexander Baker Apartments. Activities emphasized maintaining regulatory compliance, ensuring financial viability, and preserving the physical condition and operational integrity of the property to support quality housing outcomes for residents.This effort reflects a strategic emphasis on maintaining high standards and expectation of property performance, compliance, and resident services. Housing Development has assumed an expanded role in asset management due to its proximity to the project and its established community relationships, allowing for greater responsiveness.Oversight activities in 2025 included monitoring of property management and maintenance performance with project staff turnover; analysis of vacancy rates and lease-up trends; evaluation of referral pipelines and tenant selection flow, referral communication systems, communication with property management; and ongoing engagement with community stakeholders and project partners. What we do-KOOTASCA (KCA) assists households achieve the dream of homeownership through affordable housing by providing pre purchase housing counseling, education, and downpayment assistance with an emphasis on serving those facing the greatest barriers to achieving it.Through an in-depth Community Needs Assessment, it clearly documented the need for funding and housing assistance to help LMI populations to secure homeownership. KCA will continue to provide quality Education. A 8-hour course of instruction that leads participants through the challenge of buying a home, all the ABCs in navigating the journey and open pathways. KCA provides one-on-one counseling services which include an evaluation of household income, debt-to-income and affordability. Participants develop a housing plan, set a budget, identify action steps to take to overcome their barriers, share access to resources and complete steps to improve financial capacity specific to their individual needs.KCA can also refer to downpayment program assistance and we offer HOME funds to eligible households. Downpayment and closing cost assistance is identified as one of the biggest barriers to LMI households. We work to qualify households, work with their lender & realtor in obtaining a loan and house that best fits their needs, affordability and goal of homeownership.The HOME assistance, this county-wide program is a model throughout the state and has a direct, positive impact on local famili

  Expenses $2,330,128

• Community Engagement: KOOTASCA Community Action engages community partners to advocate for and collaborate on community strategies to fulfill our mission to end poverty. The agency's community engagement strategy includes the following programs.1) KOOTASCAs Circles of Support program provides an opportunity for people in poverty to build social assets and skills and self-empowerment through weekly and monthly meetings for individuals experiencing poverty, as well as non-poor volunteers. In 2025, a total of 238 people participated in 64 meetings and events.2) Big View programming provides education and creates community awareness of poverty-related issues and systemic barriers that make leaving poverty more difficult. In 2025, 98 individuals attended Big View programming across 11 separate events.

  Expenses $169,294

As filed on the 2025 return.

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.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Taxable family on this return

Schedule R Parts I, III and IV, as filed. These record ownership and control, not shared board members or money moved.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2025

Filed

21 September 2026

IRS schema version

2025v4.1

Source object

202632649349300338

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