Form 990 for tax year 2023

Totals

Total revenue

$12,965,156

Total expenses

$11,930,968

Contributions and grants received

$12,924,797

Grants paid

$9,996,503

Program service revenue

$0

Investment income

$0

Other revenue

$40,359

Total assets, end of year

$4,830,339

Total liabilities, end of year

$2,539,381

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$2,290,958

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$11,389,446

Management and general expenses

$389,981

Fundraising expenses

$151,541

Program service expenses (Part III)

$11,389,446

Program services were 95.5% 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 · 2023

• EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT FIRST STEPS KENT ADMINISTERS AND OVERSEES THE READY BY FIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD MILLAGE (THE "READY BY FIVE MILLAGE") FOR PROGRAMS THAT IMPROVE THE HEALTH, SCHOOL READINESS, AND WELLBEING OF CHILDREN THROUGH AGE FIVE. IT ALLOWS MORE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FROM ACROSS KENT COUNTY TO PARTICIPATE IN PROGRAMS THAT ARE PROVEN TO INCREASE THEIR LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS IN SCHOOL AND BEYOND. COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS APPLY FOR FUNDING TO PROVIDE SERVICES SUCH AS HOME VISITING, PLAY AND LEARN GROUPS, DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENING, AND NAVIGATION SUPPORT TO HELP FAMILIES ACCESS THE HELP THEY NEED AND WANT. DECISIONS ABOUT WHICH ORGANIZATIONS TO FUND ARE BASED ON COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENTS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE RESIDENT PROPOSAL REVIEW BOARD, WHICH INCLUDES PARENTS, KENT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF, A COMMUNITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPERT, AND A FIRST STEPS KENT COMMISSIONER.

  Expenses $10,489,760 · Grants $9,996,503 · Revenue $10,424,978

• MAINSPRING EARLY CARE ALLIANCE - INCREASES ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE, QUALITY CHILDCARE FOR WORKING FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN BY MAXIMIZING EARLY CHILDCARE PROVIDER CAPACITY. THE SHARED SERVICES INITIATIVE OFFERS RESOURCES TO INCREASE BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH SUPPORTS SUCH AS: TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM EXPERTS ON SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WEBINARS AND WORKSHOPS ON BEST PRACTICES IN QUALITY CHILDCARE, AND DEVELOPING A COORDINATED PURCHASING SYSTEM TO ENSURE PROVIDERS RECEIVE VOLUME DISCOUNTS THAT WILL INCREASE THEIR BUYING POWER FOR SUPPLIES.

  Expenses $392,827

• EARLY LEARNING INITIATIVES-FIRST STEPS KENT WAS ESTABLISHED TO BE THE SYSTEMS LEVEL ORGANIZATION FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD IN KENT COUNTY, BORN OUT OF PLANNING BETWEEN COMMUNITY LEADERS, FUNDERS AND THE KENT COUNTY ADMINISTRATION IN 2009. ALTHOUGH TERMS AND THE VERNACULAR HAS SHIFTED OVER SEVERAL YEARS, PROMOTION AND ADVOCACY FOR EARLY LEARNING FOCUSED ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES COVERING THE AGE CONTINUUM FROM PRENATAL TO 5 YEARS OF AGE IS A LARGE PART OF THE WORK OF FIRST STEPS KENT. THE MEASURABLE OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WORK ENSURES THAT CHILDREN ARE BORN HEALTHY AND ARE REFERRED TO SERVICES TO ASSIST THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES WITH DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE RESOURCES AND SERVICES, SO THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO ENTER KINDERGARTEN READY TO LEARN AND REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. FIRST STEPS KENT IS A LEAD CONVENER IN KENT COUNTY, STATEWIDE AND EVEN NATIONALLY TO PROMOTE AND ADVOCATE FOR EVIDENCEDBASED MODELS TO ENHANCE THE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN. THESE INITIATIVES INCLUDE DOZENS OF MEETINGS, CONVENINGS AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LATEST RESEARCH DOCUMENTS CREATED BY PARTNERS LIKE THE BUILD INITIATIVE, THE PRITZKER CHILDREN'S INITIATIVE, THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES AND THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SOCIAL POLICY. FIRST STEPS KENT STRIVES TO ADVOCATE FOR SERVICES AND RESOURCES FOR OUR YOUNGEST CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES BY PROVIDING IMPACT REPORTS AND NEEDS ASSESSMENTS SHOWING WHERE GAPS EXIST IN THE EARLY CHILDHOOD LANDSCAPE.

  Expenses $504,835

• DATA PROJECTS-FIRST STEPS KENT SUPPORTS COMMUNITY-WIDE DATA COLLECTION INITIATIVES FROM SERVICE PROVIDERS TO SUPPORT UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS OF EXPECTANT PARENTS AND FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN IN KENT COUNTY. THIS PROJECT TRACKS THE PROGRESS OF PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES ALIGNING IN THREE KEY AREAS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO KINDERGARTEN READINESS, INCLUDING: CHILDREN ARE BORN HEALTHY, CHILDREN ARE DEVELOPMENTALLY ON TRACK AND CHILD HEALTH. PROJECTS HAVE INCLUDED A FORMAL PROCESS TO COLLECT FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY WITH THE IDENTIFYING OF CONTRIBUTING INDICATORS THAT ADD A MEASURABLE CONTEXT TO THE EARLY CHILDHOOD VISION FOR KENT COUNTY, DEVELOPMENT OF A SYSTEMS STAKEHOLDER MAP SHOWING THE CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS AMONGEARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS DESIGNING PERFORMANCE BASED METRICS THAT HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE AGREEMENTS EXECUTED WITH AGENCIES RECEIVING READY BY FIVE MILLAGE FUNDING.

  Expenses $2,024

As filed on the 2023 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

• FAMILY FUTURES

  $1,281,697

  GENERAL SUPPORT

• KENT COUNTY

  $1,221,922

  GENERAL SUPPORT

• KENT INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT

  $1,220,605

  GENERAL SUPPORT

• HEALTH NET OF WEST MICHIGAN

  $1,031,865

  GENERAL SUPPORT

• ARBOR CIRCLE

  $918,557

  GENERAL SUPPORT

• COREWELL HEALTH

  $786,193

  GENERAL SUPPORT

• GRAND RAPIDS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

  $457,116

  GENERAL SUPPORT

• CHERRY STREET HEALTH SERVICES

  $451,807

  GENERAL SUPPORT

• HEALTHY HOMES COALITION OF WEST MICHIGAN

  $380,193

  GENERAL SUPPORT

• READY FOR SCHOOL

  $360,725

  GENERAL SUPPORT

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2023

Filed

12 June 2025

IRS schema version

2023v6.0

Source object

202511639349300616

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

The source document this was parsed from is served over the API, which is where bulk and document access live.