South Carolina · Nonprofit
MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP
MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP (South Carolina) receives grants from 1 organization whose IRS filings report $2,486,643 to it, the largest being SOUTH CAROLINA FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS BOARD OF TRUSTEES ($2,486,643). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $431k
- Funders on record
- 1
- Grants received
- $2.5M
- Net assets
- $84k
What Marion County First Steps to School Readiness Partnership does
Mission
Per south carolina code of laws section 59-152-10: there is established the south carolina first steps to school readiness, a comprehensive, results- oriented initiative for improving early childhood development by providing, through local partnerships, public and private funds, and support for high-quality early childhood development and education services for children by providing support for their families' efforts toward enabling their children to reach school ready to succeed.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Family strengthening-first steps works to increase parents' ability to stimulate their child's intellectual, social and physical development through evidence-based home visitation and parenting programs such as parents as teachers.
$224,847 spent63% of program spendingSchool transition-developed by south carolina first steps - and identified as a promising state practice by the national governor's association in 2005 - countdown to kindergarten is a home visitation program pairing the families of high-risk rising kindergartners with their future teachers during the summer before school entry. Teachers complete six visits with each family, centered upon classroom and content expectations.
$79,396 spent22% of program spendingChild care quality-first steps assists child care providers through training programs certified through sc endeavors and include topics in the areas of nutrition, health and safety,curriculum, child guidance, professional development and program administration. Additionally, the child care quality enhancement program aims to produce measurable improvements in the quality of care provided to young children. Also, first steps provides scholarships to high quality child care programs for eligible families so their families can return to work or school.
$32,732 spent9% of program spendingCore functions
$19,926 spent6% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $356,901.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2021 to 2022, from $98k to $201k (+105%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 100% · 2018 98% · 2019 98% · 2020 98% · 2021 100%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
100% of MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (57% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 4 of the last 9 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Board chair
Farrah Woodberry Owens
Chair
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base held at 1 funder, grant income rose $200k → $306k.
From the IRS filings of MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Where its funders are
100% of MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP's grant income comes from South Carolina funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP runs a healthier operating margin than half of the 16,849 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 16,849 education nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2025
Organizations like MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In South Carolina
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
93% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
100%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- South Carolina First Steps to Schoo · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP?
- MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP (South Carolina) receives grants from 1 organization whose IRS filings report $2,486,643 to it, the largest being SOUTH CAROLINA FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS BOARD OF TRUSTEES ($2,486,643). 1 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP have?
- IRS filings report 1 organization giving $2,486,643 in grants to MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP, 1 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP?
- SOUTH CAROLINA FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS BOARD OF TRUSTEES is the largest funder on record, with $2,486,643 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like MARION COUNTY FIRST STEPS TO SCHOOL READINESS PARTNERSHIP find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in South Carolina. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Marion County First Steps to School Readiness Partnership →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2017–2025), and the filings of 1 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing