North Carolina Partnership for Children Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE NORTH CAROLINA PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN (NCPC) IS THE LEAD ORGANIZATION AND BACKBONE OF THE SMART START NETWORK, SETTING STATEWIDE VISION, POLICY, AND FUNDING PRIORITIES. WHILE LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS TRANSLATE THE STATEWIDE VISION INTO COMMUNITY ACTION, NCPC STRENGTHENS THAT WORK THROUGH GUIDANCE, COORDINATION, AND SUPPORT. NCPC CONNECTS LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS TO THE BROADER EARLY CHILDHOOD ECOSYSTEM AND EQUIPS THEM WITH THE TOOLS, POLICIES, AND RESOURCES TO BE EFFECTIVE, ENSURING THAT CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM COORDINATED, HIGH-QUALITY CARE AND SERVICES.AS THE LEAD ORGANIZATION, NCPC STRENGTHENS THE SMART START NETWORK BY: SETTING POLICY AND STRATEGIC DIRECTION TO ENSURE SMART START DELIVERS MEANINGFUL OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. MAINTAINING FISCAL AND PROGRAMMATIC ACCOUNTABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS. EQUIPPING LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS WITH DATA PORTAL AND COUNTY-LEVEL DATA MEASURES AS WELL AS A CENTRALIZED ACCOUNTING AND CONTRACTING SYSTEM.
- Income
- $134.0 million
- Spending
- $133.6 million
- Spent on programs
- 97%
- Reserves
- 0.2 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 99%
- Employees
- 54
- Volunteers
- 46
- Highest pay
- $171,808, president
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 51 out of 100. Higher than 25% of charities in its peer group (education, over $100m).
Reserves
4 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 0.2 months of spending.
Debt
5 of 20It owes 71% of what it owns.
Living within its means
12 of 15Income exceeded spending by 0% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 8% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1597% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 0 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 14% of charities in its peer group (education, over $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2525 of 25 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
0 of 10Did not give the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (5)
- $2.9 million spent. SMART START NETWORK BACKBONE, ACCOUNTABILITY & CAPACITY BUILDING (STATEWIDE SUPPORT)NCPC SERVES AS THE STATEWIDE BACKBONE ORGANIZATION FOR SMART START'S 75 LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS, ENSURING LEGISLATIVELY REQUIRED GOVERNANCE, FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY, AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS WHILE EQUIPPING COMMUNITIES WITH SHARED TOOLS THAT REDUCE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN AND STRENGTHEN LOCAL IMPACT. IN FY2025, NCPC SUPPORTED NETWORK STABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH ENHANCED CONTRACTING AND DATA SYSTEMS, STATEWIDE LEARNING AND COLLABORATION, AND TARGETED CAPACITY-BUILDING INVESTMENTS THAT HELP LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS RESPOND TO LOCAL NEEDS WHILE ADVANCING STATEWIDE GOALS.MAJOR FY2025 ACHIEVEMENTS: - IMPLEMENTED A NEW CONTRACT AND DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CDMS)A MAJOR MODERNIZATION EFFORT THAT STREAMLINED CONTRACTING, IMPROVED DATA INTEGRITY, AND INCREASED TRANSPARENCY ACROSS THE NETWORK; IMPLEMENTATION ENGAGED NEARLY 1,000 STAFF STATEWIDE AND REDUCED DUPLICATIVE ADMINISTRATIVE WORKLOAD, ALLOWING MORE TIME FOR DIRECT COMMUNITY WORK. (NON-MEASURABLE ACHIEVEMENT: STRENGTHENED CONSISTENCY, TRUST, AND TRANSPARENCY ACROSS 75 ORGANIZATIONS.) - NCPC INVESTED $6.98M IN STATEWIDE CAPACITY-BUILDING AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT TO STRENGTHEN LOCAL PARTNERSHIP SUSTAINABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS.- EXPANDED ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND SHARED SERVICES TO REDUCE OPERATING COSTS (E.G., STATEWIDE MEMBERSHIP INVESTMENT GENERATING NETWORK SAVINGS), AND EXPANDED ACCESS TO NETWORK TOOLS SUCH AS QUALTRICS, WITH APPROX. 75% OF LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS SET UP TO USE THIS SHARED SERVICE AT NO COST.- SUPPORTED RESILIENCE AND TRAUMA-INFORMED ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE THROUGH THE NC HEALTHY AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE, ENGAGING NINE LOCAL PARTNERSHIP TEAMS IN A 10-MONTH IMPROVEMENT PROCESS FOLLOWING INTENSIVE TRAINING.- COMPLETED/ADVANCED A NETWORK-WIDE COMPENSATION/WORKFORCE STUDY TO INFORM STRATEGIES THAT ATTRACT, SUPPORT, AND RETAIN THE SMART START WORKFORCE.PUBLICATIONS / TOOLS ISSUED OR MAINTAINED: -SMART START COMMUNITY INDICATORS DASHBOARD (ONGOING UPDATES)- CDMS IMPLEMENTATION RESOURCES AND STATEWIDE REPORTING TOOLS -NETWORK WORKFORCE/COMPENSATION STUDY DELIVERABLES (REPORT AND SUPPORTING MATERIALS)CLIENTS SERVED (PROGRAM REACH):- 75 LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS (DIRECT ORGANIZATIONAL CLIENTS) - APPROX. 1,000 LOCAL PARTNERSHIP STAFF ENGAGED THROUGH CDMS TRANSITION SUPPORT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
- $113.6 million spent. EARLY CARE & EDUCATION ACCESS, QUALITY, AND WORKFORCE SUPPORTS (INCLUDING SUBSIDY, WAGE$, AND NC PRE-K SYSTEM SUPPORT)SMART START STRENGTHENS NORTH CAROLINA'S EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION SYSTEM BY IMPROVING ACCESS, AFFORDABILITY, AND QUALITY OF CHILD CARE AND EARLY LEARNING, AND BY INVESTING IN THE WORKFORCE THAT MAKES HIGH-QUALITY CARE POSSIBLE. IN FY2025, LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS INVESTED SMART START FUNDING TO HELP FAMILIES AFFORD CHILD CARE, SUPPORT TEACHER COMPENSATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND IMPROVE CLASSROOM QUALITY AND HEALTH/SAFETY PRACTICESESPECIALLY IN COMMUNITIES FACING THE GREATEST BARRIERS TO CARE.MAJOR FY2025 ACHIEVEMENTS:- LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS INVESTED OR FACILITATED $64.68M IN CHILD CARE SUBSIDY, HELPING FAMILIES AFFORD CARE AND REMAIN IN THE WORKFORCE; $41.6M OF THIS WAS MANAGED IN COORDINATION WITH DCDEE THROUGH SMART START'S SUBSIDY SET-ASIDE MODEL.-SUPPORTED THE EARLY CHILDHOOD WORKFORCE THROUGH WAGE$ SALARY SUPPLEMENTS, WITH 51 LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS PROVIDING SUPPLEMENTS TO 4,075 TEACHERS; SUPPORTED TEACHERS SHOWED IMPROVED STABILITY, WITH OVER 82% REMAINING IN THEIR ROLES AND A REDUCED TURNOVER RATE (APPROX. 13%).- SUPPORTED QUALITY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACHES: - 28% (1,472) OF NORTH CAROLINA CHILD CARE PROGRAMS PARTICIPATED IN SMART SOLUTIONS THAT ENHANCED TEACHER KNOWLEDGE AND TEACHER-CHILD INTERACTIONS.-392 CHILD CARE PROGRAMS PARTICIPATED IN AT LEAST ONE SMART SOLUTION TO ENHANCE HEALTH AND SAFETY (YEAR-OVER-YEAR INCREASE).- EXPANDED WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTS REACHING APPROX. 15,000 TEACHERS THROUGH TRAINING, MENTORING, AND HIGHER EDUCATION NAVIGATION (INCLUDING 14,448 RECEIVING TRAINING AND 582 RECEIVING HIGHER EDUCATION ADVISING; MANY DEMONSTRATED STRONG COURSE OUTCOMES). SUPPORTED STATEWIDE EARLY LEARNING SYSTEMS: - NC PRE-K SYSTEM SUPPORT: LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS CO-LEAD LOCAL NC PRE-K COMMITTEES AND, IN 55 COUNTIES, 46 PARTNERSHIPS ADMINISTER NC PRE-K THROUGH SEPARATE DCDEE CONTRACTS, DIRECTING $7,652,440 IN ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR CLASSROOM OPERATIONS AND SUPPORT.- LAUNCHED NC TRI-SHARE CHILD CARE PROGRAM PUBLICLY IN AUGUST 2024 FOLLOWING EXTENSIVE PROGRAMMATIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE PREPARATION TO EXPAND AFFORDABILITY THROUGH A SHARED-COST MODEL.CLIENTS SERVED (PROGRAM REACH): - 4,075 TEACHERS RECEIVING WAGE$ SUPPLEMENTS - 1,472 CHILD CARE PROGRAMS ENGAGED IN QUALITY-FOCUSED SMART SOLUTIONS - APPROX. 15,000 TEACHERS SUPPORTED THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND HIGHER EDUCATION/NAVIGATION SUPPORTS
- $8.3 million spent. EARLY LITERACY (DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY AND OTHER LITERACY STRATEGIES)NCPC AND THE SMART START NETWORK PROMOTE EARLY LITERACY BY INCREASING ACCESS TO BOOKS AND STRENGTHENING LANGUAGE-RICH INTERACTIONS BETWEEN YOUNG CHILDREN AND CAREGIVERS. IN FY2025, SMART START CONTINUED STATEWIDE IMPLEMENTATION OF DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY (DPIL) AND OTHER LITERACY SUPPORTS, HELPING FAMILIES BUILD HOME LIBRARIES AND ROUTINES THAT SUPPORT SCHOOL READINESS.MAJOR FY2025 ACHIEVEMENTS: - DPIL SERVED 253,257 PARTICIPATING CHILDREN AND, BY JUNE 2025, DELIVERED OVER 25 MILLION BOOKS TO NORTH CAROLINA CHILDREN SINCE STATEWIDE EXPANSION. - AS STATE-FUNDED PARTICIPATION REACHED CAPACITY, THE NETWORK IMPLEMENTED A TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF NEW STATE-SPONSORED REGISTRATIONS (FEBRUARY 2025) TO ENSURE CONTINUOUS MONTHLY BOOK DELIVERY FOR ALREADY-ENROLLED CHILDREN WHILE LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS EXPANDED EFFORTS TO RAISE PRIVATE FUNDS TO EXTEND ACCESS LOCALLY. (NON-MEASURABLE ACHIEVEMENT: MAINTAINED PROGRAM INTEGRITY AND CONTINUITY AMID COST PRESSURES WHILE MOBILIZING LOCAL PHILANTHROPY.)- DPIL FAMILY IMPACT SURVEY: NEARLY 17,000 FAMILIES RESPONDED, REPRESENTING APPROX. 37,350 CHILDREN; 43.3% REPORTED THEY COULD NOT PURCHASE THE SAME NUMBER OF BOOKS WITHOUT DPIL SUPPORT. - COMPLEMENTARY LITERACY SUPPORTS INCLUDED RAISING A READER SERVING 5,280 CHILDREN, WITH PARENT-REPORTED READING FREQUENCY INCREASING FROM 5.6 BOOKS/WEEK PRE-ENROLLMENT TO 9.3 BOOKS/WEEK AFTER ENROLLMENT (BASED ON 1,388 PARENT RESPONSES).CLIENTS SERVED (PROGRAM REACH):- DPIL: 253,257 CHILDREN - RAISING A READER: 5,280 CHILDREN - DPIL SURVEY RESPONDENTS: APPROX. 17,000 FAMILIES (REPRESENTING APPROX. 37,350 CHILDREN)
- $4.8 million spent. WESTERN NC DISASTER RECOVERY GRANTS & PROGRAMS: IN SEPTEMBER 2024, HURRICANE HELENE DEVASTATED WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA, LEAVING FAMILIES, CHILD CARE PROGRAMS, AND ENTIRE COMMUNITIES REELING. SMART START'S STATEWIDE NETWORK AND LOCAL CONNECTIONS ALLOWED IT TO RESPOND IMMEDIATELY, SERVING AS COMMUNITY HUBS, DISTRIBUTING RESOURCES, AND SUPPORTING RECOVERYLOCAL PARTNERSHIPS MOBILIZED QUICKLY, SECURING OVER $5 MILLION IN PRIVATE DONATIONS AND ADDITIONAL IN-KIND RESOURCES TO MEET URGENT NEEDS. SMART START ALSO SUPPORTED PROVIDERS IN APPLYING FOR AID AND SHARED MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES TO ADDRESS BOTH PRACTICAL AND EMOTIONAL RECOVERY. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO NCPC SECURING ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND IN-KIND DONATIONS TO SUPPORT AFFECTED COUNTIES. RECOGNIZING CHILD CARE AS CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, THE NC GENERAL ASSEMBLY ALLOCATED $10 MILLION IN HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF TO BE DISTRIBUTED BY SMART START PARTNERSHIPS IN THE HARDEST-HIT COUNTIES. IN 2025, NCPC DISTRIBUTED $4.7M OF THE FIRST $5M RECEIVED TO WESTERN NC LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS FOR GRANTS TO PROVIDERS AND OPERATORS. THIRTEEN LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS HAVE SINCE: REPAIRED AND REPLACED STORM DAMAGES NOT COVERED ELSEWHERE COMPENSATED PROVIDERS FOR LOST REVENUE SUPPORTED STAFF TO MAINTAIN OPERATIONS. HELPED CENTERS SERVING 4,500+ CHILDREN REOPEN AND REMAIN OPEN. THESE ACTIONS REOPENED CHILD CARE, ALLOWING CHILDREN TO LEARN SAFELY AND PARENTS TO WORK, STABILIZING FAMILIES AND THE ECONOMY. HURRICANE HELENE REAFFIRMED SMART START'S ROLE IN SUPPORTING CHILD DEVELOPMENT, FAMILY STABILITY, AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE IN TIMES OF CRISIS AND BEYOND
- $540,414 spent. FAMILY SUPPORT & HOME VISITING (PARENT EDUCATION, NAVIGATION, AND GROUP/ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORTS)SMART START STRENGTHENS FAMILIES BY EXPANDING ACCESS TO EVIDENCE-BASED FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES THAT BUILD NURTURING PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS, PROMOTE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT, AND CONNECT FAMILIES TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES. IN FY2025, LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS INVESTED SIGNIFICANTLY IN FAMILY SUPPORT STRATEGIES DELIVERED THROUGH BOTH ONE-ON-ONE AND GROUP-BASED MODELS, WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON HOME VISITING, PARENTING EDUCATION, AND FAMILY NAVIGATION SUPPORTS.MAJOR FY2025 ACHIEVEMENTS: -LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS INVESTED $22.78M IN FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES, INCLUDING: - $6.52M IN HOME VISITING - $5.05M IN PARENT EDUCATION - $7.81M IN COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND SYSTEMS-BUILDING - $1.89M IN EARLY LITERACY SUPPORTS DELIVERED THROUGH FAMILY-FOCUSED SETTINGS- DELIVERED ONE-ON-ONE FAMILY SUPPORT IN 44 LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS, REACHING OVER 4,700 PARENTS/GUARDIANS AND APPROX. 3,300 CHILDREN THROUGH EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES SUCH AS FAMILY CONNECTS, FAMILY NAVIGATION, PARENTS AS TEACHERS, AND NURSE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP.- DELIVERED GROUP-BASED FAMILY SUPPORTS IN 54 LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS, STRENGTHENING PARENT-CHILD INTERACTION AND SOCIAL CONNECTION (INCLUDING BROAD PARTICIPATION IN KALEIDOSCOPE PLAY & LEARN, PARTNERING WITH 2,997 PARENTS/CAREGIVERS).CLIENTS SERVED (PROGRAM REACH): - ONE-ON-ONE SUPPORTS: APPROX. 4,700 PARENTS/GUARDIANS AND APPROX. 3,300 CHILDREN - GROUP SUPPORTS: 2,997 PARENTS/CAREGIVERS PARTICIPATING IN KPL (PLUS ADDITIONAL GROUP PARTICIPANTS, IF TRACKED)CHILD, FAMILY & COMMUNITY HEALTH (MATERNAL/CHILD HEALTH, EARLY INTERVENTION, AND SAFETY)SMART START SUPPORTS THE WHOLE HEALTH OF YOUNG CHILDREN AND FAMILIES BY CONNECTING THEM TO MATERNAL/CHILD HEALTH SUPPORTS, EARLY INTERVENTION, AND SAFETY RESOURCES OFTEN ADDRESSING SOCIAL DRIVERS OF HEALTH THROUGH COORDINATED LOCAL SYSTEMS. IN FY2025, LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS INVESTED IN PRENATAL/NEWBORN SUPPORTS, EARLY INTERVENTION LINKAGES, AND TARGETED EVIDENCE-BASED HEALTH AND SAFETY STRATEGIES.MAJOR FY2025 ACHIEVEMENTS: - LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS INVESTED $3.37M IN HEALTH-RELATED SERVICES: -$1.48M IN PRENATAL/NEWBORN SERVICES - $1.04M IN EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES - $0.85M IN OTHER HEALTH SUPPORTS (INCLUDING ACCESS, ORAL HEALTH, AND FAMILY-CENTERED HEALTH SERVICES) - 22 LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS IMPLEMENTED HEALTH-FOCUSED SMART SOLUTIONS. - EXPANDED CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY SUPPORTS: 13 LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS IMPLEMENTED SAFE KIDS COALITION STRATEGIES, SERVING 1,219 FAMILIES AND PROVIDING 700 CAR SEATS FUNDED THROUGH SMART START INVESTMENTS.CLIENTS SERVED (PROGRAM REACH): - 1,219 FAMILIES RECEIVING CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY SUPPORT - 22 LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS IMPLEMENTING HEALTH-FOCUSED EVIDENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 1994.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.