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Children First Communities in Schools of Buncombe County Inc

EIN 59-1721943 · Asheville, NC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthGood75 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

To empower children and their families to reach their full potential through advocacy, education and services. As Communities In Schools, we surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

Income
$2.0 million
Spending
$1.8 million
Spent on programs
81%
Reserves
1.7 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 53%
Employees
49
Volunteers
18
Highest pay
$86,648, executive director

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

Good: 75 out of 100.

  • Reserves

    10 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 1.7 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 11% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 9% of income.

  • Income trend

    15 of 15

    Income rose 33% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    81% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 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: 100 out of 100.

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    14 of 14 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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 (3)
  1. $1.5 million spent. Overall Organizational Highlights: -We served over 2,660 children with our direct services and academic supports through our AmeriCorps program. This is a conservative estimate, as many were served immediately following Hurricane Helene without a consistent tracking system, so those figures were not captured. -Last year, 4 community members volunteered their time at our Learning Centers, and the Family Resource Center, totaling 631 hours.
  2. Communities In Schools (CIS) Student Support Specialists: Children First/(CIS) student support specialist programs at Claxton, Johnston, Hall Fletcher, Oakley, Estes, and Emma Elementary Schools and Eblen Intermediate School empower students to stay in school and achieve in life. Operations at these sites is based one a school-based student support site plan. Plans include services that address identified school-wide needs or build and reinforce student assets. It also identifies services for specific students at high risk of eventually dropping out of school. 97% of our case-managed students qualified for the Free & Reduced Lunch program. We had 229 case managed students and served 2,215 students with Tier I (school-wide) services.
  3. Children First/Communities In Schools (CIS) Learning Centers are safe haven afterschool programs that provide academic assistance, healthy snacks and enrichment activities for up to 43 at-risk elementary aged children. 28 students also participated in a 6-week summer camp that offers a variety of enrichment and education opportunities, and 7 students participated in tennis at Eblen. The Learning Centers strengthen the connection between student, school, parent and community, which is a key element in helping an at-risk child succeed in school and prepare for life. We had a 95% promotion rate for our 229 case-managed students. . Other notable accomplishments for FY 2025: *Project POWER AmeriCorps members served 243 youths and recruited 375 volunteers who provided 2,667 hours of community service. *The Family Resource Centers served 193 individuals with food boxes, 60 individuals received emergency financial assistance,202 students received backpacks and school supplies, and 332 children received gifts during Holiday Giving. *Childern First/(CIS) supports advocacy by serving as the fiscal sponsor of the Western North Carolina Early Childhood Coalition (WNC ECC). This collaboration allows CF/CIS to continue supporting advocacy that impacts children and families.

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

  1. 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 October 13, 2026.

  2. 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 November 6, 2026.

  3. 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 October 13, 2026.

  4. 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 October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since May 1977.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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 November 4, 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.