CHILDREN FIRST FUND THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

CHILDREN FIRST FUND THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

EIN 36-4094830 · Education N.E.C. (B99)

What they do

THE MISSION of THE CHILDREN FIRST FUND is to PROMOTE THE GROWTH and SUCCESS of (SEE SCH O) CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGH PHILANTHROPY and PARTNERSHIPS. WE SERVE AS A KNOWLEDGE HUB and LIAISON BETWEEN CPS and ITS COMMUNITY of PARTNERS, INCLUDING BUSINESSES, FOUNDATIONS, and INDIVIDUALS. BY MATCHING RESOURCES PROVIDED BY EXTERNAL DONORS and PARTNERS WITH THE STUDENTS, SCHOOLS, and STAFF THAT NEED THEM MOST, CFF MAXIMIZES THE IMPACT of CPS PARTNERSHIPS and ADVANCES THE CPS VISION.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $93.70 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders15 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

106.74%of revenue went to mission work93.7% of expenses · Program services

3.28%of revenue went to fundraising2.9% of expenses

$113.87spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

3.85%of revenue went to management and office costs3.4% of expenses

$1.59in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

94.5%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $2,099,558 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $186,889 for OLUYEMISI ODEDINA (MANAGING DIRECTOR, FINANCE AND OPERATIONS). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$15,132,032

Mission workProgram services$16,152,495106.74% of revenue93.7% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$582,3463.85% of revenue3.4% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$496,7493.28% of revenue2.9% of expenses

Total expenses$17,231,590113.87% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 93.7% mission · 3.4% management · 2.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 113.87% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 93.7% mission · 3.4% management · 3.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 127.65% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 92.4% mission · 4.2% management · 3.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 88.49% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 94.6% mission · 2.8% management · 2.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 79.04% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 95.4% mission · 2.1% management · 2.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 86.33% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 95.4% mission · 4.6% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 83.38% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 96.2% mission · 3.8% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.65% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 99.0% mission · 1.0% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 49.96% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$15,132,032

Expenses$17,231,590

Annual shortfall $2,099,558 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$16,152,495 · 93.7% of expenses

Management and office costs$582,346 · 3.4% of expenses

Fundraising$496,749 · 2.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$15,132,032

Expenses$17,231,590

Assets$27,358,421

Income$15,132,032

Contributions$14,305,963

Mission work (program services)$16,152,495

Fundraising$496,749

Grants given$35,239,437

Average grant$880,986

Management and general$582,346

Accounting fees$46,182

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

OLUYEMISI ODEDINAMANAGING DIRECTOR, FINANCE AND OPERATIONS · 40 hrs/week $186,889Base $173,825 · Other $13,064

JOHANNA WHEATON DUTTDIRECTOR OF MAJOR GIFTS · 40 hrs/week $159,986Base $147,067 · Other $12,919

RACHEL ORLOWSKIDIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL GIVING · 40 hrs/week $134,792Base $123,375 · Other $11,417

KENYA MARTINDIRECTOR OF ROADMAP FUNDRAISING · 40 hrs/week $125,664Base $113,111 · Other $12,553

PATRICIA MEDAIRYMANAGER, HR & OPERATIONS · 40 hrs/week $109,858Base $107,000 · Other $2,858

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (15)

OLUYEMISI ODEDINAMANAGING DIRECTOR, FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

JOHANNA WHEATON DUTTDIRECTOR OF MAJOR GIFTS

RACHEL ORLOWSKIDIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL GIVING

KENYA MARTINDIRECTOR OF ROADMAP FUNDRAISING

PATRICIA MEDAIRYMANAGER, HR & OPERATIONS

ADAM LANGSAMDIRECTOR

ALAN KINGDIRECTOR, CHAIR

BRYAN STOKESDIRECTOR - AS ON 06/2025

EVA GIGLIODIRECTOR - AS ON 06/2025

LIZ DOZIERDIRECTOR

MARTIN CABRERADIRECTOR - UNTIL 12/2024

MARY CAHILLANEDIRECTOR, TREASURER

PEDRO MARTINEZEX OFFICIO DIRECT - UNTIL 06/2025

PETER ELLISDIRECTOR - UNTIL 02/2025

REBECCA CLARKINEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - AS ON 01/2025

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1997
Location: 233 S WACKER DR STE 4400 FL 44, CHICAGO, IL 60606-6322
County: Cook
In care of: ALAN KING
Primary officer: ALAN KING, CHAIR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailcontactus@childrenfirstfund.org Phone(312) 883-4977

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: BAKER TILLY ADVISORY GROUP LP
NTEE classification: Education N.E.C. (B99)
IRS tax category: Education N.E.C.
Grant-giving organization: Yes