Charities United States Education Wake County Smartstart
Wake County Smartstart logo

Wake County Smartstart

Investing in young children, families, and a brighter future together.

Wake County Smart Start Inc

Education Raleigh, NC EIN 561949415 · IRS Sign up to see website
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93
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
93/100 · methodology

About Wake County Smartstart

Preparing children for kindergarten & life ahead! We are building a strong early education system to ensure prosperous, bright futures.

Founded
Headquarters
Raleigh, NC
Foundation type
Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2))
NTEE code
B210
IRS subsection
501(c)(03)
Ruling date
Size
large

Verified certifications

Confirmed against the issuing authority - not self-reported.

IRS Tax-Deductible since 1996

Mission

Investing in young children, families, and a brighter future together.

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
📚 Education · NTEE B210
Cause tags
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.
SDG 4 SDG 4 · Quality Education Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar education in United States
Program spending This charity: 94%
Peer average: 91%
CEO comp as % of revenue This charity: 0.48%
Peer average: 0.48%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 93
Peer average: 93

Red flags

· All clear
IRS revocation history
Open investigations
Governance scandals
Related-party deals
Excessive exec comp

Where every $1 goes

$0.94
Program expenses$0.94 ($25.6 million)
94% to programs beats the peer average (91%) and beats the Charity Navigator "highly efficient" threshold (75%).

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Wake County Smartstart is a registered education nonprofit based in Raleigh, NC, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1994 and has been operating for 32 years. Its EIN is 561949415. It has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 93/100 (Strong transparency), indicating well-documented governance, financials, and contact details. The organization reports $28M in annual revenue. 116 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.

Wake County Smartstart has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 93/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 93 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 94% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for education charities in United States is 93/100.

Wake County Smartstart is located in Raleigh, NC, United States. The organization was established in 1994 and has been active for 32 years.

Based on official tax filings, Wake County Smartstart has $28M in annual revenue. It allocates 94% of expenses to programs and services. This is in line with the average of 91% for education charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $7M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Wake County Smartstart is classified as a Education organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)). By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has $28M in annual revenue. The organization has 116 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Wake County Smartstart. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

Wake County Smartstart has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 93/100 (Strong transparency) and no red flags have been detected, which suggests it is a well-documented organization. It is regulated by the IRS. 94% of expenses go to programs. The peer average is 91%. You can donate directly through their official donation page linked on their GiveRadar profile. GiveRadar provides data for research purposes and does not endorse any organization. Always do your own due diligence.

Preparing children for kindergarten & life ahead! We are building a strong early education system to ensure prosperous, bright futures. Wake County Smartstart is classified as a education organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1994.

Among education charities registered in United States: Wake County Smartstart's GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 93/100 is in line with the peer average of 93/100. It allocates 94% of expenses to programs, in line with the peer average of 91%. Its annual revenue of $28M is well above the peer average of $7M.

Yes, donations to Wake County Smartstart are generally tax-deductible in the United States. Wake County Smartstart is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Its EIN is 561949415, which you can use for tax filing purposes. Donors can typically deduct contributions on their federal income tax return if they itemize deductions. Consult a tax professional for guidance specific to your situation.

Verified against 3 official sources, last refreshed .

Annual revenue
$10M-$100M
94% to programs
Source: IRS 990 (FY2025) why this matters
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Filing history

5 years on file from IRS 990 (FY2025): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2025, FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Leadership

MA
Matthew Glova
Treasurer

Officers & trustees (25)

Source: Public filings

AM
Amelia M•••
Director
AN
Angie W••••
Director
AN
Antonia P••••••
Director
BA
Barbara M•••••• B••••
PAST CHAIR
CA
Carol C O•••
Director
CA
Catherine L•••••••
Director
CA
Catty M••••
Director
CH
Charlotte T•••••
Director
CH
Cheryl S••••••••
Director
CH
Christine A•••••••
Director
CO
Colleen R•••••
Director
DA
Dale C••••••
Director
EL
Elizabeth H•••••
Director
GA
Gary C•••
Director
GA
Gayle H•••••
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
HE
Heather D••••••
Director
JO
Joe W••••
TREASURER
KA
Katherine W•••••••
VICE CHAIR
KA
Katie K•••
Director
KI
Kimberly S•••
Director
LE
Leslie A•• J••••••
SECRETARY
L'
L'Teisha C•••••
Director
MA
Maria C•••••••
Director
MA
Matthew E••••••••
Director
MA
Matthew G••••
Director
Full names, contact details & compensation

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Latest news

From global news sources

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

Form filed
$27.9M revenue
FY2025
IRS_990
Form filed
$25.1M revenue
FY2024
IRS_990
Form filed
$22.9M revenue
FY2023
IRS_990
Form filed
$19.7M revenue
FY2022
IRS_990
Form filed
$20.1M revenue
FY2021
IRS_990

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Peer charities

Other education in United States, by integrity assessment

Charity Score Revenue Program %
Wake County Smartstart This page 93 $27.9 million 94%
River City Education Services 93 $59.0 million 99%
Compass Academy Charter School Inc 93 $17.7 million 86%
Lee Montessori Public Charter School 93 $16.1 million 93%
P G Chambers School Inc 93 $16.7 million 97%
Kingsman Academy Public Charter School 93 $16.5 million 89%
The Association of Illiana Christian High School of … 93 $20.0 million 92%
Code Org 93 $25.2 million 85%
Mount Vernon Nazarene University 93 $69.2 million 87%

Sources and verification

Refreshed

Registration and legal identity
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search
Financial filings
IRS Form 990 filings - Fiscal year 2025 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search - 116 disclosed in the public registry.

Data freshness

Last updated
Jun 12, 2026
Profile completeness
90%

What we don't know

Honest gaps - our score reflects transparency, not impact

Programs & projects
No named programs listed by the charity
Operating reach
Countries where programs run not specified

Methodology

GiveRadar combines public registry filings, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and news archives into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Quick facts about Wake County Smartstart

What is Wake County Smartstart?
Wake County Smartstart is a education publicly-supported charity (509(a)(2)) based in Raleigh, United States. Preparing children for kindergarten & life ahead! We are building a strong early education system to ensure prosperous, bright futures.
When was Wake County Smartstart founded?
Wake County Smartstart was founded in 1994.
Who leads Wake County Smartstart?
Matthew Glova serves as Treasurer.
Where is Wake County Smartstart located?
Headquartered in Raleigh, United States.
What is Wake County Smartstart's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is approximately $10M-$100M. 94% of expenses go to program services.
Is Wake County Smartstart trustworthy?
Wake County Smartstart has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 93 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Wake County Smartstart's registration number?
IRS EIN: 561949415.
What is Wake County Smartstart's website?
http://www.wakesmartstart.org