KidWorks 
The information on this page was last updated 4/8/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
KidWorks ushers hope into Orange County's most challenging neighborhoods through life changing leadership development and academic enrichment programs while also fortifying families by engaging and supporting parents.
Contact information
Mailing address:
KidWorks
1902 W. Chestnut Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92703
Website: kidworksoc.org
Phone: 714.834.9400
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 743081569
CEO/President: David Benavides
Chairman: Cory Alder
Board size: 13
Founder: Pastor Larry and Jayme Acosta
Ruling year: 2003
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: No
Member of ECFA since:
Purpose
KidWorks inspires purpose in youth, fuels their growth, and catalyzes their impact in the community and the world.
Mission statement
KidWorks inspires purpose in youth, fuels their growth, and catalyzes their impact in the community and the world.
Statement of faith
Donor confidence score
Show donor confidence score details
To understand our donor confidence score, click here.
Transparency grade
C
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: K-12 Schools/Academies
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 648 of 1435 | 119 of 191 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 74 of 1435 | 40 of 191 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 1244 of 1435 | 168 of 191 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 727 of 1436 | 106 of 191 |
According to the organization's Form 990, it received $526,630 in government grants in 2025.
To understand our financial efficiency ratings, click here.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 11% | 12% | 12% | 10% | 11% | 9% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 2% | 11% | 12% | 9% | 11% | 9% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 13% | 95% | 102% | 90% | 103% | 99% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 2% | 14% | 12% | 13% | 13% | 11% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 87% | 5% | -2% | 10% | -3% | 1% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 83% | 71% | 74% | 77% | 78% | 81% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 93% | 81% | 96% | 71% | 89% | 77% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 76% | 58% | 71% | 55% | 70% | 63% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 7% | 19% | 4% | 29% | 11% | 23% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 6% | 11% | 2% | 19% | 6% | 13% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 14% | 15% | 14% | 10% | 9% | 8% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.54 | 0.42 | 0.43 | 0.42 | 0.43 | 0.43 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 2.99 | 1.52 | 1.66 | 1.72 | 2.12 | 2.45 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.80 | 0.64 | 0.71 | 0.73 | 0.92 | 1.05 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 2.80 | 6.96 | 5.81 | 7.57 | 6.65 | 11.71 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.35 | 0.14 | 0.17 | 0.13 | 0.15 | 0.09 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 3.98 | 16.17 | 13.95 | 14.21 | 11.12 | 10.48 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 29% | 9% | 10% | 8% | 7% | 3% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 10% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 117% | 217% | 209% | 217% | 215% | 226% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash | $1,092,581 | $907,622 | $1,687,365 | $1,274,144 | $1,707,039 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $1,337,644 | $753,337 | $614,473 | $231,721 | $171,661 |
| Short-term investments | $4,806,122 | $4,244,273 | $3,016,133 | $1,948,979 | $886,122 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $7,236,347 | $5,905,232 | $5,317,971 | $3,454,844 | $2,764,822 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $3,782,070 | $3,888,499 | $3,853,391 | $3,869,928 | $4,001,414 |
| Other long-term assets | $1,325 | $1,325 | $1,325 | $1,325 | $1,325 |
| Total long-term assets | $3,783,395 | $3,889,824 | $3,854,716 | $3,871,253 | $4,002,739 |
| Total assets | $11,019,742 | $9,795,056 | $9,172,687 | $7,326,097 | $6,767,561 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $443,483 | $379,588 | $424,733 | $306,064 | $236,054 |
| Other current liabilities | $596,757 | $636,987 | $278,097 | $213,780 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $1,040,240 | $1,016,575 | $702,830 | $519,844 | $236,054 |
| Debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total liabilities | $1,040,240 | $1,016,575 | $702,830 | $519,844 | $236,054 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Without donor restrictions | $7,719,727 | $7,525,432 | $7,208,800 | $6,325,105 | $5,742,101 |
| With donor restrictions | $2,259,775 | $1,253,049 | $1,261,057 | $481,148 | $789,406 |
| Net assets | $9,979,502 | $8,778,481 | $8,469,857 | $6,806,253 | $6,531,507 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Total contributions | $5,396,565 | $4,462,909 | $4,907,206 | $3,648,274 | $3,681,488 |
| Program service revenue | $7,105 | $9,668 | $11,456 | $11,491 | $7,400 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $183,038 | $116,472 | $55,971 | $30,632 | $34,617 |
| Other revenue | $74,839 | ($217,518) | $503,606 | ($136,562) | $13,695 |
| Total other revenue | $264,982 | ($91,378) | $571,033 | ($94,439) | $55,712 |
| Total revenue | $5,661,547 | $4,371,531 | $5,478,239 | $3,553,835 | $3,737,200 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Program services | $3,265,184 | $3,110,844 | $2,995,228 | $2,483,682 | $2,343,717 |
| Management and general | $704,771 | $573,247 | $391,062 | $277,149 | $221,242 |
| Fundraising | $627,091 | $520,579 | $511,336 | $407,282 | $329,682 |
| Total expenses | $4,597,046 | $4,204,670 | $3,897,626 | $3,168,113 | $2,894,641 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $1,064,501 | $166,861 | $1,580,613 | $385,722 | $842,559 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $1,064,501 | $166,861 | $1,580,613 | $385,722 | $842,559 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| David Benavides | CEO | $205,089 |
| Gerardo Magana | Senior Director of Program | $111,518 |
| Lori Ohls | Sr. Director of Admin and People Development | $96,275 |
| Jasna Baron | CFO - Outgoing | $75,515 |
| John Ing | CFO - Ingoing | $35,854 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2025
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 4/8/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
KidWorks, founded in 1993 by Pastor Larry and Jayme Acosta, began in a tiny, one-room apartment on Townsend Street as a summer safe haven for children and youth. From the beginning, KidWorks recruited college students to live and work in the community. Our Executive Director, David Benavides, was one of the first students to volunteer. His time with KidWorks began with an
eight-week program that changed his life, and ours, forever.
Since 1993, KidWorks has grown into a vibrant community development non-profit that serves central Santa Ana students and families through a fully licensed preschool, after-school programs, tutoring, mentoring, and adult services in the areas of health, parenting classes, and support groups.
With Ava Steaffens as our Chief Executive Officer from 2002 to 2015, KidWorks grew into a strong organization with deep roots in the community.
In 2005 we opened our main community center, the Dan Donahue Center, in honor and memory of a KidWorks' dear friend, Dan Donahue. His friends and family raised over a million dollars to provide hope and restoration to central Santa Ana by helping purchase and renovate the building that now bares his name.
In 2009, thanks to a generous in-kind donation from Orange Housing and C&C Development, the KidWorks Center on Townsend Street opened. In 2011, KidWorks opened a third community center in the Bishop Manor neighborhood.
In 2015 KidWorks opened a fourth center in the Cedar Evergreen neighborhood. We also launched the Building Dreams Capital Campaign to fund the expansion of the Dan Donahue Center so that we could double our capacity to serve children, youth, and parents in central Santa Ana. Our expanded KidWorks Dan Donahue Center opened its doors in the fall of 2017!
In partnership with our valued supporters and volunteers, we are guiding children and youth towards positive life choices and redirecting their path towards college.
KidWorks continues its legacy as a beacon of light and hope.
Program accomplishments
Each year KidWorks impacts the lives of hundreds of students and families through our programs in central Santa Ana.