Operation Breakthrough Inc
To provide a safe, loving and educational environment for children in poverty and to empower their families through advocacy, emergency aid, and education.
Operation Breakthrough Inc at a glance
In short: Operation Breakthrough Inc gave $200K across 1 grant in 2024 (avg $200K), mostly in Missouri. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $200,000
- +1233.3% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 1
- +0.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $200,000
- +1233.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $200,000
- Total assets
- $45,237,203
- +5.5% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Missouri (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026.
Who Operation Breakthrough Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top recipient in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Operation Breakthrough Foundation Inc ($200K).
Grant Size Distribution
3 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1 grant of 3 (33%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of the 2024 grant dollars on its one itemized grant.
States
Cities
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $15K (2023) to $2.1M (2019). In 2024 it made 1 grant totaling $200K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Operation Breakthrough Foundation Inc Kansas City, MO | Sisters Berta and Corita Bright Futures Fund | $200,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $45,237,203 | $19,549,304 | $17,722,798 | $200,000 | 1 | $417,961 |
| 2023 | $42,895,521 | $17,987,372 | $16,219,873 | $15,000 | 1 | $225,442 |
| 2022 | $34,402,392 | $16,723,338 | $17,442,439 | $1,516,612 | 1 | $139,189 |
| 2021 | $34,953,494 | $19,078,518 | $14,950,106 | — | — | $120,823 |
| 2020 | $30,816,270 | $15,851,429 | $14,048,488 | — | — | $176,670 |
| 2019 | $28,770,030 | $12,853,805 | $14,982,666 | $2,062,086 | 1 | $134,224 |
About Operation Breakthrough Inc
Based on IRS filings
Operation Breakthrough Inc is a public charity focused on Education, based in Kansas City, MO. IRS filing data is available from 2019 through 2024. As of 2024, the organization holds $45.2M in total assets. In 2024, it awarded 1 grant totaling $200K. Net investment income was $418K.
Focus Areas
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Operation Breakthrough Inc is led by Mary Esselman, CEO since 2023 (on filings since 2019); 7 of 26 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Mary Esselman
CEO
CEO & President → CEO, 2023
On filings since 2019
60 hrs/week
$167K (2019) → $199K (2024)
Jamey Bertram
Chair
Vice Chair → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Mulkey
Director of Education
On filings since 2021
50 hrs/week
$102K (2021) → $120K (2024)
Kimmikka Brown
Director of Health & Quality
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$115K (2024)
Beth Soukup
Director
Board Member → Chair, 2023
Chair → Director, 2024
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Spencer Hardwick
Director
Board Member → Director, 2023
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Chris Goode
Director
Board Member → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jolie Justus
Director
Board Member → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Smith Holland
Director
Board Member → Director, 2023
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kathryn Harvel
Director
Board Member → Director, 2023
On filings since 2022
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sherri Lathrop
Director
On filings since 2023
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bridgette Jones
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Debbie Housh
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Eric Keller
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jon Otto
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Krista Klaus
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Lesley Elwell
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nathan Benjamin
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sabina Safder
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Tanner Wycoff
Director
New on the 2024 filing
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Berta Sailer
Founder
On filings since 2019
4 hrs/week
$133K (2019) → $281K (2024)
Kevin Boyer
CFO, COO & Treasurer
On filings since 2022
12 hrs/week
$99K (2022) → $62K (2024)
Janie Bishop-Deegan
School Age Programming
New on the 2024 filing
50 hrs/week
$101K (2024)
Patricia Thompson
Facilities Manager
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$110K (2024)
Richard Winston
Secretary
Board Member → Treasurer, 2023
Treasurer → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Wendy Hill
Vice Chair
Secretary → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (24)
- Former: David Ayres (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Tray Vedock (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: James Michael Thomas (2020–2023) — COO
- Former: Emmett Thompson (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Vic Dyson (2023) — Director
- Former: Laura Fitzmaurice (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Tammy Ham (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Pam Ungashick (2020–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Jamie Bertram (2021–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Mike Thomas (2021–2022) — Director of Community Engagement
- Former: Chace Brundige (2019–2021) — Board Chair
- Former: Cheryl Duffy (2019–2021) — Treasurer & CFO
- Former: Joan Cohen (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Martha Gershun (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Ramsey Mohsen (2019–2021) — Board Member
- Former: Corita Bussanmas (2019–2020) — Founder
- Former: Diana Keating (2019–2020) — Corporate Secretary
- Former: Jack Kilroy (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Karen Prange (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Kevin Harris (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Michael Roane (2019–2020) — Board Member
- Former: Kc Mathews (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Pam Ungershick (2019) — Board Member
- Former: Sarah Smith (2019) — Board Member
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $281K, to Berta Sailer (Founder). 7 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Operation Breakthrough Inc
How much does Operation Breakthrough Inc give each year?
Operation Breakthrough Inc gave $200K across 1 grant in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $15K across 1 grant.
How large is Operation Breakthrough Inc?
Operation Breakthrough Inc reported $45.2M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $19.5M.
What is Operation Breakthrough Inc?
Operation Breakthrough Inc is a public charity focused on Education, based in Kansas City, MO. It holds $45.2M in total assets as of 2024.
Where does Operation Breakthrough Inc operate?
Operation Breakthrough Inc has awarded grants in Missouri.
What is Operation Breakthrough Inc's EIN?
Operation Breakthrough Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 43-0971560. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 10, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS September 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 16, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 25, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Operation Breakthrough Inc funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Operation Breakthrough Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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