Children First/CIS of Buncombe County Inc.

What Children First/CIS of Buncombe County Inc. does

Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID 59-1721943) founded in 1976 and headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina. The organization delivers free, direct social services to K-6 children and families in Buncombe County, focused on Title I school communities and under-resourced apartment neighborhoods. Its core programming consists of three coordinated tracks: (1) in-school support via Student Support Specialists embedded in seven Title I schools providing tiered academic, behavioral, and social-emotional interventions; (2) after-school and summer enrichment through Learning Centers at Pisgah View and Woodridge Apartments and a six-week Summer Camp; and (3) community-based wraparound services through the Family Resource Center at Emma Elementary, which operates a food pantry, SNAP and emergency financial assistance, and parent workshops. The organization also runs the Project POWER AmeriCorps program (1,700-hour service terms) and since 2024 has served as fiscal sponsor for the Western North Carolina Early Childhood Coalition covering 18 counties.

The business model is grant- and donation-funded rather than revenue-generating: programs are provided free of charge, with funding drawn from individual donations, corporate sponsorships (BCBS NC Foundation, Publix Charities, Leon Levine Foundation, Pulliam Properties, United Way of Asheville-Buncombe County, Ziegler, Deerfield WNC, NC Child, NC Early Childhood Foundation), and program-specific grants. Distribution is entirely direct-service: staff are physically deployed into partner schools, apartment communities, and the Family Resource Center, with no digital product surface. Per the most recent disclosed annual report period (2022-2023), the organization reported 2,354 students reached with school-wide supports, 238 case-managed students, and goal-attainment rates of 93% (coursework), 97% (social-emotional), and 92% (behavior).

Operating governance is provided by a 16-member Board of Directors (FY 2024-2025) chaired by Machelle Cathey, with day-to-day leadership under Executive Director Natasha Adwaters. The organization is accredited as a Nationally Accredited Affiliate of Communities In Schools (since 2013), is a Living Wage Certified employer, and explicitly identifies as a non-technology social services provider.

Name

Children First/CIS of Buncombe County Inc.

Legal name

Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County

Website

https://childrenfirstcisbc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing free K-6 academic, social-emotional, and family support services across seven Title I schools, two apartment-based Learning Centers, and a Family Resource Center in Asheville, North Carolina, founded in 1976.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Family Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child Care Services (6244), Child Care Services (624410), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community & Nonprofit Before/After Care Programs (Early Years) (EDACAHAD), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Youth social services
• School-based support
• Family resource programs
• After-school enrichment
• Dropout prevention services

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting programs and services for children and families in Buncombe County.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Event sponsorship, program sponsorship, and in-kind donations from businesses supporting specific programs or general operations.
3. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including BCBS of NC Foundation, Leon Levine Foundation, NC Child, and other regional funders supporting specific initiatives and general operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that places Student Support Specialists in Title I elementary schools to deliver tiered academic, behavioral, and social-emotional services to K-6 students and their families. The organization also operates after-school Learning Centers at apartment communities, a Summer Camp, a Family Resource Center providing case management and basic-needs assistance, the AmeriCorps-affiliated Project POWER mentoring program, and serves as fiscal sponsor for the WNC Early Childhood Coalition.

Product overview

Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization providing a coordinated set of student and family support programs. The core offerings include Student Support Specialists deployed at seven Title I schools (Claxton, Emma, Estes, Oakley, Hall Fletcher, Johnston Elementary Schools, and Eblen Intermediate) offering tiered academic and social-emotional support for K-6 students; Learning Centers providing free after-school programming at Pisgah View and Woodridge apartment communities; a 6-week Summer Camp with enrichment activities; and a Family Resource Center at Emma Elementary offering food assistance, emergency financial support, and parent workshops. The organization also operates the AmeriCorps Project POWER program and serves as fiscal sponsor for the Western North Carolina Early Childhood Coalition spanning 18 counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Project POWER (AmeriCorps): Putting Opportunity Within Everyone's Reach - AmeriCorps program addressing social determinants of health such as food insecurity, basic needs, access to quality early childhood education, and academic enrichment for K-12 students.

Products and services

• Student Support Specialists

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of case-managed students made progress toward or met coursework goals
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Communities In Schools - NCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level affiliate of Communities In Schools of North Carolina, part of the national CIS dropout prevention network. CF/CIS is the Buncombe County affiliate providing school-based student supports.
• Communities In Schools - NationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational affiliate organization with CIS network providing dropout prevention framework, accreditation, and national program standards. CF/CIS achieved national accreditation in 2013.
• Western North Carolina Early Childhood Coalition (WNC ECC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCF/CIS is fiscal sponsor of WNC ECC, a coalition of early childhood-focused organizations covering 18 western NC counties. CF/CIS provides fiduciary oversight, financial management, and administrative services. WNC ECC was founded in 2015 and moved under CF/CIS leadership in 2018.
• AmeriCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCF/CIS operates Project POWER AmeriCorps program where members serve 1700 hours over 11 months addressing social determinants of health, food insecurity, basic needs, and academic enrichment. Members receive living allowance, education award, and professional development.
• Buncombe County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school district where CF/CIS Student Support Specialists are embedded in 6 elementary schools and 1 intermediate school.
• Asheville City SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school district represented on CF/CIS Board of Directors.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Communities In Schools National: National parent organization of the dropout-prevention network in which CF/CIS holds accredited affiliate status since 2013. Operates the accreditation framework, national standards, and federal grant pipeline that underpins the affiliate model.

Regional players

• MANNA FoodBank: Regional food bank serving western NC that supplies food pantries including the Family Resource Center at Emma Elementary. Operates as a backend infrastructure provider for the food-insecurity component of CF/CIS services.
• Eblen Charities: Asheville-based nonprofit providing emergency assistance (rent, utilities, food, school supplies) to families in crisis across western NC — closely overlapping the emergency financial assistance mission of the CF/CIS Family Resource Center.
• United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County: Major regional funder and historical parent organization of CF/CIS (1992–1998). Funds and coordinates a portfolio of community services overlapping with the Family Resource Center's emergency assistance and referral scope.

Direct peers

• Communities In Schools of North Carolina: State-level network of CIS affiliates in North Carolina, of which CF/CIS is a member. Provides the same school-embedded Student Support Specialist model across the state, with shared funding pipelines and program standards.
• YMCA of Western North Carolina: Regional YMCA operating afterschool, summer camp, and youth development programs across western NC. Overlaps directly with CF/CIS Learning Centers and summer camp offerings in the same geography and beneficiary segment.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina: Regional youth-mentoring nonprofit serving school-aged children in western NC, focused on one-on-one relationships to improve academic and social-emotional outcomes — a closely overlapping mission and beneficiary base in Buncombe County.
• Boys & Girls Club of Western North Carolina: Regional Boys & Girls Clubs chapter providing afterschool programming, homework help, and enrichment for school-aged children — closely mirroring CF/CIS afterschool Learning Centers in mission, geography, and target population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/childrenfirstcisbc
• Instagraminstagram.com/childrenfirstcisbc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/children-first-communities-in-schools-of-buncombe-county-inc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Children First/CIS of Buncombe County Inc.