Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences

Overview

Mission

To understand key processes driving the world's ocean ecosystems, their evolution, and their fundamental relationship to life on earth through interrelated research, education, and technology transfer programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

Providing scientific and educational research for governmental, commercial, and educational entities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
016006001
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
East Boothbay, ME, USA
Phone
2073152567
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Marine Science and Oceanography

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 75
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 61.9%; rating input score 62
  • Program expense ratio: 88.3%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $13.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 30.8%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.53; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 14.4%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 61.9% of revenue deployed · 88.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $18.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $407K · 31 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 annual filings from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 14 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Leadership & pay

31 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • Deborah Bronk (President & CEO): $407,136 total reported compensation
  • Jennifer Cutshall (VP Strategic Alliances and): $276,225 total reported compensation
  • Ramunas Stepanauskas (Senior Research Scientist): $248,728 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.