Astronauts Memorial Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
592637266
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Phone
3214522887
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Historical Societies, Related Historical Activities

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,538,147
Expenses
$2,145,788
Assets
$10,970,269
Liabilities
$190,966

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • THAD ALTMAN (PRESIDENT &)

Highest reported compensation

  • THAD ALTMAN (PRESIDENT &): $181,500 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The astronauts memorial foundation honors and memorializes those astronauts who have sacrificed their lives for the nation and the space program by sponsoring the national space mirror memorial, and by implementing innovative educational technology programs.

What it reported doing in 2024

Operations and maintenance of the center for space education. This "living memorial" to the astronauts has a twofold mission. To foster an understanding of space exploration among people, teachers, and kennedy space center visitors. To improve american education through the accelerated and effective application of technology in our schools. This 47,000 square-foot facility is located on six acres at the kennedy space center visitor complex, which draws nearly three-million visitors each year to space education at the center. Nasa conducts many space education programs in the center. Its popular exploration station hosts more than 1,000 school field trips each year and hundreds of thousands of other visitors. School groups take part in a lecture/demonstration program as well as hands on science activities using actual space hardware and artifacts. Visitors enjoy the hands on portion of the program nasa's educator resource center. As an educator, you are invited to visit nasa's educator resource center, also located in the center for space education. You will receive a packet of nasa printed material and have the opportunity to copy a variety of videotapes, slides and software onto your own blank tapes, film and disks. The center houses the amf educational technology institute, a national organization which provides training, demonstration and developmental programs for educators in partnership with corporations, government agencies, educational institutes and national associations Florida space institute.

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.

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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.3%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 67.7%; rating input score 68
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -39.5%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.11; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.5%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.9% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.3% of revenue deployed · 67.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $182K · 13 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 4/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 42/100.