Auburn Research & Technology Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
201806718
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Auburn, AL, USA
Phone
3348447480
Rating
47
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,186,100
Expenses
$2,163,192
Assets
$15,411,238
Liabilities
$2,381,592

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • STEVEN TAYLOR (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHRISTOPHER ROBERTS (BOARD MEMBER, Ex Officio): $909,595 total reported compensation
  • VINI NATHAN (BOARD MEMBER): $634,070 total reported compensation
  • STEVEN TAYLOR (PRESIDENT): $548,522 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 auburn research and technology foundation is an independent Alabama nonprofit corporation organized on august 24, 2004 to develop and operate the auburn research park and to assist auburn university with the attraction, development and commercialization of technology.

What it reported doing in 2024

During previous years, ARTF applied for and received a $225,000 grant from Alabama Power for the LAUNCH Innovation Grant Program which provides funding for near commercialization technologies and inventions to become market ready. After a multi-stage competition, the Foundation awarded $100,000 to a faculty research project. The project is for a working prototype of dry printing and additive nanomanufacturing technology that could enable: 1. On-demand and in-situ generation of various pure nanoparticles (e.g., metals, insulators, semiconductors, superconductors, ceramics, composites, etc.), 2. In-situ and real-time laser sintering of dry nanoparticles jet on various substrates (polyamide, PET, PDMS, paper, metal, ceramic, etc.), with no further post-processing. The remaining $125,000 is restricted for awards to LAUNCH winners in fiscal year 2025 and beyond. In 2025, ARTF distributed $23,941 of the $125,000 restricted in prior years.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 96% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 83% 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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 6
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 53
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 8.2%; rating input score 8
  • Program expense ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 6
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • 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: 1%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.12; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.3%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -23.4% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 8.2% of revenue deployed · 6.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 16 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $138K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $910K · 17 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes grants and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 8/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.