Blue Scholars Initiative Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
842314055
IRS 990 coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2022, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Pinecrest, FL, USA
Phone
3059265556
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Reported finances

Revenue
$353,906
Expenses
$230,262
Assets
$274,743
Liabilities
$250

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Doug Brown (President and Treasurer)
  • Alan Brown (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • ADAM STECKLEY (OPERATIONS DIRECTOR): $60,000 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of Blue Scholars is to engage educate and empower student through hands-on marine science education

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025 Blue Scholars Initiative significantly expanded its impact deepening ocean literacy for Miamis youth while growing a citywide movement for marine conservation. The Biscayne Immersion Program continued to provide Miami students with a transformative hands-on marine science experience inside Biscayne National Park. Aboard a U.S. Coast Guard-inspected vessel on Biscayne Bay-our living classroom-students explored mangrove seagrass and coral reef ecosystems while conducting real-world citizen science. Blue Scholars broadened its community impact through the expanded World Ocean Celebration which brought together scientists artists filmmakers educators and ocean advocates across Miami and Miami Beach. The multi-day festival featured film screenings educational panels cultural programming and public engagement events designed to make ocean conservation accessible and inspiring for a wide audience.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 61
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 54.8%; rating input score 55
  • Program expense ratio: 84.3%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $29.83 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 34.9%; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.19; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26.1%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 150% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 28.1% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 37.3% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 54.8% of revenue deployed · 84.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $194K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $60K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 40 of 40 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 51/100.