Collaborative Research Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
800807103
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2015–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025, Form 990-N 2013
Location
Culver City, CA, USA
Phone
4242413379
Rating
48
Verdict
MIXED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Computer Science

Reported finances

Revenue
$74,091
Expenses
$77,580
Assets
$222,410
Liabilities
$16,648

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LIZ MCFARLAND (PRESIDENT)
  • ALICEN LEWIS (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • LIZ MCFARLAND (PRESIDENT)
  • ALICEN LEWIS (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JOSHUA TRUETT (MEMBERSHIP CHAIR)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

The organization's primary exempt purpose is the promotion of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (steam) by teaching classes, participating in events, providing on-line resources, and by running a shared workshop.

What it reported doing in 2025

Provided education and training to over 2,000 community members. Taught intro-level electronics to hundreds of young children in los angeles.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 79% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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

MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and revenue has grown recently. 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: 20
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 19.7%; rating input score 20
  • Program expense ratio: 18.9%; rating input score 19

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -4.7%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.87; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -18.4% per year; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.7% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 19.7% of revenue deployed · 18.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $15K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2015 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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 20/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 19/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 35/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.