Cool Learning Experience

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
884195004
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2025
Location
Waukegan, IL, USA
Phone
2248771067
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Reported finances

Revenue
$198,324
Expenses
$202,052
Assets
$28,879
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Maritza Rocha (Executive Director)
  • Linda Wiens (President)

People named in this filing

  • Maritza Rocha (Executive Director)
  • Linda Wiens (President)
  • Mark Nolte (Treasurer)

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

Cool Learning Experience offers out of school programs for school aged children in the Waukegan area, using STEAM-based age appropriate curriculum with an environmental focus.

What it reported doing in 2025

Cool Learning Experience (CLE) continued its commitment to high-quality, nature-based programming aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), while integrating social-emotional learning, social justice, and environmental education. This year, CLE connected over 250 people to nature through 45+ outdoor outings. Family and community events included the Earth Month & Migrating Birds Celebration (April) and Nature Fun Fest (August), hosted with partners such as REI, Sharing Our Shore Waukegan, Lake County Forest Preserves, and the Lake County Audubon Society. Families engaged in hands-on activities like T-shirt recycling, seed bomb making, and sustainability education. The Cool Summer Experience (June-August) enrolled 48 youth-a 20% increase-expanding to two four-week sessions with 85% of programming outdoors and average attendance above 70%. Notably, 75% of Program Assistants were former CLE participants, underscoring CLE's commitment to cultivating future community leaders.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 97% 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 available resources goes toward mission work. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.3%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 64.1%; rating input score 64

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.9%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.14; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 43%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 79.2% per year; rating input score 100; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.1% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -46.2% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.3% of revenue deployed · 64.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $129K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 9 of 9 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.