Discover Life in America Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
621770910
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Gatlinburg, TN, USA
Phone
8654304757
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs

Reported finances

Revenue
$360,833
Expenses
$318,341
Assets
$328,204
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

People named in this filing

  • SAM ROSOLINA (CHAIR)
  • VESNA PLAKANIS (VICE CHAIR)
  • TERESA MATHEWS (SECRETARY)

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

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

Overview

Mission

Discover life in america advances scientific discovery, biodiversity conservation, and public engagement through the all taxa biodiversity inventory (atbi) in great smoky mountains national park and beyond. Working with scientists, volunteers, educators, and public agencies, dlia documents biodiversity, supports research, trains future conservation professionals, and connects people with the remarkable diversity of life found in one of the world's most biologically significant national parks.

What it reported doing in 2025

All taxa biodiversity inventory (atbi) discover life in america continued coordinating the all taxa biodiversity inventory (atbi), one of the world's most comprehensive efforts to document all species within a protected area. Working closely with great smoky mountains national park, universities, museums, researchers, and volunteers, dlia supported biological inventories, species identification, specimen documentation, data management, and scientific collaboration. Since the atbi began, researchers have documented more than 11,000 new species records for the park, including more than 1,000 species new to science. Activities during the year included biodiversity surveys, research coordination, natural resource conservation, public education, scientific outreach, and support for visiting researchers.

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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 58
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.2%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 81.2%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.39 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 33; 33rd 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: Yes; rating input score 100
  • 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: 11.8%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.03; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.2% of revenue deployed · 81.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $259K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 19 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 33/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 42/100.