Discovery Pathways
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 850979344
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2023–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2022, Form 990-N 2020
- Location
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Phone
- 2152193007
- Rating
- 82
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $471,426
- Expenses
- $349,599
- Assets
- $318,594
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Adam Forbes (Executive Director)
- Alden Towler (Board President)
- Naw Doh (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- Adam Forbes (Executive Director): $69,851 total reported compensation
- Kathryn Miles (Environmental Educator): $39,888 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Our mission is to uplift the well-being of the community through experiential nature-based programs. By providing hands-on environmental education to urban youth and adults, we empower leaders and cultivate a connection to the natural world and local watershed. We work tirelessly to ensure underserved communities can pursue meaningful outdoor experiences.
What it reported doing in 2025
Youth Empowerment Program: 35 students completed all components of a Environmental Education and Empowerment Program and 28 returning students remained involved. Students were trained in Environmental and Work Ready skills. 100% earned badges in kayak instruction, water testing science, public speaking, and environmental stewardship. Students learned communication skills, teamwork, watershed science and history, birding, species identification, fishing and advocacy as they worked collaboratively over 9 intensive summer weeks. Students implemented passion projects that included murals, raps, and videos. Programs continued through the fall. New youth became quickly empowered as leaders and taught boating, fishing, safety in nature, and more. 227 students applied for our summer program and 185 attended at least one meeting and event. Students completed scientific Ecoli and bacteria water testing for 18 weeks. We led 13 trips outside of South Philly with our youth program. These include rock climbing, hiking, kayaking, and team building. Summer culminated in a 4-day camping trip with 30 youth and youth leaders. A new second camping trip was added for 20 students who didn't get into our full program. 8 graduating seniors received extensive support applying to college and 6 received full ride scholarships. Programs and student support have been extended to year-round in 2025
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 73% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 95% 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
STRONG - 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 total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 75
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 58
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.7%; rating input score 65
- Program expense ratio: 87.3%; rating input score 87
- Fundraising efficiency: $319.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 93; 93rd 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
- 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: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 25.8%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.91; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 31.4%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 36.9% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 45.8% per year; rating input score 100; 96th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 43.9% per year; rating input score 100; 94th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 64.7% of revenue deployed · 87.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $305K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $70K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 3 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.