Disruptive Technology Index

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
932462092
IRS 990 coverage
2022–2023
Official website data refreshed
Aug 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2023
Location
Los Angeles, CA, US
Phone
4249445548
Rating
64
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Management & Technical Assistance

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$3,479,446
Expenses
$2,899,508
Assets
$1,285,084
Liabilities
$705,146

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

2 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NIKKOLE-CHARLENE WILKERSON (PRESIDENT/CIVIC & STRATEGIC ENG. DIR.)
  • MIJI MCCONNELL (TREASURER/SECRETARY/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MIJI MCCONNELL (TREASURER/SECRETARY/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $75,900 total reported compensation
  • NIKKOLE-CHARLENE WILKERSON (PRESIDENT/CIVIC & STRATEGIC ENG. DIR.): $58,201 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2023. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To cultivate an inclusive community that impacts and influences the Global Space Economy.

What it reported doing in 2023

Innovate to accelerate (i2a). I2a is an intensive 12-week paid program guiding phase ii sbir startups toward government and commercial traction. 3 cohorts per year are supported through spacewerx's challenge program that awards phase ii contracts. The organization hosts an annual i2a expo day; a demo day connecting startups with investors, government, and industry. During fiscal year 2024, the center supported a total of 47 companies, including those advancing critical technologies in areas such as tactically response space (tacrs), alternative positioning, navigation & timing (alt pnt), and digital spaceport of the future (dspof). Through intensive support and coordination, (see continuation on sch o)these companies achieved significant outcomes: $1.33 billion in follow-on government contracts, including numerous sbir phase iii transitions, $668 million in venture capital investment, demonstrating strong private-sector confidence in defense-aligned innovation, and $125 million in commercial revenue, signaling early commercial traction and dual-use viability.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 99% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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 program spending has grown recently. A relatively small share of voting board members are independent and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 31
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 60.1%; rating input score 60
  • Program expense ratio: 72.1%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: 0%; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 16.7%; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.44; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.55; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.6%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 200% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 200% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 177.1% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 60.1% of revenue deployed · 72.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 0 of 2 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $76K · 2 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2022 to 2023
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 15/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 20/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.