Fab Lab Tulsa Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
300638130
IRS 990 coverage
2017–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Tulsa, OK, USA
Phone
9187796025
Rating
65
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Arts Education

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$431,587
Expenses
$448,068
Assets
$1,984,058
Liabilities
$277,178

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • BRAD R CARSON (DIRECTOR): $936,469 total reported compensation
  • ANDREAS A POLYCARPOU (DIRECTOR): $468,562 total reported compensation
  • JENNIFER BENNETT (DIRECTOR): $392,268 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of Fab Lab Tulsa is to empower our community by providing education, community, workforce, and business programming that teaches innovation, design-thinking, problem-solving and change-making, together with open access to 21st Century digital fabrication tools, equipment, and technology.

What it reported doing in 2024

Education: the k-20 education program at fab lab tulsa enables educators to introduce and illustrate a variety of engineering disciplines, including mechanical, electrical, chemical, and structural engineering, as well as computer science, math, and art. Additionally, students learn how to envision, design, build, test and refine their ideas through hands-on experience with 2d and 3d design software and digital fabrication tools. When using technology in education, the key is to enhance the concepts being taught. Educational programs at fab lab tulsa focus on building skills in core subjects, such as math and science, as well as applied problem-solving, critical thinking and creativity, all of which are critically important in the modern economy. In 2025, fab lab tulsa reached 3,122 students. Education programming off-site at school locations. Fourth- through 12th-grade education programming, particularly in tulsa public schools, has seen a shift to after-school expanded learning time since the pandemic. (continued on schedule o)

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. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and a relatively small share of voting board members are independent.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 65
  • Sustainability: 42
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.6%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 69.2%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.7 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 40%; rating input score 40; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Limited
    • Other executive compensation review process: Limited
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.8%; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.43; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.14; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.7%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -4.3% per year; rating input score 0; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -7.5% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.6% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.6% of revenue deployed · 69.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 2 of 5 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $310K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $936K · 5 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 26 of 26 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 3 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Independent voting board scored 40/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 21/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 31/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.