Future Problem Solving Program International Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 421234706
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2010
- Location
- Indialantic, FL, USA
- Phone
- 3217680074
- Rating
- 86
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,633,837
- Expenses
- $1,539,494
- Assets
- $1,258,117
- Liabilities
- $339,472
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
12 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DYLAN SHERMAN (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- APRIL MICHELE (EXECUTIVE DI): $126,188 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Future problem solving proudly celebrates more than 50 years of placing close to a million young people at the core of a dynamic, purposeful learning experience. Each year k-12 students from around the world participate in a variety of challenges designed to empower curious youth to become changemakers. Problem solvers learn how to think, not what to think, and gain the skills they need to succeed in work and life. Our programs build confidence and foster student voices. Founded by dr. Torrance in 1974, our program integrates the six-step creative problem-solving process by alex osborn and sidney parnes with high-interest, futuristic topics. We offer four annual programs for both teams and individuals. Global issues: students become mini-experts and predict possibilities for the future. Community projects: students learn to turn interests into action and create lasting change. Creative writing: students write a creative, futuristic scenario based on a competition topic. Storytelling: s
What it reported doing in 2024
Future problem solving ignites curiosity about real-world issues and equips young people with essential, complex problem-solving skills needed to thrive in school, careers, and life. Through dynamic academic challenges, fps empowers students to become creative and critical thinkers who envision, and take action toward, a better future. Our annual international conference showcases this mission in action. The event brings together students from around the world to collaborate, innovate, and compete at the world finals. This event clebrates critical and creative thinking, teamwork, and global citizenship. In 2025, the conference hosted 2,340 participants representing 262 schools across 11 countries. Post-event evaluations reflected outstanding impact - 95% of attendees agreed that the experience was truly unique and unavailable anywhere else.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 89% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 82
- Transparency & Controls: 94
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 43
- Growth: 80
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 90.7%; rating input score 91
- Program expense ratio: 95%; rating input score 95
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 5.8%; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.82; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.2%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -1.5% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 90.7% of revenue deployed · 95% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $126K · 12 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 52/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 26/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.