Great Basin Society Malheur Field Station

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
943059059
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Princeton, OR, USA
Phone
5414932629
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Adult, Continuing Education

Reported finances

Revenue
$328,409
Expenses
$292,668
Assets
$429,716
Liabilities
$18,412

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

Leadership & pay

4 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMES MONROE (President)
  • MATTHEW MEDEIROS (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • JANET LAMBERSON (Sec/Treas)
  • LANEY BARDEEN (Director)
  • JAMES MONROE (President)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Malheur Field Station exists to foster understanding and appreciation of nature through observation and scientific inquiry.

What it reported doing in 2024

MFS PORTAL TO THE PACIFIC FLYWAY: In addition to a wide variety of ecosystems and its resident bird species, Malheur Field Station offers unique and convenient opportunities to view spectacular arrays of birds navigating the world-renowned Pacific Flyway. This region serves as a crucial stop where migrating avians rest, refuel, breed, and nest before continuing their twice-yearly hemispheric journey between Alaska and Patagonia. Some species observed in this area are designated as the highest priority in their conservation needs. Researchers, educators, students, and the general public visit our Station to marvel at and study these avian wonders.

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 some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 56
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.4%; rating input score 81
  • Program expense ratio: 85%; rating input score 85
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 22nd 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 10.9%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.47; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17.3% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 81.4% of revenue deployed · 85% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 4 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $249K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 4 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Independent members within voting members did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 51/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 34/100.