Headwaters Science Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
471714438
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Soda Springs, CA, USA
Phone
5304263063
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Support N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,580,487
Expenses
$760,109
Assets
$1,633,391
Liabilities
$64,386

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Megan Seifert (Executive Director)
  • Donna Luisi (Board President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Megan Seifert (Executive Director): $91,169 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We are educators, scientists, and community members with a mission to foster curiosity through science. We engage students' natural curiosity, guiding them to design and perform experiments that answer their own questions through the scientific method. We use professional scientists to mentor students through their research projects.

What it reported doing in 2025

Headwaters Science Institute partners with West Contra Costa County Unified School District Expanded Learning to deliver engaging, hands-on environmental science programs funded through West Contra Costa Unified School District. Throughout the school year, Headwaters runs after-school programs at seven school sites serving over 300 students, along with Saturday Research Field Days that engage approximately 150 students per session in authentic scientific investigation and fun learning. Students explore their local environments using schoolyards and nearby parks as outdoor classrooms, to build skills in observation, data collection, and critical thinking. Headwaters also offers immersive spring break and summer science camps that extend this same scientific learning beyond campus through field trips to Bay Area natural sites, science museums, and zoos. Across all programs, students work directly with scientists and participate in real-world science experiences designed to foster curiosity, deepen environmental understanding, and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 70% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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 a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 45.2%; rating input score 45
  • Program expense ratio: 92.6%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 7th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 51.9%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.15; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 29.4% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 36.4% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 38.7% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 45.2% of revenue deployed · 92.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $704K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $91K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 24 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 45/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 45/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.