Houston Advanced Research Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
760038315
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
The Woodlands, TX, USA
Phone
2813646000
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Engineering and Technology

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,838,125
Expenses
$7,848,486
Assets
$6,827,267
Liabilities
$827,979

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • John L Hall (President & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • John L Hall (President & CEO): $419,758 total reported compensation
  • Robert Travis (VP - Business Operations): $245,681 total reported compensation
  • Stephanie Glenn (VP - Water Research): $241,641 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To use independent research in air, water, climate and equity issues, developing sustainable solutions to improve the quality of life for generations to come. Continued on Schedule O.Our Mission: HARC applies science to drive energy, air, water, and resilience solutions for a sustainable and equitable future. Our Vision: HARC envisions a world where:- Natural resources are sustainably used and equitably distributed;- The economy is viable and ensures the well-being of current and future generations;- Society is fully engaged in the stewardship and enrichment of nature; and- Effective action is consistently taken to ensure all communities thrive.

What it reported doing in 2024

Strong, Engaged, and Resilient Communities: Our greatest challenges are connected, which is why HARC applies a systems approach to all of its work. This is especially true of HARC's resilience research, which brings together air, energy, and water expertise to provide practical, science-based solutions to mitigate risk, strengthen and increase communities' ability to bounce back from extreme events, and sustain a healthy economy. HARC works with communities and leaders to co-create and implement economic, environmental, and social solutions, grounded in research and people's lived experiences, that strengthen communities, generate good jobs, improve health outcomes, and expand opportunity.

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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 91
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 65.2%; rating input score 65
  • Program expense ratio: 65.1%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $21.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.1%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.87; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 22.1%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 65.2% of revenue deployed · 65.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $5.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $420K · 19 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $759K reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 10/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 55/100.