Jason Learning

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521645651
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Ashburn, VA, USA
Phone
8885276600
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Science and Technology Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,866,659
Expenses
$2,098,984
Assets
$6,451,676
Liabilities
$2,751,447

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR ELEANOR SMALLEY (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • DR ELEANOR SMALLEY (PRESIDENT & CEO): $288,103 total reported compensation
  • SEAN SMITH (COO & CIO): $211,431 total reported compensation
  • MATT SIELOFF (VP OF IMPLEMENTATION): $152,155 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 inspire and educate kids and educators everywhere through real science and exploration.

What it reported doing in 2024

Jason provides curriculum and learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, and math (stem) for k-12 students, and high-quality professional development for teachers. Jason has been used successfully in a wide variety of formal and informal education environments. Jason's award-winning curricula place students in challenging, real-world situations where they are connected with leading stem professionals. Jason learning curricula features digital materials with print options, hands-on activities, videos and online games for students; and lesson plans, implementation tips, and a powerful digital platform for educators. Live, interactive events connect the jason community with inspirational stem role models. Jason serves hundreds of school districts, providing millions of students with exciting stem learning experiences.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 66% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program 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 available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 66
  • Transparency & Controls: 89
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 75.8%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 67.4%; rating input score 67
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.51 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -12.4%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.07; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.43; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 37.3%; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -8.2% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -7.9% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.8% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 75.8% of revenue deployed · 67.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $288K · 17 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 14/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 4/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.