Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
841326605
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Silverthorne, CO, USA
Phone
9702621230
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Biological & Life Sciences

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,371,337
Expenses
$12,895,876
Assets
$21,867,265
Liabilities
$2,505,684

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JAMIE M BAUMGARTNER (PRESIDENT & CEO (FROM 7/24))
  • DEBORAH L JOHNSON PHD (PRESIDENT & CEO(THRU 9/24))

Highest reported compensation

  • DEBORAH L JOHNSON PHD (PRESIDENT & CEO(THRU 9/24)): $380,688 total reported compensation
  • TERRY L SHEPPARD PHD (EX-OFFICIO DIR/CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER): $275,150 total reported compensation
  • PAMELA DAUGHERTY (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $226,105 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Keystone symposia will serve as a catalyst for the advancement of biomedical life sciences by connecting scientists within and across disciplines at conferences and workshops held at venues that create an environment conducive to information exchange.

What it reported doing in 2024

Keystone symposia sponsors an annual series of conferences for the scientific community, which are international in scope and focus on new and emerging areas of molecular and cellular biology as they apply to basic biology, human medicine, and agriculture. In fy2025, the keystone symposia convened 52 in-person conferences across the globe. For each meeting, we additionally offered recorded on-demand content of the talks. In addition, keystone symposia provided 314 scholarships to early career scientists to attend meetings and present their work. Several of the meetings also incorporated a career roundtable. These workshops provided career advice and insight from diverse(cont'd on sch. O)career paths for trainees aspiring to follow in their footsteps. Keystone symposia provided 14 postdocs and early-career scientists from disadvantage backgrounds an opportunity to participate in the fellows program. The program aims to enhance confidence, leadership skills, networking opportunities and visibility of fellows within the biological and biomedical research community.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 75% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 76.2%; rating input score 76
  • Program expense ratio: 66.3%; rating input score 66
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd 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: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Limited
    • Conducts field audits: Limited
    • May suspend future funding: Limited
    • Requires financial reports: Limited
    • Conducts site visits: Limited
    • Requires grant agreements: Limited
    • May require repayment: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -13.4%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.7; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.5%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.6% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2.1% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 76.2% of revenue deployed · 66.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $8.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $381K · 23 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $103K reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 10/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.