Learning Undefeated Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 521806820
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Gaithersburg, MD, USA
- Phone
- 2402434026
- Rating
- 71
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Professional Societies, Associations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $7,593,725
- Expenses
- $5,832,645
- Assets
- $12,141,388
- Liabilities
- $6,116,155
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
19 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Brian Gaines (CEO)
Highest reported compensation
- Brian Gaines (CEO): $256,835 total reported compensation
- Jennifer Colvin (Chief Innovation Officr): $183,464 total reported compensation
- Alejandro Cardemil (Chief Development Offcr): $183,160 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Learning Undefeated builds STEM experiences that are shaping the next generation of innovators. Continued in Schedule O . . .
What it reported doing in 2024
Learning Undefeated brings life-changing STEM resources and experiences to all communities. Through innovative and experiential education programs for grades K - 12, we spark interest in STEM careers, build the workforce that will drive the innovation economy, and bridge school, community, health, and business. Learning Undefeated's Programs: Building Interest & Awareness - excite and engage students in STEM careers through hands-on experiences. Bridge the Skills Divide - increase student efficacy and confidence in STEM and provide access to quality STEM education for students from underserved communities. Spark STEM Career Pathways - increase student awareness of and understanding about well-paying, high-demand STEM careers.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 67% 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 most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 55
- Transparency & Controls: 74
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 61
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 55.4%; rating input score 55
- Program expense ratio: 71.1%; rating input score 71
- Fundraising efficiency: $2.04 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Compensation committee: Missing
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: Fail
- 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: 23.2%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.08; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.5; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13.6%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 19.2% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 3.8% per year; rating input score 100; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 55.4% of revenue deployed · 71.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $257K · 19 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $1.4M reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 5/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: CEO compensation review process not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 21/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.