Living Computer Museum & Labs

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
822852303
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2019
Forms available
Form 990 2019, Form 990-N 2017
Location
Everett, WA, USA
Phone
2063422000
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Science and Technology Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$84,765
Expenses
$476,310
Assets
$0
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2019. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • CHRIS MCGOWAN (PRESIDENT)
  • SUSAN DRAKE (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • LATH CARLSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • LATH CARLSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $78,076 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2019. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Living computers museum + labs ("lcm+l") maintains computer systems of historical importance in running order, providing an authentic experience of historical computing.

What it reported doing in 2019

Lcm+l operates a museum to increase public awareness of the private computer collection and information technology, displayed to encourage future exploration in computer technology. Lcm+l fully restores vintage supercomputers, mainframes, minicomputers and microcomputers to a useable format. Lcm+l preserves the original environments of digital documents and contributes fact-based information regarding the construction and behavior of computer systems of all eras. This preservation includes cleaning, archiving and storing of artifacts andartifact documents. Visitors are allowed to experience the computers to understand their use. The computers are accessible by allowing visitors to interact with the programs that made them significant. The computers are interactive so that visitors can write their own basic programs, play vintage computer games like lunar lander and pin ball or experience what it was like to use a teletype. Modern computer. Technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, big data, and connected devices are similarly displayed to allow for direct interaction. Lcm+l provides hour-long guided tours to museum visitors of the vintage collection and various exhibits. Guides provide additional information about exhibits and artifacts, providing behind-the-scenes stories about the vintage computers and their uses. Visitors have the ability to ask guides questions and are encouraged to interact with the exhibits. Lcm+l also provides trained staff to facilitate experiences with vintage and contemporary computer technology in the museum.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 82% 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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 95
  • Accountability: 26
  • Sustainability: 6
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 83.8%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: Limited
  • Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -461.9%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.2%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -59.6% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -186.3% per year; rating input score 0; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -200% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 83.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $399K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $78K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2018 to 2019
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 10 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 2/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 15/100.