Maker Nexus

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
823925333
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Phone
4086852500
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Adult, Continuing Education

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,797,932
Expenses
$1,876,992
Assets
$1,004,613
Liabilities
$166,139

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

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Jennifer Higgins (Executive Director)
  • Craig Colvin (President)
  • Cara Stoneburner (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Jennifer Higgins (Executive Director): $80,144 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Maker Nexus empowers people of all ages and backgrounds to learn, create, and innovate. Our collaborative community provides access to hands-on training with professional-grade tools. We lower barriers to craftsmanship, build confidence, create opportunity, and foster a culture of creativity and resourcefulness across our region.

What it reported doing in 2024

We operate a 28,000 sq. ft. multi-media workshop with 3D printers, laser cutters, an extensive woodshop, home and industrial textile equipment, an electronics lab, a metal shop, welding facilities, classrooms, and meeting space. Our experienced staff maintains the machines in excellent working order and are always available to lend a hand or provide advice on how to effectively use a tool. Maker Nexus members pay a monthly or annual fee for access to all the makerspace tools and equipment for their own projects. By the end of 2024, our membership had increased to 503. We also provide training to members and non-members alike through skill-building sessions, project-oriented workshops, and enrichment programs that emphasize inquiry and problem-based learning methods used in the creative process. For adults, we delivered 779 equipment training classes to 2,803 makers and also provided 279 workshops for project-based learning. Our youth program included afterschool camps, vacation camps, homeschool classes and field trips. We delivered 80 youth camps to 680 campers and provided full scholarships to for 5 students to attend a 6-week maker experience for Summit School. For homeschoolers, 32 students participated in 5 homeschool classes covering metalworking, 3D printing, woodworking, and more. During 10 field trips and school events at the makerspace, 200 elementary and middle schoolers experienced firsthand the potential of a makerspace-exploring tinkering, inventing, and creative fun. Our spacious community and event space is available to groups and nonprofits free of charge. We are proud to support various organizations by hosting their meetups, regular club events, and occasional gatherings. During 2024 we hosted 114 community events.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 91% of the money available for current operations came from other operating 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - 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: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 81.5%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 78.1%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $38.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • 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: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -4.4%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.54; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.3%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.2% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.9% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 81.5% of revenue deployed · 78.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $80K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 43 of 43 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 25/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.