Maryland Academy of Sciences

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
520668166
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Baltimore, MD, USA
Phone
4106852370
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Science and Technology Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,446,810
Expenses
$8,677,833
Assets
$43,891,852
Liabilities
$4,855,930

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

Leadership & pay

36 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARK J POTTER (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARK J POTTER (PRESIDENT & CEO): $286,262 total reported compensation
  • MARTHA PERREAULT (SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOP): $144,087 total reported compensation
  • LORI S BLAU (SENIOR DIRECTOR OF OPERATI): $138,242 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 stimulate and cultivate awareness, interest, and understanding of science for all residents of and visitors to Maryland through excellent and exciting educational programs and exhibits, and to be a regional resource and a national model of science education.

What it reported doing in 2024

Guest services - committed to unhindered access, the science center's guest services staff ensures that everyone who wants to experience all the institution has to offer can do so regardless of disability or other access challenges.science store - the store provides educators with teaching AIDS, books, models and other items that extend the lesson of the visit back in the classroom. Parents can avail themselves of unique learning tools, computer programs, science kits and other educational products not ready available at conventional retail outlets.membership - members help make programming possible at the Maryland science center through their contributions to the membership program. As a partner with the science center, members are vested in the institution and are part of a community of people who value science education and the important role that science plays in our everyday lives.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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

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 program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 77
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 73
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 60.7%; rating input score 61
  • Program expense ratio: 68.7%; rating input score 69
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 16.9%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.06; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.6%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.2% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 60.7% of revenue deployed · 68.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 30 of 30 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $286K · 36 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $865K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 37 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 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.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 48/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 22/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.