Molecular Sciences Research Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
660928241
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
San Juan, PR, USA
Phone
7875235302
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Science and Technology N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,534,045
Expenses
$3,049,375
Assets
$7,699,668
Liabilities
$13,713,536

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

Leadership & pay

2 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • EDUARDO NICOLAU (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • EDUARDO NICOLAU (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $37,833 total reported compensation
  • Yunert L Fournier Rosado (ENTITY ACCOUNTANT): $34,467 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to develop competitive scientific research with high social and economic value to position the UPR and Puerto Rico as a key player in the molecular sciences research and innovation worldwide.

What it reported doing in 2024

The Molecular Sciences and Research Center is a 152,000 sq. ft. advanced research facility with laboratories conducting basic and translational biomedical research in the areas of protein structure and dynamics, molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, bio-imaging, pharmacogenetics, and neurosciences. Inaugurated in 2011 it now houses over 300 researchers, students and technicians. The primary goal of the MSRC is to produce a significant increase in competitively funded forefront scientific research by scientists at UPR. The MSRC is the UPR System's first multidisciplinary environment, designed to meet the needs of cutting-edge research in Puerto Rico for the foreseeable future. This new research space design paradigm features standardization, flexibility and adaptability, systems integration, and ease of sharing equipment and human resources.

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 83% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
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

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: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 68
  • Sustainability: 32
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 93.7%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 22
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Fail
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -20.3%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.52; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.78; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.4%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.5% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 26.7% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 53.8% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 93.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 2 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $38K · 2 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $347K reported
  • Consistency: 43 of 43 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.
  • 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.

  • High — Accountability: Governance controls: 7 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 7/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 2/100.