National Energy Education Development Project Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
541646670
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Manassas, VA, USA
Phone
7032571117
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Printing, Publishing

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,046,427
Expenses
$11,543,923
Assets
$12,592,985
Liabilities
$947,114

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARY E SPRUILL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARY E SPRUILL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $284,329 total reported compensation
  • REBECCA LAMB (PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $173,960 total reported compensation
  • BARRY SCOTT (STATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR - CA): $120,564 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of the national energy education development project, inc. (need) is to promote an energy conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, and government and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs. Need designs and delivers energy education curriculum and training to k-12 classrooms and supports educators seeking to integrate energy into local curriculum.

What it reported doing in 2025

Workshops and conferences: throughout the school year, need offers teacher professional development on energy and energy issues including the science of energy, energy sources, electricity, transportation, and residential and school energy efficiency and conservation. The workshops are one hour to five days in length and need provides participating educators with substitute reimbursement, classroom curriculum materials, and professional development credits. In any given year, need hosts approximately 300-600 workshops in diverse geographic areas. There are some special topic workshops that include content specific to certain energy issues - i.e. Solar, wind, hydrogen, hydropower, oil and natural gas, efficiency and conservation. All curriculum taught and provided at the workshops is aligned to the next generation science standards, common core standards and state education standards. Additional teacher professional development opportunities (weeklong conferences) are held during the summer. In addition to teacher professional development, need hosts numerous student energy workshops and workforce development programs across the united states. These programs range from 3 hours to six days and include energy exploration and content knowledge as well as career and workforce development opportunities, mentorship and internships.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 88% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 68% for direct work, and 32% for grants.
  • 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 98
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 98.6%; rating input score 99
  • Fundraising efficiency: $110.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 97.6%; rating input score 98; 39th 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; 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -43.5%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.09; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 16% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 98.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 8 filed program accomplishments · $11.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $284K · 22 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 34 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 49 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 44 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.
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 2/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 50/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.