National Science Teaching Association

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
526055229
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Richmond, VA, USA
Phone
7032437100
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Professional Societies, Associations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$21,330,551
Expenses
$22,175,901
Assets
$24,544,317
Liabilities
$6,718,528

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

Leadership & pay

28 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ALICIA CONERLY (PRESIDENT (SEE SCHED O))
  • JULIE LUFT (RETIRING PRESIDENT (SEE SCHED O))
  • BEV DEVORE-WEDDING (PRESIDENT ELECT)
  • PAGE KEELEY (PAST PRESIDENT (SEE SCHED O))
  • DENNIS SCHATZ (PAST PRESIDENT (SEE SCHED O))
  • ARTHUR EISENKRAFT (PAST PRESIDENT (SEE SCHED O))

Highest reported compensation

  • ERIKA SHUGART (CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (FROM 3/25)): $353,517 total reported compensation
  • BOB LAY (CFAO (INTERIM CEO FROM 03/25)): $272,343 total reported compensation
  • SAYED SHAH (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE): $211,826 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Nsta's mission is to transform science education to benefit all through professional learning, partnerships and advocacy. Our guiding principles encompass: build community - we believe that the community of science educators extends beyond the classroom, and that together science educators influence and advance change; include all - we believe that all educators have a critical role in cultivating science literacy and that all learners deserve access to a high-quality science education; foster passion - we believe that an appreciation for science can be fostered in every student and a passion for professional growth lies within every educator; champion science - we believe that science literacy is essential to our collective wellbeing; and pursue learning - we believe that science learning never stops.

What it reported doing in 2024

Professional development & awards: the professional learning division (pld) at the national science teaching association (nsta) delivers conferences, virtual events, and in-person/online professional learning, along with instructional materials development and partnerships with schools and universities. Pld supports educators nationwide in implementing three-dimensional science instruction aligned with a framework for k12 science education.through direct engagement with teachers and administrators, pld provides workshops, coaching, and access to high-quality instructional resources and learning platforms. The division continuously refines and develops programs based on educator feedback to meet evolving needs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 76% for direct work, and 24% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 76
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 85.2%; rating input score 85
  • Program expense ratio: 80.2%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1,026.02 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Pass
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.9%; rating input score 100; 40th 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -4%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.11; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.27; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.3%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.7% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.3% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 85.2% of revenue deployed · 80.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 7 filed program accomplishments · $17.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $354K · 28 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2M reported
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 60 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 45 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.

  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 19/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.