New York Academy of Sciences

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
131773640
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2122988605
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$21,170,438
Expenses
$21,905,260
Assets
$23,222,066
Liabilities
$14,613,205

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

Leadership & pay

44 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • NICHOLAS B DIRKS (PRESIDENT & CEO)
  • MILA ROSENTHAL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ISR)

Highest reported compensation

  • NICHOLAS B DIRKS (PRESIDENT & CEO): $576,028 total reported compensation
  • AINSLEY A GOULBORNE THRU 125 (CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER): $358,429 total reported compensation
  • GIANCARLO BONAGURA (EVP & COO (THRU 6/30/2024)): $337,267 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 advance scientific knowledge, to help resolve the major global challenges facing society with science-based solutions, and to increase the number of scientifically informed individuals.

What it reported doing in 2024

Membership (see schedule o)form 990, part iii - program service, lines 4a, 4b, and 4cfor over 200 years, the New York academy of sciences (the "academy") has brought together extraordinary people working at the frontiers of discovery and promoted vital links between science and society. The academy has a three-pronged mission: to advance scientific research and knowledge; to help resolve the major global challenges facing society with science-based solutions; and to increase the number of scientifically informed individuals. The academy offers an array of programming: dynamic conferences and symposia on basic and applied research in cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields and on the broader roles of science technology, and culture in society; career development and training for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the sciences; live public events that bring scientists together with artists, writers, and other cultural experts to present emerging research; a global public-private humanitarian partnership to bring science-based solutions to quality-of-life issues in the developing world; an advisory program in innovation and economic development for municipal, state, and foreign governments; and a science education initiative that includes teacher training and after school mentoring for low-income middle-school students.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 86% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 88% 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 73
  • Accountability: 98
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.9%; rating input score 83
  • Program expense ratio: 80%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.1%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • 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: 96.4%; rating input score 96; 30th 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: -3.5%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.06; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.63; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.3%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 1.1% per year; rating input score 100; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3.2% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.5% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82.9% of revenue deployed · 80% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 27 of 28 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $17.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $576K · 44 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $1.8M reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 39 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 45/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.