Omaha Discovery Trust

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
320596113
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2019
Location
Omaha, NE, USA
Phone
4025023366
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Education N.E.C.

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,102,612
Expenses
$9,952,363
Assets
$87,146,665
Liabilities
$716,843

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MATHEW SINCLAIR (CEO (SINCE 2/18/2025))

Highest reported compensation

  • MATHEW SINCLAIR (CEO (SINCE 2/18/2025)): $412,666 total reported compensation
  • LAURA LENAGHAN (CHIEF FINANCIAL & ANALYTICS OFFICER): $123,994 total reported compensation
  • CHRISTOPHER STRATMAN (SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION & VISITOR SERVICES): $123,920 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 luminarium opened in april 2023 with more than 125 interactive exhibits and a kaleidoscope of engaging programs focused on science, art, and human perception. The luminarium is an innovative community space and learning environment that is part workshop, part museum where people of all ages, identities, and backgrounds can explore.

What it reported doing in 2025

Kiewit luminarium's museum programs allow for guests to engage in science from different forms. During summer 2025, wild creativity was a traveling exhibition focusing on biomimicry, what we learn and apply from the world around us. Outside of the traveling exhibit, the team built engineered exhibits for specific programs such as the human circuit, beam bender, theremin, and the mouse trap.

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.

The verdict

STRONG - 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 76.5%; rating input score 76
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • 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: 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: -63.1%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.76; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.9%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 29.4% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -48.6% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 76.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $7.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $413K · 16 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $272K reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.