Organization for Tropical Studies Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 562125831
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Durham, NC, USA
- Phone
- 9196845774
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Research Institutes and Public Policy Analysis
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $9,701,537
- Expenses
- $8,798,295
- Assets
- $18,625,423
- Liabilities
- $1,115,145
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
21 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- ELIZABETH BRAKER (DIR./PRES./CEO (FROM NOV. 24))
Highest reported compensation
- JENNIFER KELLEY (CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER): $110,530 total reported compensation
- MIGUEL MENDEZ (CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER): $98,439 total reported compensation
- ELIZABETH BRAKER (DIR./PRES./CEO (FROM NOV. 24)): $26,667 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The organization for tropical studies, inc. (ots) is chartered as a non profit corporation under the laws of North Carolina and is supported by a consortium of institutions of higher learning in north, central, and south america, australia, and south africa. Ots's purpose is to sustain tropical ecosystems by driving scientific discovery and knowledge, by enriching human perception of nature, and by enhancing worldwide policy in the tropics.
What it reported doing in 2024
Educational programs: the organization conducts a number of educational programs, including graduate courses for academic credit and undergraduate semester- abroad programs for academic credit. The organization has offered mid-career professional training for u.s. And latin american officials and policy- makers, short excursions led by scientists for members of the public in costa rica, and programs for primary and secondary school teachers.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 61% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 97% 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: 76
- Transparency & Controls: 81
- Accountability: 92
- Sustainability: 64
- Growth: 40
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 75.6%; rating input score 76
- Program expense ratio: 82.8%; rating input score 83
- Fundraising efficiency: $16.07 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 24th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
- Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
- Requires narrative reports: Fail
- 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: 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: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 24th 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: 9.3%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.12; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 2.7%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 1% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -1% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 75.6% of revenue deployed · 82.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 16 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $7.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $111K · 21 people listed
- Consistency: 39 of 40 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and grants
- Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 53/100.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.