Outdoor Lab Foundation

What it reported doing in 2024

Over the past year we served 35 middle schools, taught 260 core classes, and recruited 1,040 high school leaders. In total, we served over 4,200 students by connecting them - often for the first time - to the outdoors. In total, students hiked over 33,600 miles and be engaged in experiential learning over 16,800 program days. Moreover, we are proud of our achievements in the six following program areas and strategic initiatives: the tuition assistance program we ensure the fees to attend outdoor lab are as low or no cost to as many students as possible in the district. An inability to pay tuition should not be a barrier for children to have a transformative time in the outdoors. We delivered 175,000 in tuition assistance grants to 36 middle schools in fy 25. The intern program we provided 20,000 in stipends to support our interns in fy 25. Interns are the "boots on the ground", the "glue", the "point guards" of outdoor lab. They support teachers, organize classes, train high school leaders, and provide untold support to outdoor lab principals and site staff. The high school leader program - outdoor lab leans on the volunteer support of 1,040 high school students each year. They lead classes, move students through their learning centers, and serve as caring young adult mentors to our 6th graders. In total, they contributed over 88,400 hours of community service to outdoor lab and jeffco neighborhood schools. We supported high school leaders with 6,000 in scholarships for their stalwart service as outdoor lab leaders in fy25. The site support program the foundation works to ensure that nurses and AIDS have the outerwear and resources they need to keep every student safe, warm, dry, and feeling welcome on site. We also purchase materials and supplies for teachers to impart lessons in the field. Lastly, we paid over 25,000 for important maintenance and infrastructure improvements, so that our campuses remain attractive and engaging venues for learning. Gear library expansion we are always looking to fill the shelves of both sites with lightly-used or new gear and outerwear students need to stay warm, dry, and feeling safe while in the mountains and away from home. In fy 25 we garnered hundreds of coats, hats, gloves, boots, and other critical pieces of outerwear so that both campuses had a fully stocked gear library. In total, we gave 9,866 of in-kind outerwear to provide students with appropriate clothing for the elements.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 74.9%; rating input score 75
• Program expense ratio: 81.5%; rating input score 82
• Fundraising efficiency: $9.48 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 9.3%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.94; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 17.1%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -2% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.4% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings