Pacific Science Center Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
910750867
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2064432001
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Science and Technology Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$19,402,126
Expenses
$22,794,892
Assets
$32,290,793
Liabilities
$11,161,390

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WILL DAUGHERTY (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • WILL DAUGHERTY (PRESIDENT & CEO): $448,229 total reported compensation
  • FREEDA WARREN (CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER THRU 11/24): $263,971 total reported compensation
  • MADCHEN BELTRIE (VP OF FINANCE & TECHNOLOGY): $207,494 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Pacific science center (pacsci) ignites curiosity in every child and fuels a passion for discovery, experimentation, and critical thinking in all of us.

What it reported doing in 2024

Exhibits - pacific science center is Washington's leading institution for hands-on, informal science learning for people of all ages. In 2025, 473,596 guests ignited their curiosity while visiting our iconic seven-acre campus. Pacsci provides the only opportunity in Washington state to experience a tropical butterfly house and imax theater, the largest domed laser theater in the world, and one of three planetarium experiences in king county. Guests engage in hands-on exhibits, touching live marine animals, trying hands-on engineering challenges, exploring the depths of outer space, and more. 4,362 households who receive public assistance or host foster or unhoused youth participated in the access memberships program, where they receive deeply discounted or free memberships that provide unlimited access for one year.

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.
  • 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 84%; rating input score 84
  • Program expense ratio: 72.3%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.86 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.7%; rating input score 95; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • 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; 66th 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: -17.5%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.42; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.35; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.7%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.4% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.8% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.2% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 84% of revenue deployed · 72.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $16.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $448K · 27 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $1.4M reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 40 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 20/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 6/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 49/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 42/100.