Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 264632727
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Lexington, KY, USA
- Phone
- 2074096872
- Rating
- 74
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Amateur Sports Competitions
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,349,754
- Expenses
- $1,328,255
- Assets
- $1,240,771
- Liabilities
- $61,161
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- MICK PETERSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- BRANDEN BROOKFIELD (ONSITE TESTING MANAGER): $117,195 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 racing surfaces testing laboratory is a non-profit (501c3) organization that coordinates and performs testing of surfaces primarily for the thoroughbred racing industry. Testing includes all types of surfaces used in horse racing as well as other equine sports. Testing is performed on racetrack surfaces and is based on standard test methods. This data is shared with racetracks within regions and with appropriate regulatory authorities and contributes to the epidemiological models which are intended to reduce risks to the horse and rider.fully documented procedures for all tests and novel equipment developed by racing surfaces testing laboratory are in the public domain with international standard testing used where appropriate.
What it reported doing in 2025
Racetrack testing
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Other-operating. 86% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
- 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
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 88
- Transparency & Controls: 55
- Accountability: 76
- Sustainability: 38
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 99.2%; rating input score 99
- Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 43
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Limited
- Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 1.6%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.93; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 19.7% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 18.4% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 99.2% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $117K · 11 people listed
- Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $145K reported
- Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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 scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 35/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 41/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 41/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.