Science Under Sail

Legal name: Science Under Sail Institute for Exploration Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
465539425
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2014–2017
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2017
Location
Sarasota, FL, Norway
Phone
3054070090
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Interdisciplinary Research

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$44,989
Expenses
$53,730
Assets
$355
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2017. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ROBIN T SMITH (PRESIDENT)
  • MARK E WARNER (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • ROBIN T SMITH (PRESIDENT)
  • MARK E WARNER (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • JERAH COVIELLO (SECRETARY/TREASURER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2017. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Science under Sail is a non-profit organisation based in Norway, dedicated to advancing ecological and biogeographical research.

What it reported doing in 2017

Science under sail for exploration, inc. (susie) is pioneering innovative marine science and mentorship programs for college students. Our uniquie programs engage small collaborative teams of students, with leading experts aboard sailing-based research and education expeditions throughout the caribbean. The caliber of the science curriculum allows students to earn academic credits through their home institutions.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 68% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 99
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 21
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 97.1%; rating input score 97

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -19.4%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.01; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17.6%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -8.3% per year; rating input score 0; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -14.5% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -50.4% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 5 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 7 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 97.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $52K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 8 of 8 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2014 to 2017
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 21/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 4/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.