Seacoast Science Center Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
020526488
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
RYE, NH, USA
Phone
6034368043
Rating
71
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Science and Technology Museums

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,413,419
Expenses
$2,444,193
Assets
$3,245,098
Liabilities
$518,428

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • JAMES E CHASE (FORMER PRESI): $118,450 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

It is the mission of the seacoast science center to spark curiosity, enhance understanding, and inspire conservation of our blue planet. The center's programming and exhibits encourage visitors and other program participants to recognize the value of the natural environment so that they may be moved to action, develop conservation ethics and take personal action to ensure a healthy ocean. The center is located in historic odiorne point state park and operates under an ongoing contract with nh division of parks and recreation. The center offers educational programs, environmental day camps and interpretive exhibits and aquariums for visitors and school groups. Visitors represent a diverse audience from toddlers to grandparents. As a cultural mainstay in the seacoast, the center features educational content highlighting the natural history of odiorne point state park and the ecology of its 7 distinct habitats as well as the ecology of the gulf of Maine including open-ocean, nearshore and

What it reported doing in 2024

Exhibits: the seacoast science center features over 35 individual exhibits. The "discovery dock" early learning activity center is an interactive exhibit designed to be a space where young children can explore the working waterfront. "h2o today" is an exhibition that examines the diversity and challenges of our global water sources and promotes conversation, creativity and innovation through art, science and technology. "marine mammals of the gulf of Maine" is comprised of a collection of interpretive videos, interactive exhibits and articulated skeletons including "tofu" a 32-foot juvenile humpback whale. The "gulf of Maine exhibit hall" features 10 aquarium exhibits containing a variety of fish and marine invertebrates found in the gulf of Maine. The center also offers an intertidal touch tank where visitors may handle crabs, sea stars and marine invertebrates commonly found in the tide pools along the nh coast.

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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and most voting board members are independent. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 62
  • Transparency & Controls: 65
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 70.8%; rating input score 71
  • Program expense ratio: 66.4%; rating input score 66
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -1.3%; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.33; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.16; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 4.8%; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 70.8% of revenue deployed · 66.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $118K · 20 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $458K reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.
  • 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: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 29/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 47/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 55/100.