Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
942650833
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Berkeley, CA, USA
Phone
510-642-0143
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Mathematics

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$19,132,890
Expenses
$13,365,361
Assets
$121,544,753
Liabilities
$629,906

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

Leadership & pay

42 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • TATIANA TORO (DIRECTOR): $408,503 total reported compensation
  • HELENE BARCELO (DEPUTY DIRECTOR): $293,470 total reported compensation
  • ANNIE AVERITT (DIRECTOR FOR ADVANCEMENT &): $267,159 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath) is to develop mathematical talent and cultivate excellence, community, and engagement, and to inspire an appreciation of the power, beauty, and joy of mathematics.

What it reported doing in 2024

Math and society programs: slmath sponsors a number of programs and activities with the goals to enhance both k-12 mathematics education and the public understanding of and appreciation for mathematics.these programs include supporting the bay area mathematics olympiad (bamo, a mathematics-related event for students in grade 12 or under), the mathical book prize (an annual award for fiction and nonfiction books that inspire children pre-k - 12 to see math in the world around them), two book distribution programs (which provide mathical prize-winning books to title i schools nationally and in California's alameda county), and the critical issues in mathematics workshop (cime, a forum for the exchange of ideas between mathematics researchers and educators).in addition, a series of films, public lectures, and other events are hosted at slmath and throughout the country for the public. These events aid in understanding the importance of mathematics and its applications in our society and culture. These events also provide access to significant recent advances in the mathematical sciences.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 55% for direct work, and 45% for grants.
  • 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. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 69
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 80
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.3%; rating input score 63
  • Program expense ratio: 80.1%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $19.71 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 1 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 12
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: No; rating input score 0

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.5%; rating input score 94; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • 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: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 30.1%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.09; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.5%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11.7% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 63.3% of revenue deployed · 80.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 29 of 31 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $10.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $409K · 42 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $835K reported
  • Consistency: 36 of 37 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 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: Foreign activity oversight: 7 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 56/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Related-party transparency scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Schedule R controlled transactions itemized did not reconcile in the filed values.