Sme Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
841175450
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Englewood, CO, USA
Phone
3039484218
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,687,588
Expenses
$1,546,702
Assets
$7,282,635
Liabilities
$205,186

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

Leadership & pay

34 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • COLE ANDREW P (SMEF PRESIDENT)
  • HARRALA PETER M (SMEF PRESIDENT - ELECT)
  • RAUCH THOMAS C (SMEF PAST PRESIDENT)
  • HERPFER MARC A (SME PAST PRESIDENT)
  • LE VIER MARC (SME PAST PRESIDENT (THROUGH 2/28/25))

Highest reported compensation

  • KANAGY DAVID L (SECRETARY/TREASURER): $663,914 total reported compensation
  • MARTIN MEGAN S (FOUNDATION MANAGER): $130,218 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 sme foundation is to be the source of funding for education and outreach of the society for mining, metallurgy, and exploration (sme) and the community it serves. The sme foundation fulfills its mission by supporting projects that disseminate mining/mineral information and technology worldwide; encourage professional development; educate children, teachers, and the public about the significant role that the minerals industry plays in their everyday lives; build consensus for a strong, environmentally sound minerals industry in the united states and the world; and support college-level students and programs meeting industry demands for engineers and researchers in the future.

What it reported doing in 2024

The peng ground control mining award is given in recognition of individuals that have demonstrated technical and scientific excellence in advancing the understanding of ground control technologies or approaches by either publication or direct applications in the mining industry. The annual award will be given to an individual or group that: (1) has shown insight and understanding of ground control issues by developing concepts, theories or technologies that have been adopted by the mining community, or (2) has successfully implemented a ground control design or designs or practices. The award will be available to individuals/groups that have made such contributions to ground control related to coal and/or noncoal (metals, commodities, etc.) or aggregate mines. In addition, in 2009, the syd s. Peng fund added two ground control in mining scholarships to promote the science of ground control. Recent trends in mining engineering professionals indicate a shortage of competent ground control engineers. To help remedy this situation and promote the ground control engineering discipline, an undergraduate and/or graduate scholarship(s) will be awarded annually to encourage the development of ground control engineers.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 84% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 62% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 85
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 93
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.3%; rating input score 94
  • Program expense ratio: 97%; rating input score 97
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 96.6%; rating input score 97; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 8.3%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.71; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.1%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -0.4% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.3% of revenue deployed · 97% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 28 of 29 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $1.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $664K · 34 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 58/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 53/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.