Southern California Marine Institute

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
330650013
IRS 990 coverage
2015–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Terminal Island, CA, USA
Phone
5629853172
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Biological & Life Sciences

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$572,913
Expenses
$598,695
Assets
$552,384
Liabilities
$0

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

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DR JOHN HEIDELBERG (President)
  • TOM FORD (Vice President)

People named in this filing

  • DR CHRISTOPHER LOWE (Director)
  • DR STEVE MURRAY (Director)
  • DR DANIEL J PONDELLA II (Director)

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

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

Overview

Mission

THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MARINE INSTITUTE mission is to foster marine research and education, focusing on urban impacts of the greater Los Angeles region on the coastal ocean. We seek to improve scientific understanding and the development of solutions that will enable coastal waters and watersheds to thrive, adapt and become resilient to ongoing environmental stressors.

What it reported doing in 2024

SCMI provides marine science education and research support to approximately 1,885 students and 394 faculty and researchers every year through scientific demonstrations, research cruises, and classes on water safety. SCMI maintains scientific equipment, vessels, lab space, classroom space, access to seawater systems, as well as a qualified team of marine science experts. SCMI has worked with local and national agencies to support research on the restoration of local fisheries and nearshore habitats. SCMI fosters collaboration from member campuses to further marine research and to provide hands-on experience to their students at all levels.

Operating model

Revenue model
Membership-supported. 77% of the money available for current operations came from membership dues.
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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 44
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 86%; rating input score 86
  • Program expense ratio: 82.1%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • 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: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -4.5%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.92; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.8% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.7% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 86% of revenue deployed · 82.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $491K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 12 people listed
  • Consistency: 14 of 14 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2015 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 25/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.