Southwest Stem Labs

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
882778662
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Official website data refreshed
Jul 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023
Location
Detroit, MI, USA
Phone
7345600686
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Educational Services and Schools - Other

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$230,225
Expenses
$219,449
Assets
$42,620
Liabilities
$30,997

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Leah Goodwin (Executive Director)
  • Yosabeth Guerrero-Gomez (President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Leah Goodwin (Executive Director): $58,654 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To empower individuals in STEM education fostering critical thinking creativity and compassion through mentorship to promote personal fulfillment and enrich community wellbeing.

What it reported doing in 2024

A yearlong Middle School STEM Enrichment program at Cesar Chavez Academy Middle School. The program included daily instruction across multiple hands-on project-based courses designed to strengthen students math reading and STEM identity through engaging real-world experiences. Students participated in Code.orgs Computer Science Discoveries curriculum learning programming physical computing with Micro: bits web development and interactive app design. They also explored college and career pathways through modules in carpentry 3D designs and printing electrical wiring and senor technology integration. The program emphasized critical thinking teamwork communication and exposure to high-demand careers through mentorship and guest speakers from industry trades and higher education. Tutoring and mentoring were also offered weekly after school.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 100% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
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 the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 79
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 74
  • Sustainability: 29
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 87.3%; rating input score 87
  • Program expense ratio: 91.6%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 4.7%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.19; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.73; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26.7%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: 31.1% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 192.2% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 87.3% of revenue deployed · 91.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $201K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $59K · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 41 of 41 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 11/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 8/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.